Internet News

British counter-terror police have blocked a video game that allows players to recreate Hamas's Oct 7 attacks on Israel.

The police have ordered Steam, an online video game marketplace, to remove Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque from its UK store.

The game drew the attention of terror police because it included scenes of players paragliding into an Israeli army base and killing soldiers. Although the game does not refer to Hamas directly, a trailer displays Israeli soldiers being shot in the head by terrorists wearing green Hamas-style headbands.

Nidal Nijm, the game's Brazilian-Palestinian creator, said in a statement on Steam's website:

The request to block my game in the UK came from the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). So this is clear that UK authorities consider my game as 'terrorist' propaganda.

Despite being blocked in Austria, Germany and the UK, the video game remains on sale in the US for $14.99 (£12).

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) is a national Counter Terrorism Policing unit based within the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, which is dedicated to the assessment of potential terrorist and extremist material found online by the public.

The UK government has launched the Office for Digital Identities and Attribute (OfDIA), a group within the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, tasked with encouraging the growth of the digital ID market under the leadership of chief executive Hannah Rutter.

In fact the Labour government is continuing with a Tory idea that was first announced by the previous government in 2022.

Rutter claimed that digital identity can make people's lives easier, and unlock billions of pounds of economic growth.

Rutter made sure to address one of the criticisms regarding the security of such schemes -- centralization -- by saying that the system her office is working on does not have a centralized digital database.

Currently, OfDIA is working to create a trusted and secure digital identity market and this work focuses on five areas, starting with developing and maintaining the digital identity and framework, and then being in charge of a register of accredited organizations that meet the framework's requirements.

The Australian internet industry has produced draft censorship rules related to age/ID verification. The schedule is for these to come into force in 2025.

One of the rules that has caught the attention is that search engines will be required to age/ID verify users before links to porn or gambling sites sites can be provided.

The draft codes will apply to websites, social media, video games, search engines, gaming companies, app developers and internet service providers, among others.

As is the case in most other countries, the authorities are refusing to specify exactly what age/ID verification mechanisms will be acceptable and will leave it to companies to take enormous commercial risks in guessing what mechanisms will be acceptable. Examples of options include checking photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks, digital ID wallets or systems, or attestation by a parent or guardian.

The codes have been developed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (Amta), the Communications Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA), the Digital Industry Group Inc. (Digi), and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA).

Dr Jennifer Duxbury, Digi's director for policy, regulatory affairs, and research, told Guardian Australia that the group doesn't speak for the porn industry, and added:

I can't predict what their reaction might be, whether they would withdraw from the market, or what's the likely outcome.

A French Court of Appeals in Paris has ruled that certain porn websites are subject to a national age verification requirement adopted under a 2020 French law.

The ruling applies to websites that don't operate in European Union member states.

Websites Tukif, xHamster, MrSexe, and IciPorno, all non-EU platforms, must adopt more rigorous age verification measures within 15 days or else they will be blocked by French ISPs.

Porn websites are currently under duress via the EU and the websites are presently challenging Digital Services Act rules.

The Court of Appeal ruled that:

Children's general interest was an overriding consideration which may justify infringement of other rights such as freedom of expression or communication.

Giving priority to the protection of the private lives of adult consumers, by ruling out age verification, is incompatible with the protection of minors.

AVN also reported on a national age verification requirement granting Arcom, the audiovisual and internet censor for France, the right to enforce age-verification rules.