Comment by dofm

You're straw-manning there. Every adult citizen isn't forced to have a VPN or view porn.

Most UK citizens do have a credit card anyway (though I in fact do not). It's more than three quarters.

It's not even the only way someone offering a service for what is after all a subscription product could achieve adult verification through existing banking-based mechanisms, because there are also bank mechanisms for making payments through a direct debit, which again you have to be an adult to do in the UK, and everyone can.

KYC processes also work though they are annoying and a VPN provider is inherently not going to want to do it.

But they are going to want to take money and there are these two mechanisms that come with adulthood verification attached.

Apple could do more on this with Wallet — they could let you pay with a virtual debit card that can only be in your wallet if you've passed their adult verification. Would need some card industry support. I am not sure why I can't just associate adulthood with my debit card; that would be a good fix.