ipernity workshop: content rating and filtering system / Discussions

I've read through some postings and I've got the impression that two things are accidentally getting mixed up:

1) Establishing a content rating/filtering system that allows the user to decide what he/she wants do see: the system is on the user's side.
(I've read ideas on "Profiles" like "At work" or "At home" or so. Nice idea, but I guess a quick way to switch the acceptance levels in profile/on the site would be also doing that job.).

2) Establishing an age verification system that prohibits non-adults to see content that's inappropriate for them (for the sake of simplicity let's assume it is only "green" content they are allowed to see)

This are two very different things! Yes, #2 cannot exist without #1.

Keep it clear: If you'd like to implement #1, just go ahead! As everyone can set his own acceptance level, everything is fine. You mostly trust the users and that's it.
The problem begins just when you start to impose people with a acceptance level based on the state of the age verification process (this is: when someone is not fully verified as an adult and IP gives them an acceptance level of green that the person cannot change to a higher level (like orange on red)).

The question is: What are you trying to achieve? When it is obeying the law(s) you will eventually have to impose acceptance levels for non-verified people and find a proper way for age verification. And this is a hard one!
I think the best you could do is to look what French Law requires for age verification (as you guys are from France and the servers are there, too(?)), post the results of your investigation here and see if IP (i.e. you AND the members) can implement there requirements. If it is enough to look at the birthdate the user has provided among his registration infromation: be happy and go ahead! If it is as complicated in the German version (this is mainly providing a copy of a passport or an ID, providing credit card information (or other payment information) on the same name as on the passport/ID and having periodic payments from this account), then a lot of thinking is waiting for us...