It’s a never-ending headache for the French government: how to prevent minors from accessing pornographic sites? After several proposals, the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom) opts for age verification using a bank card, reports The Informed.
Sanctions for non-compliance
Soon, certain pornographic sites will ask for a bank card number to be accessible to adults following the final adoption of the Internet security bill on April 10, 2024. Arcom will therefore ask sites to adults to verify the age of visitors using a bank card under penalty of blocking by ISPs or dereferencing, according to the repository consulted by The Informed.
Sites established in France such as Marc Dorcel or Jacquie et Michel are concerned, as are foreign platforms accessible from France. If these companies do not comply with age verification, they face a fine of up to €250,000 or 4% of global turnover.
More verification solutions are coming
However, Arcom will not stop there, since other more restrictive solutions will arrive over the next six months, in particular due to the fact that a minor can have a bank card. During this period, however, sites will be able to use this method.
The bank card must be valid and have a strong authentication system, this verification having to be carried out by an independent third party.