The United Kingdom has passed a law banning tobacco sales to anyone born after 2009. An ambitious public health move — but one already raising red flags on enforceability. Critics point to black markets, fraud, and an impossible burden on businesses.
Why should Italy care? Because the EU is watching. If a similar model reaches Brussels, every Italian retailer — from corner tobacco shops to online vape stores — will have to verify age for every single purchase. A logistical and technical nightmare.
Our position
We at Meteora Web see this from one angle only: implementation. A law that cannot be enforced with current tools is a wish, not a law. Age verification in physical stores is already tricky (fake IDs, collusion). Online, with cross-border sales, VPNs and anonymous payments, it’s nearly impossible without a centralized digital ID system. And who really wants a government that knows exactly who buys what? As technicians who manage e-commerce and sensitive data daily, the compliance cost for SMEs would be wildly disproportionate. Better to invest in education, higher taxes on tobacco, and real campaigns — not bans that only make headlines.
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And don’t forget security. We’ve seen servers with expired SSL certificates, unprotected forms, missing backups. Adding a mandatory age-verification layer multiplies vulnerabilities. Citizens will find workarounds, fueling smuggling. History shows prohibition never works.
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What to do? For digital operators in Italy, the advice is practical: prepare. If you sell age-restricted products, invest now in robust solutions (identity verification APIs, double opt-in, AI-based age estimation). But do it to protect your business from fines and unhappy customers, not to satisfy unrealistic regulations. And keep an eye on Brussels: when a proposal comes, we’ll be ready to speak up — with numbers in hand.
