AVSecure -our view on the age verification delay

[AVSecure]

The mistake the UK Government have admitted to making, is purely due to their forgetfulness to comply with EU regulations and submit the guidance for consideration to Brussels under the “Technical Standards and Regulations Directive.”

The objective of this legal requirement is that member states are required to inform the Commission of any new technical regulations and technical standards whilst they are in draft and before they are adopted in national law. The ultimate objective is to prevent creating new barriers to trade within the EU.

It was made very clear by Minister Wright and Lord Ashton, that this error, for which they both apologized profusely and with some embarrassment, is not a reflection of any privacy concerns and they remain committed to enforcing the age verification law as we know it.

They suggested adult companies could consider voluntarily integrating age verification and even though this seemed like a humorous idea at the time, it also, on reflection, has some merit.

6 months soon goes and for the numerous companies that have successfully integrated with AVSecure or have the intention of deploying the free service, it should be worth considering a pre-verification process before the next enforcement date is issued.

One thing that is clear, despite the confusion and mess in the UK political system with a new Prime Minister, Brexit, possible general election and more, the support across multiple parties and stakeholders to introduce age verification remains as determined now as it was when DCMS decided to announce the very real entry into force date of the 15th July.

If it wasn’t for a technical oversight, this would not have changed.

We look forward to continuing to work, evolve and develop with the whole industry and whilst we appreciate the numerous messages of support as to how this affects us, it is the industry we feel for most. Hundreds of hours of work, thinking and planning have gone into this already and we are genuinely sorry for the grief this causes you. AVSecure is just fine by the way! We are blessed with broad shoulders, deep pockets and a long-term global business strategy that has age verification as one of its many assets.

So, please keep up the good work, be wary of any new AV providers claiming the world is theirs and remember we have been leading this for 8 years and will continue to do so.

[Brian mike]

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