The maker of the new UK 'porn pass' scrapped the idea of selling it through Amazon because its age-verification wasn't good enough
- The UK will begin age-blocking internet porn from July 15, and users will have to prove they're over 18 to access it.
- There are going to be various methods of proving your age, but the best-known might be the "porn pass." It uses a 16-digit code which you can buy from a shop, which will ask for ID to verify your age.
- Serge Acker, CEO of the company behind the pass, told Business Insider that originally he had wanted to sell the card on Amazon, but found that Amazon's own age-verification was too poor.
- Amazon declined to comment on its age-verification procedures.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The UK will age-block internet porn from July 15, meaning anyone who wants to visit a porn site in the UK will need to prove they are over 18.
Porn sites will be responsible for implementing age checks, and it will involve more than just ticking a box stating: "I am 18 or above."
One of the verification methods on the table is a "porn pass" which you will be able to buy in shops after showing your ID. Its official name is the "Portes Card," and it is being produced by a British startup called OCL.
Serge Acker, the CEO of OCL, gave Business Insider a full run-down of how the pass will work, and you can read more about that here.
Surprisingly, one place you won't be able to buy a porn pass is The Everything Store, aka Amazon.
Buying a porn pass will involve going to an old-fashioned corner store
Anyone who wants to buy a porn pass will need to go to a physical shop, where the person behind the till will request proof of age, such as a driver's licence or other form of ID.
They will then be able to buy a printed voucher with a 16-digit code to be plugged into the Portes app. Through this app they will be able to gain access to age-gated sites. OCL has partnered with AgeID, an age-verification company which is owned by MindGeek - an umbrella company which also owns PornHub, YouPorn, and RedTube.
But it was not always to be so.
Acker told Business Insider that the company had originally planned to sell the porn pass through Amazon, but it ditched the plan because its age-verification procedures didn't work.
"Originally we thought of a plastic card, because to be perfectly honest originally we wanted to sell it on Amazon, quick and simple," he told Business Insider.
"I ordered knives and alcohol through Amazon, all of which were things which Amazon said you have to be over 18 to buy"
A little experiment involving his teenage son convinced Acker that Amazon's own age-verification wasn't up to scratch.
"I ordered knives and alcohol through Amazon, all of which were things which Amazon said you have to be over 18 to buy, and that your ID will be checked at the point of delivery," he said.
"Sadly, four out of four times, my son, who was 13 at the time, was given the parcels without any check, without anything." He added that the parcels carried "age 18" stamps on them, and that in theory Amazon's app should prompt drivers to check ID.
An Amazon spokesman declined to comment on whether the Amazon app prompts contracted drivers to check ID on age-restricted items.
The spokesman said: "We follow all regulations in relation to the sale of knives and require age verification on delivery of age-restricted items.
"Product pages for age-constrained items highlight that they are for over 18s only, and we state clearly on our website that users of Amazon.co.uk must be 18 or older or accompanied by a parent or guardian."
Acker shared screenshots of an order confirmation and a delivery tracking email with Business Insider confirming two of the orders, which were made in early 2018. He also shared a photograph of one of the packages, marked clearly with "age 18," and a copy of his correspondence with Amazon representatives in which he voiced concerns about the platform's age-verification processes.
"Even though it's one of the most successful retailers in the world and it does a lot of things right, one thing it absolutely doesn't do right is age-verification and security for deliveries of things like that," Acker said.
The upshot is that would-be porn watchers will have to look a real person in the eye at their local newsagent when they buy their porn pass, at least for now.
