Age-verification-demanding websites have expanded to 6; find out if you're impacted.
The UK's Online Safety Act, introduced on July 25, is driving a significant change in the digital landscape. Social media and entertainment platforms, including Reddit, Spotify, Telegram, and Xbox, are implementing robust age verification measures to ensure users accessing harmful or age-restricted content are 18 or older.
Reddit, a widely popular forum-based social media site, is among the platforms implementing these checks. Users are required to verify their age using approved third-party services such as Yoti or Persona. Similar measures are being adopted by Spotify, which uses Yoti for age verification and deletes all user data after the age assurance process is complete.
Telegram, on the other hand, is implementing age verification checks via a facial scan that runs on your device. For Xbox, users are asked to submit government-issued ID or a live selfie for verification. Notably, accounts created in 2012 or earlier, and those who have already verified their age, are automatically verified.
These verifications aim to comply with the OSA's mandate to keep children safe from content categories like pornography, suicide promotion, self-harm, serious violence, and hate speech. The methods employed include facial age estimation, document verification, email verification, bank or mobile provider checks, and simple computer verification services.
Privacy protection is a key concern in these verifications. Platforms must confirm age without unnecessarily collecting or storing personal data, in compliance with UK data protection laws. For instance, facial age estimation tools can verify age without retaining images or identifying information.
However, despite privacy safeguards, concerns remain about data breaches, the chilling effect on anonymous or pseudonymous online speech, the complexity and cost of compliance, and users bypassing checks using VPNs or other techniques.
Cybersecurity implications are also significant, as age verification services become targets for attackers due to the sensitive data involved. Platforms must implement strong cybersecurity controls to prevent unauthorized access or identity theft.
In summary, the UK's Online Safety Act requires platforms to use secure, privacy-conscious technological age verification that balances child protection with data protection principles. This creates challenges related to user privacy, security risks linked to sensitive data handling, enforcement difficulties, and impacts on online anonymity and smaller platforms.
As these changes unfold, users are advised to familiarise themselves with the age verification processes on their favourite platforms and to prioritise their online safety and privacy.
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- The UK's Online Safety Act, driving changes in the digital landscape, has led to data-and-cloud-computing firms such as Reddit, Spotify, Telegram, and Xbox implementing stringent age verification policies to protect minors from harmful content.
- The implementation of these policies involves verification methods including facial age estimation, document verification, email verification, bank or mobile provider checks, and third-party services for age assurance, while prioritizing user's privacy and data protection according to UK laws.
- As these policy-and-legislation changes take effect, concerns in the politics and general-news sphere focus on potential data breaches, chilling effect on online speech, cost and complexity of compliance, and users bypassing checks using tech tools like VPNs, all of which pose significant challenges for both users and platforms.
