UK’s controversial porn block plans could come into force sooner under no-deal Brexit

The UK government’s plan to introduce mandatory Age Verification (AV) measures could come into effect sooner than previously thought, if the UK leaves the European Union under a ‘No Deal’ scenario, without a formal Withdrawal Agreement.

The AV plans, which have already been extensively covered, and delayed more than once, were supposed to come into effect from July 15, 2019. However, the UK government neglected to inform the European Commission under the Technical Standards and Regulations Directive (EU-TSRD), which it needed to do before enacting the changes.

As a result, a delay of around six months was expected when this was announced back on June 20, meaning it should come into force just before the end of the year.

Explore topics mentioned in this article

Age VerificationDigital Economy BillPorn banporn blockregulationsUK

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the organisation tasked with enforcing the age verification measures, told SEXTECHGUIDE:

“Once the standstill period under the EU TSRD is complete, the Guidance will be laid in Parliament, before entry into force. When the delay was announced by the then Secretary of State Jeremy Wright on 20 June, 2019 he said we could still achieve entry into force in the region of six months.  That is the timetable we are still working to. “

In June, the prospect of leaving the EU without a formal agreement seemed unlikely. Now, despite UK Parliament passing legislation to prevent ‘No Deal’, it’s still very much a possibility, which would in turn void the need to wait for the rest of the “standstill period”. This period is due to end on October 2, according to a DCMS spokesperson, unless the EU TSRD has a detailed opinion to submit, which would extend the deadline by around a month.

However, the same spokesperson confirmed that EU TSRD rules won’t apply if the UK crashes out without a formal deal. Under this scenario, the UK government would be free to re-submit AV proposals to parliament far sooner, thereby potentially allowing it to be put into effect around the start of November.

Either way, it’s unlikely to do much to prevent people under the age of 18 from accessing pornography, particularly as the workarounds are so simple to implement. That’s not stopping other countries around the world considering taking similar steps, though.

Read next: UK porn block will be unenforceable if browsers adopt DNS encryption, says government official