Britain scraps plan aimed at blocking minors’ access to porn

LONDON – The British government has abandoned a plan to require pornography websites to verify that their users are adults.

The government said Wednesday that its goal of protecting children from online porn will be better achieved through broader legislation tackling “online harms.”

Nicky Morgan, the cabinet minister responsible for the legislation, says the government’s “commitment to protecting children online is unwavering.”

The plan had been expected to come into force later this year.

However, privacy campaigners had expressed fears that handing over personal information to access adult content could mean that a person’s porn viewing habits could be tracked.

The British Board of Film Classification, a film ratings and censorship body that was to oversee the verification scheme, says it will continue to support the government’s child protection efforts.