Steam Users in the UK Will Need a Credit Card To Access 'Mature Content' Games (theverge.com)
- Reference: 0178929870
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/08/29/1441223/steam-users-in-the-uk-will-need-a-credit-card-to-access-mature-content-games
- Source link: https://www.theverge.com/news/767980/steam-uk-age-vertification-online-safety-act-credit-card-mature-games
> Valve has started to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act, by rolling out a requirement for all Brits to [1]verify their age with a credit card to access "mature content" pages and games on Steam. UK users won't even be able to access the community hubs of mature content games unless a valid credit card is stored on a Steam account.
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> While platforms like Reddit, Bluesky, and Discord have opted for age verification checks using selfies, Valve is restricting its age checks to just credit cards, according to a support article. "Among all age assurance mechanisms reviewed by Valve, this process preserves the maximum degree of user privacy," says Valve. "Having the credit card stored as a payment method acts as an additional deterrent against circumventing age verification by sharing a single Steam user account among multiple persons."
[1] https://www.theverge.com/news/767980/steam-uk-age-vertification-online-safety-act-credit-card-mature-games
Re: (Score:1)
Trump should nationalize Cracker Barrel and deport the CEO.
Just a reminder (Score:1)
that the "feminist" group that started this mess is run by right wing extremists who *successfully* got GTA III taken off the shelves in Australia.
They're coming for your video games. ALL your video games. They want you in church. Tithing.
Re: (Score:2)
Tipper Gore, the main driver of this crap in 80s. Janet Reno in 90s. Hillary Clinton in 00s (also got a GTA!). All of them very right wing.
Don't claim it's a right wing issue, it's a bipartisan thing.
Lesser of the evils (Score:2)
Valve does business in the UK and is therefore subject to UK laws for business transactions taking place in the UK. Whether or not you think the UK law is acceptable or not isn't really a factor here (unless you are a UK citizen and can protest and vote in an effort to repeal it- best of luck friend). Valve's approach strikes me as a fairly reasonable solution all things considered. It definitely sucks if you don't have / don't want a credit card, I agree. But what would your preferred method of adhering to
What if you don't want or need credit? (Score:1)
You can't play some games on Steam?
Re: (Score:1)
Then stop being a weirdo and get one, so you can play silly little games on Steam.
Or you can just get one off the Dark Web of something.
Re: (Score:2)
This is the UK - debit cards are the norm, credit cards are not universal. Most people have one of course, but most - certainly not all particularly at the 18-24 type age range.
Re: (Score:2)
> Then stop being a weirdo and get one
The only thing weird is the American fetish for having them and this continued pursuance of forcing everyone to have devices that are under control of a duopoly.
It's not a case of get one, OP shouldn't need one! There's nothing about any Steam transaction which requires a feature specific to credit cards.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure perverts will be pervert enough to get a credit card lol
Re: (Score:1)
I'm sure a debit card will work just fine too.
Re: (Score:2)
Debit cards are available to under 18s - you can have one from the age of 12. Credit cards aren't - that's why they're picking credit cards.
Re: (Score:2)
> I'm sure a debit card will work just fine too.
What makes you say that? No they wouldn't since it defeats what Steam is doing. Credit Cards are able to be used as a proxy for proof of age since the issuing bank needs to confirm that a person is over the age of 18 before issuing it. Debit cards on the other hand are issued to anyone over 11 years old.