Mobile Matters

The United Kingdom’s mobile network operators, or carriers, recently updated their Code of Practice for the self regulation of mobile content services under the umbrella body, the Mobile Broadband Group (MBG).MDA event, (http://themda.org/mda-blog/Monetising-the-mobile-internet-a-day-of-insights.html).  It isn’t compulsory in order to use the service, but you receive Flirtpoints if you age verify yourself, which I’d never tried before.

The group, which represents O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and 3, periodically publishes its own Code of Practice independent of regulators, Ofcom or PhonepayPlus. It does, however, appoint and support an Independent Mobile Classification Body (IMCB), to provide a framework for classifying commercial content unsuitable for under 18s.

(This excludes premium rate voice or messaging services which rest under the jurisdiction of the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice.)

“Successful in protecting minors from inappropriate content.” This was the code review’s resounding verdict, which is attributed to effective access controls and filtering.

It’s not quite as open and shut as that because Age Verification remains a sticky issue. The MBG acknowledges these difficulties but essentially delegates the issue back to the individual operators it represents, saying it has “never been specific” about methods, and it’s up to each operator to judge.

The revised Code also newly defers to the Internet Watch Foundation as the preferred UK hotline for the public reporting of illegal content.

Age Verification (AV) is still significant because the nature of its enforcement influences, and some might argue inhibits, the emergence of new mobile services which require the user to be over 18 years old. Such as gambling and some location services. And complicated verification procedures can put users off.

Because such verification procedures are compulsory in order to access “adult content” (the terms also spark controversy), the vast majority of mobile users in the UK are technically considered minors, according operators’ records. I *think* the last statistic I heard was that roughly 10% of all mobile users are confirmed to be over 18.

Having never before played with Mark Curtis’s trailblazing mobile internet service, Flirtomatic, there was a small sense of obligation to explore before he presented at our

Here’s my journey over a couple of days and several attempts:

1. I clicked a link which gave me an SMS keyword to Short Code instruction
2. I sent the appropriate message
3. I received a free-to-receive Wap Push message back from Flirtomatic
4. I visited the link which took me to Planet3, my operator’s portal
5. I think the idea was that I should go straight to the AV section within the portal but I didn’t. The process broke down somewhere, not helped by shaky 3G connections.
6. I persevered, and at the third or fourth time of asking finally reached the credit card details submission page.
7. I submitted the card details and was taken to a new screen to create and confirm a random pin number.
8. I received a confirmation text from 3, subtly worded to make me feel like a dirty old man: “Just a quick reminder to let you know that the service you have recently registered for is now available.”
9. I went back to the Flirtomatic site and I still wasn’t age verified. Clicking on the link to verify myself presented the same instructions I’d already followed. I tried several times and definitely wasn’t verified.
10. I tried clicking the link in the original Flirtomatic Wap Push message again. Yes! At last! A Flirtomatic screen told me I was now verified.

It was all too reminiscent of the blissful relief felt when actually turning 18.

There is no identical, unified experience across all of the network operators. And, although I haven’t tried on every operator and some experiences are probably better than others, I doubt any would claim to have nailed it.

User experience parallels with app stores and mobile payment demonstrate that if there are numerous stages and commands, the drop off in users will be huge. And up to ten foggy stages is lunacy.

So you can see why this might irk providers of services which require users to prove they’re over 18. In his consultation response to the MBG, Boh Tjarks of Useful Networks, a provider of Location Based Services, pointed out that their Social Network Integrated Friend Finder (or SNIFF) service was marketed in the UK heavily, but about 70% of users failed to make it past the age verification process required of the service. This was put down to simple AV implementation reasons. As a result, the service has not yet been able to emulate its success in the Swedish and Danish markets.

Boh also contended the naming of the “Adult content filter,” which has ill-fitting and off-putting connotations for users who simply wish to access Location or Chat services.

Clearly it’s vital that minors are protected from inappropriate mobile content, and groups have just cause to make sure efficient mobile content filters remain in place. Equally, those who really, really want to access over 18 content can and will get it. And specific market revenues indicate that there’s a not inconsiderable number who do.

But, as is also demonstrated by Apple’s zero tolerance approach to any potential application which is remotely borderline in content, it’s possible to suspect a high level culture of looking after what works and not really addressing what could work, but might be tricky to manage.

If the UK’s MBG won’t or can’t take control of implementing a smooth, uniform Age Verification implementation and operators won’t prioritise the issue, how much hope is there for the future trade of innovative new services which simply require that users be over 18 years old? 

Furthermore, American attitudes towards over 18 content have traditionally been as sensitive as any.  So it seems reasonable to suggest that regulation could be denying and disqualifying any number of creative, profitable services which have the potential to generate serious revenues and could help drive the industry forward.

 This was originally posted over at my more frequently updated blog.