They have been around for decades in the cinema, at the gym and even in every supermarket. However, no cross-industry regulation has yet been established on the Internet. We are talking about an age verification system. Erotic providers in particular often attract negative attention and are thus targeted by regulatory authorities. And not without reason: free erotic sites like Pornhub or xHamster are among the most popular websites in Germany. But the lesser-known providers can also be found in this list. According to an evaluation by Similarweb (top websites in Germany), more people are interested in xHamster than in Netflix, Twitch or Tagesschau.

It illustrates how important child protection is in the digital age. Because every second young person aged 13 has already had contact with sexual media content (University of Hohenheim – press release). However, the idea of constantly showing your ID card does not provide any advantages for both operators and users. Users fear losing anonymity. Content providers see this as a significant drop in traffic and sales.

Tantum proves that both of these concerns are unfounded. The patented overall solution has already been positively assessed by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) (KJM evaluates another concept for age verification positively). The concept offers numerous advantages for both companies and users. Thanks to Tantum, the former have a legally secure and regularly updated age verification system (AVS). Users, on the other hand, retain the usual anonymity and quick access to the content.

If video platforms or websites make content available, they are responsible for it. In accordance with Section 4 Paragraph 2 Sentence 2 of the State Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV), you are obliged to ensure that pornographic content is only accessible to users of legal age. Only very few providers take on this responsibility.

Children and young people can currently switch from their favorite cartoon to the erotic page with just a few clicks. And as more and more people own their own smartphones, the likelihood of this scenario increases. If you land on an adult platform, the AVS often looks like this: The question is asked whether you are of legal age or not. If you click “YES”, you will have access to adult content in seconds. Such a query has obvious weaknesses. This is exactly why supervisory authorities like the KJM criticize this easy access to 18+ content. Your requirement: An AVS must be installed for every access. This is the only way to verify users and protect minors.

An AVS has long been part of everyday business for German providers, but at the European level everything points to an upcoming AVS requirement. The European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA) is committed to this. It is an advisory body that supports the EU in the implementation and application of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD).

The chairman of the ERGA is Dr. Tobias Schmid (no-person-no-porn), who also holds the position of director of the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. He has been campaigning for stricter control of erotic portals on the Internet for years. His demand: Adult platforms must also adhere to youth media protection. If you don't do this, you could face legal trouble. Proceedings have already been initiated against several portals. The regulatory wind is therefore becoming harsher for all erotic market participants. The sooner platforms deal with AVS integration, the higher their competitive advantage can be in the future.

Due to advancing digitalization, youth protection measures will tend to be strengthened in the future. This increases the complexity of the specifications and thus also the challenges for companies. Tantum has therefore tailored a system that addresses exactly this problem. The solution is completely digital and can be used anytime, anywhere. Human intervention in the verification – for example by a call center employee – is unnecessary.

User identification occurs using the TantumPay app. A patented AI technology scans the ID document and compares it based on liveness detection and biometric data. Direct contact with an external employee is no longer necessary. This saves companies money because they no longer have to pay verification teams. And users, in turn, avoid possible embarrassment through personal contact with a call center employee.

Age verification is completely anonymous: An additional security layer from Tantum makes passing on personal data to the erotic platform unnecessary. A connection to the respective website will not be directly visible anywhere. Tantum takes care of the age confirmation and authentication and only provides information that the respective user is actually of legal age; no personal data of the user is passed on to the erotic site.

Even if 1,000 verifications are pending at the same time, the algorithms complete the effort in just a few moments. Tantum's solution can be easily scaled and therefore adapted to the respective platform. Waiting times at a call center are now a thing of the past. Repeat logins simply require scanning a QR code using the TantumPay app. Such an overall solution reduces the bounce rate and increases loyalty to the respective provider. Tantum's goal is to give users control over their personal data while maintaining their anonymity.

The high number of hits on erotic sites demonstrate a strong interest in sexual content within our society. Tantum helps maintain the anonymity and intimacy of users and protect minors.