Digital minister Chris Philp said the new measures will come as part of the Online Safety Bill, which will “significantly strengthen” the legal duty for pornography providers to put robust checks in place to ensure their users are 18 years old or over.
The checks could be carried out using secure age verification technology to verify that they possess a credit card and are over 18 or by having a third-party service confirm their age against government data.
If sites fail to act, regulator Ofcom will have the power to fine them up to 10 per cent of their annual global turnover or block their site in the UK, while bosses of such sites could be held criminally liable if they fail to co-operate.
Opponents of the move are concerned that it will lead to the creation of a list of porn users that could be used for blackmail purposes if leaked.
Speaking to the Guardian, Jim Killock, executive director of the UK’s Open Rights Group, said: “There is no indication...