Wasn't the porn filter supposed to be enabled by default, but optional for adults? As in the adults could change whether or not they could see the porn, at will?
I believe there was some bureaucracy involved and maybe a "porn tax" you had to pay to disable the filter, but maybe this VPN service effectively solves both of those problems.
No, the Age Verification system (recently delayed[1]) is compulsory that porn sites must implement to be able to trade in the UK. It requires that they perform age verification on everyone accessing the site from the UK. This verification would be performed by supplying ID and linking it to your account.
This is separate from ISP supplied filters in that it applies to the porn companies themselves, not the end consumers. Obviously a company like Mind Geek having your ID and all your porn browsing history is not worrisome at all.
From the article:
"there is a premium subscription available that gets rid of the ads and promises faster speeds. In the U.S., this will cost between $12 and $14 per month, depending on the platform."
So unlimited free use, but restricted speed and injected ads. Not horrible, but I'd definitely read the T&C very carefully, I didn't see any mention of what logs they keep.
I believe there was some bureaucracy involved and maybe a "porn tax" you had to pay to disable the filter, but maybe this VPN service effectively solves both of those problems.