If you’d rather watch a video, here is a six minute overview.
How We Got Here
Until a few years ago, there were zero controls on access to adult content. Some sites would pop up a screen asking you to confirm you are over 18, but that is about as effective as a blindfolded bouncer.
Since 2022, nearly half of US states have passed laws banning minor access to sexually explicit content. This trend started with Louisiana and quickly snowballed. Outside the US, several large countries have done the same, including France, Germany, and the UK.
Up to this point most content providers have taken a head in the sand approach. For example, in my home state of Arkansas, Pornhub displays a PSA urging people to contact their legislators.
This is a dead end. There is no critical mass of voters willing to call their state legislator to say “Hey, I like porn! Please change the law!”
The practical effect of requiring ID verification is to block access for everyone. That’s why I created Cardless ID.
What is it?
Cardless ID is a nonprofit dedicated to making age verification fast, free and safe. It’s not just for sites like Pornhub, but also for individual creators, as I’ll explain below.
How does it do this? Using crypto wallets like MetaMask, Coinbase, Pera and Phantom.
Why crypto wallets?
Before I explain why, the most important thing to know is that you will never, ever be required to buy or sell crypto, or in any way at all participate in the myriad scams and dodgy behavior common to the industry. You won’t be asked to buy Bitcoin, NFTs, memecoins or anything else. You won’t be asked to create a Coinbase, Binance or other exchange account.
You will simply be asked to install a digital wallet and verify your age one time. The wallet can be on your phone, your computer, the web or all three. For example, I have a MetaMask wallet that I can access from my phone, my iPad and my computer. They are all the same wallet.
The reasons crypto wallets are the best technology are:
They work everywhere, even in countries that ban cryptocurrency.
The information contained in them is never shared with a third party unless you explicitly allow it.
For our purposes, the only information that’s needed is your birth date. There is no need to input your social security number, mailing address or anything else that might identify you.
When used by sites to verify your age, they do not even get access to your birth date. They simply ask you to verify if you were born before the cutoff date, then use a simple, encrypted verification check with your wallet to see if that’s true or false.
Cardless ID extends beyond mere access for consumers.
For example, a site that accepts uploads can use it to verify the age of the uploader. Furthermore, if someone is caught violating standards like uploading CSAM or revenge porn, they can be blocked from accessing not just that site, but every adult web site.
It can also be used to protect creators. Many individual OnlyFans creators report the problem of users signing up merely to harass and stalk them. OnlyFans allows the creator to block those people, but deranged stalkers can and do create new accounts, allowing them to do it over and over and over again.
With Cardless ID, OnlyFans can block that person from ever signing up again, and every other adult web site.
Why a nonprofit?
Running this service as nonprofit provides a crucial benefit: it removes the incentive to monetize user data. The means the service can remain free for both end-users and adult content providers. This is vital, as a for-profit entity would be motivated to collect and monetize sensitive information. A nonprofit structure ensures there's no hidden agenda to profit from user activity, fostering greater trust and adoption.
The use of decentralized identity through crypto wallets further supports this model. This technology makes the service inherently cheap to run, as there's no need to maintain servers to handle verification requests. Instead of relying on a centralized system, the verification process takes advantage of the decentralized nature of blockchains. This drastically reduces the ongoing operational expenses, making a zero-cost model for all participants feasible and sustainable.
By eliminating costs and the profit motive, Cardless ID can focus entirely on its core mission of securely and privately verifying age without exploiting user data. It protects individual privacy while complying with age-verification requirements. This alignment is what builds a reputation for trustworthiness and is essential for a service handling such sensitive information.
Get Involved
I am currently connecting with content platforms, wallet providers, influencers and donors. If this is you, or someone you know, please contact me here on Substack or through the form on our web site.