Italy joins UK, France with mandatory age checks on adult websites

Date:
Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:12:25 +0000

Description:
Age verification will be introduced on November 12

FULL STORY

Italy has joined the UK, France and several states in the US in introducing
age checks for adult content online. On Friday, the country's communications authority, AGCOM, announced that the rules will come into effect on November 12.

The system is intended to protect people's privacy and improve data security but, like in other countries that have introduced similar measures, interest
in circumvention methods, like VPN apps , appears to be on the rise.

How Italy's age verification system works

According to the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), the Italian system "guarantees a high level of security and protects personal
data" thanks to a 'double-anonymity' feature.

This feature means the verification process is split in half: a certified
third party verifies someone's identity and generates a secure token that is then presented to the adult website. Importantly, the third party doesn't
know what content is being accessed and the website learns nothing about the individual.

If successful, the system would be a definite improvement over some others recently introduced. However, consolidating people's information in one third-party system even if it's separate from the destination website
still creates a high-value target.

What's more, because the process has to be repeated each time someone wants
to access the website, the potential for data insecurity increases.

Which sites are affected?

When the system comes into force, it will affect around 50 websites that
AGCOM has already listed. However, that's likely to increase and soon it may extend beyond adult websites as EPRA indicates, the age verification's
"scope may be extended in the future to include other services unsuitable for minors."

As has been the case in the UK, expanding the remit of age verification measures can attract severe criticism and it seems some people may already be on the lookout for ways around the restrictions.

What do people think?

Despite the privacy and security assurances, it seems like some people in
Italy are already planning on ways to bypass the checks.

According to Google Search Trends , interest in VPNs has significantly risen
in the past week and searches for 'November 12' the date the new
restrictions are set to come into force have seen a 140% increase.

The concern, as is often the case with age verification systems, is that
people will turn to insecure VPN apps and other shady platforms in the hope
of keeping their data secure, while actually putting it at risk.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/italy-joins-uk-france-with- mandatory-age-checks-on-adult-websites

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