Steam now requires age verification in the UK

[iamthemilkman]

Steam is rolling out the requirement for all users in the UK to verify their age in order to access store pages for games with mature content.

The restriction seemingly went into effect on Friday, after social media users spotted reference to the requirement on Steam‘s FAQ.

Thankfully, the process to verify your age is straightforward: UK users need only to add a credit card to their account, and those who already have one registered will face no restrictions.

The age verification requirement comes ahead of the enforcement of a new online safety act in the UK, which makes online platforms responsible for their users’ safety.

Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with “clear and accessible ways” to report problems.

Other gaming platforms, such as Xbox and Discord, began encouraging users to verify their age in order to access certain content earlier this year.

Starting early next year, age verification will be required for players in the UK to retain full access to social features on Xbox, including voice and text communication, and game invites.

“As this age verification process rolls out across the UK, we’ll continue to evaluate how we can keep players around the world safe and learn from the UK process,” Xbox said. “We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future.”

Link

This is a global push, they're all trying to do it. This isn't a partisan thing. Regardless of who you vote for, I think we should all oppose this kind of government overreach. Surely we can all stop bickering for a second and unite on common ground.

 

[Scotty]

I smell a sudden surge in piracy over there.

 

[Dany28]

This is actually nothing special and it's clear that they do things like this. And I'm sure there will be more to come.

 

[Vexicrypt]

I mean we all use our credit cards to buy games on Steam already, so what's the problem here?

 

[iamthemilkman]

I mean we all use our credit cards to buy games on Steam already, so what's the problem here?

That's similar to the argument some made about banks having the power to get games removed off of platforms. They first went after the most controversial, knowing people would say "What's the problem here?", then they went after stuff like Mouthwashing. Eventually, they plan to make it so that you have to do this everywhere on the internet. This is just the start of the slippery slope.

 

[Matricks]

Yeppie And PRON sites are FREE FOR ALL.

 

[Clippy]

The UK has been ground zero for human rights violations in the Occident for quite a while now. Historically, no people have ever gained or regained their rights by asking politely so either Brits are going to simply keep taking it dooming us all in the process or late night news are going to get a lot more interesting.

 

[qw90700]

I have nothing to hide!!! The colour of my underwear is purple.

lolol

 

[bjork]

Doesn't seem too different from needing to show an ID at the liquor store to buy a porno mag. There are problematic applications of the age verification thing, but this isn't one of them. I'm surprised it wasn't already a thing, once they let adult games on there.

 

[Matricks]

IT doesnt make sense when you buy any games with a CreditCard already or there are kidsCc ??

 

[qw90700]

IT doesnt make sense when you buy any games with a CreditCard already or there are kidsCc ??

Kids could buy porn games via Steam Wallet money they got by selling cards, game items or Steam Wallet codes before but not anymore lol.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

Nah Just sail the seven sea is so good and free

 

[Neb Lleb]

Link

This is a global push, they're all trying to do it. This isn't a partisan thing. Regardless of who you vote for, I think we should all oppose this kind of government overreach. Surely we can all stop bickering for a second and unite on common ground.

Labour have turned my country into a dystopian police state, and thankfully... Although they refuse to repeal it, I'm so happy that 4chan are suing their lapdogs Ofcom. The Online Safety Act WILL be stopped. Not today, not tomorrow, but sometime in the future. People are fully aware and they are preparing to fight back.

 

[Adrastia]

Nah Just sail the seven sea is so good and free

This will only encourage more piracy. People shouldn't support this. It's a slipperly slope that starts with "For the children" and ends with "Big Brother is watching you even harder than ever before". Plus data breaches galore. They have your photo, your address and your personal ID number. Your personal info is already in enough places as is.

Governments around the world have been trying to control the internet for decades. They are finally being given a foothold.

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Not to get all conspiracy theorist, but I really don't know how anyone can think this isn't some kind of organized effort from the worlds governments. Like only a week or so after the UK government announced that bullshit "Child online safety" bill, I've seen so many other countries across Europe, South America and even America itself moving towards a similar direction. Somethings definitely happening here.

Post automatically merged: 39 minutes ago

Labour have turned my country into a dystopian police state, and thankfully... Although they refuse to repeal it, I'm so happy that 4chan are suing their lapdogs Ofcom. The Online Safety Act WILL be stopped. Not today, not tomorrow, but sometime in the future. People are fully aware and they are preparing to fight back.

I know anti-government sentiments are at an all-time high in the UK right now. I've seen there's been protests almost everyday for the last few weeks now. Hopefully this will all be a wake-up call to any kind of government that they can't keep pushing around and belittling their own people.

 

[DjQuick2008]

I use steam with my vpn set to ireland for now technically you can have dual citizenship in my country so im really considering an irish passport which would give me a better deal for travel and other perks. An irish passport is also cheaper. This age verification shit shoulda been booted out of courts in northern ireland everything else the UK has thought of normally dosent reside in law.

 

[Segadude113]

I just wanna support Siactro and a bunch of other indies.

 

[Neb Lleb]

I know anti-government sentiments are at an all-time high in the UK right now. I've seen there's been protests almost everyday for the last few weeks now. Hopefully this will all be a wake-up call to any kind of government that they can't keep pushing around and belittling their own people.

Thing is, it's the way of all governments built on suppression and surveillance to collapse, and Keir Starmer's Labour, thanks to their embracing of and refusal to repeal the Online Safety Act (alongside another major factor which shall not be mentioned here), have accelerated their collapse in a way not seen since the French revolution. This is the culmination of fifteen years of political rot, and people have finally had enough.

And the same thing is happening to other companies and governments which have embraced surveillance: YouTube have introduced an AI-based surveillance network for similar reasons of "for the kids!" and guess what? They're being sued, too. The more they double down, the more this will inevitably fail.

 

[DjQuick2008]

the current British PM was a communist spy when he was younger so you know he never left the battlefield.

Post automatically merged: 23 minutes ago

Thing is, it's the way of all governments built on suppression and surveillance to collapse, and Keir Starmer's Labour, thanks to their embracing of and refusal to repeal the Online Safety Act (alongside another major factor which shall not be mentioned here), have accelerated their collapse in a way not seen since the French revolution. This is the culmination of fifteen years of political rot, and people have finally had enough.

And the same thing is happening to other companies and governments which have embraced surveillance: YouTube have introduced an AI-based surveillance network for similar reasons of "for the kids!" and guess what? They're being sued, too. The more they double down, the more this will inevitably fail.

The great reset.

 

[poppy_]

I have nothing to hide!!! The colour of my underwear is purple.

View attachment 104877

lolol

Post automatically merged: 17 minutes ago

the new age of online censorship and control is scary....

 

[UntoldLegend13]

Like everything the Yookay does, there's an easy work around.
You can add to your wishlist without viewing the store page and add to cart from there.

 

[Neb Lleb]

The great reset.

What does an Alt-Right conspiracy have to do with the ongoing backlash against Online Surveillance?