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

• Italy announces age verification system for adult sites
• The measure comes into force November 12
• Google searches for VPN is on the rise

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.

So, if you're genuinely concerned about your data, then it's always worth doing some research and using a well-known brand like NordVPN or Proton VPN.