Tory porn plan could strangle foreign smut sites

The Conservative government's 'war on porn' continued apace on Tuesday, with the opening of public consultation on plans to force all online providers of adult content to add age verification technology.

Under the proposal from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DMCS), all businesses that profited from providing pornographic material online would be expected to comply with the law.

A spokesperson told Ars Technica that, when it came to the massive numbers of porn suppliers based overseas, the rules would "apply to all websites, wherever they are hosted".

Under the new regulatory framework, a new watchdog would be established to monitor porn peddlers and ensure they were complying with the new rules.

The DCMS spokesperson said that non-compliance would see the sites cut off from their payment providers, advertisers and other services, essentially killing their UK business.

Internet and security minister, baroness Shields, said the consultation was the result of a manifesto promise at last year's general election.

“[The plan] proposes we require companies providing this pornographic content to ensure they have safeguards in place to ensure those accessing their websites are over 18,” she said.

It was understood DCMS wanted to see the legislation brought through in 'months'.