Online Bosses Face Jail Time Amid Crackdown on Underage Access to Dangerous Weapons
- New government measures announced for stricter knife sales verification processes online
- Maximum prison sentences for selling knives to under-18s increased from six months to two years
- Retailers must implement a two-step ID verification process at point of purchase and delivery
- Illegal dealers sold over 2,000 knives in just 18 months, often bypassing age checks
- Creation of £1 million-funded police unit to tackle illegal online knife sales
- John Lewis becomes first UK retailer to implement AI-powered age checks for online knife sales
The UK government has announced new measures to tackle the issue of underage access to dangerous weapons, including stricter rules for online platforms like Amazon. Retailers selling knives online will be required to implement a two-step ID verification process at both the point of purchase and delivery to prevent sales to minors. The maximum prison sentence for selling knives to under-18s has been raised from six months to two years, holding both individuals and company executives accountable. A £1 million-funded police unit will be created to combat illegal online knife sales. John Lewis became the first UK retailer to implement AI-powered age checks for online knife sales last month.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about the new government measures to tackle underage access to dangerous weapons by implementing stricter rules for online knife sales. It mentions the consequences for non-compliance and includes relevant examples of previous incidents. However, it contains a brief unrelated sentence at the end that is not related to the main topic.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about new government measures to tackle underage access to dangerous weapons and includes evidence of the issue through a specific case. However, it diverts into unrelated territory by mentioning Haribo opening a store in Kent’s Bluewater shopping centre, which is not directly related to the main topic.
Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses new government measures to implement stricter rules for online knife sales and age verification processes, but it does not directly pertain to financial topics or impact financial markets or companies.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event in the text, but the article discusses a significant issue regarding online knife sales to minors and new government measures to tackle this problem.
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