Accessing porn without the protection of Incognito mode just isn’t an option for many people. Unfortunately, the much loved browsing feature will be lumbered with some highly inconvenient baggage next month, when age verification checks go live on pornographic websites.
Once the Digital Economy Act comes into effect in April, people visiting websites like Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube and Brazzers will have to navigate their way past an age verification barrier called AgeID, in order to actually access any content.
To get past the tool, which was built by Pornhub owner MindGeek, you’ll have to prove you’re at least 18 years old. Once you’ve verified your age and signed in to AgeID, MindGeek says you can tell it to log you in automatically when you visit any pornographic website in the future, saving you from having to enter your details every time you try to access Pornhub.
Unfortunately, this won’t work if you only access porn in Incognito mode.
Essential tests
AgeID has confirmed to TrustedReviews that if you were to sign in to AgeID while trying to access porn in Incognito mode, then close your Incognito mode browsing session, you’d be required to sign in to AgeID again the next time you try to visit a porn site in Incognito mode.
In simple terms, if you want to carry on watching porn without it showing up in your browsing history, you’ll need to sign in to AgeID every single time you open a new Incognito mode browsing session.
While this isn’t the worst thing in the world, it’s certainly an inconvenience. However, the alternative − bypassing Incognito mode entirely, and instead clearing your cookies and internet history on a regular basis − is even more of a pain.
And if you were to forget to cover your tracks after a particularly fruity Pornhub session, the consequences could be very embarrassing indeed, especially if you use a shared computer.
“All users accessing adult websites in the AgeID network from within the UK will be verified in line with the impending regulations,” AgeID spokesperson James Clark told TrustedReviews, explaining how the tool will work when you’re not in Incognito mode.
“Upon being verified, a secure login will be created for all future access. A returning user need only login into their verified AgeID account in order to re-access a website, rather than prove they are over 18 again. The user also has the choice whether to require this login every time, for instance if they are on a shared device, or instead allow AgeID to log them in automatically, perhaps on a mobile phone or other personal device.”
He added: “AgeID has been designed to allow customers a seamless browsing experience between all AgeID sites without re-verifying or hitting multiple age verification walls.”
Just not if you watch porn in Incognito mode.
