NEW AGE
Internet users could be made to prove their age for EVERY SITE under strict new plans
Web giants will be forced to either introduce age checks or treat all users like children under proposals by the Information Commissioner's Office today
INTERNET users could be forced to prove their age on EVERY website under tough new rules to protect kids online.
Web giants will be forced to either introduce age checks or treat all users like children under proposals by the Information Commissioner's Office today.
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The rules could force Brits to prove their age every time they shop online, browse for holidays, or look at news websites.
Critics argue the changes could decimate the online advertising industry and kill off popular forums such as Mumsnet and TripAdvisor.
The radical proposals will protect kids using the internet, according to Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
She said: "This is the connected generation. The internet and all its wonders are hardwired into their everyday lives.
We shouldn’t have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do
Elizabeth Denham
"We shouldn’t have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do. This code does that."
Baroness Kidron, who led the parliamentary debate about the creation of the code, said: "I welcome the draft code released today which represents the beginning of a new deal between children and the tech sector.
"For too long we have failed to recognise children’s rights and needs online, with tragic outcomes.
"I firmly believe in the power of technology to transform lives, be a force for good and rise to the challenge of promoting the rights and safety of our children.
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"But in order to fulfil that role it must consider the best interests of children, not simply its own commercial interests.
"That is what the code will require online services to do. This is a systemic change."
But the Adam Smith Institute's Matthew Lesh fumed: "The ICO is an unelected quango introducing draconian limitations on the internet with the threat of massive fines.
"It is ridiculous to infantilise people and treat everyone as children... It is really up to parents to keep their children safe online."
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