- Government introduces age verification for online platforms with pornographic content
- Privacy concerns arise over data collection and storage in age verification systems
- Amendments to the Online Safety Act aim to protect children from accessing pornography online
Despite privacy concerns, the government insists that children will be better protected online under newly amended internet safety laws.
The Online Safety Act will mandate age verification for services that publish or permit pornographic content.
However, digital rights organisations say the tools’ data collection is not transparent.
“No piece of legislation is ever going to be perfect,” said technology minister Paul Scully, but it was “flexible.”
User-to-user platforms, such as social media sites, that allow pornographic content will be required to use age-checking technologies that are “highly effective” in distinguishing whether a user is a child or not, such as estimating a user’s age based on a selfie.
Other methods include verifying official identification, bank statements, or voice recognition technology. Which would then notify the service provider that the anonymized user is over the age of 18.
“Are our records being stored?”
Digital rights activists are skeptical that individuals’ privacy will be protected.
Dr. Monica Horten, policy manager for freedom of expression at Open Rights Group, stated that age verification technology is being “introduced in a draconian manner.” She said websites should evaluate the implications of age verification.
“Some of these systems use facial scanning to determine the age of individuals. Without governance structures in place, the processing of large pools of biometric data collected from children by private corporations is something that parents should be extremely concerned about.
We do not understand how these systems operate. Are our records being stored? Who can access it? If so, is it being processed?” She stated.
The bill will grant the communications regulator Ofcom the authority to fine tech companies. Block access to websites, and introduce criminal liability for executives of non-cooperating companies.
Iain Corby, from the Age Verification Providers Association, praised the bill’s requirements, but stated that “with five million adult websites, the government still needs to give the regulator more enforcement authority before the bill can be finalized.”
Concerns have also been expressed that requiring users to provide official documentation may discriminate against certain socioeconomic groups, who are more likely to lack these documents.
Ofcom guidelines
Mr. Scully refuted the criticism that the legislation could prevent access to vital reproductive health education content.
“I want to assure those who work in these fields that they will not be negatively affected by this bill,” he said.
Mr. Scully added that Ofcom would determine the guidelines for determining “what is and is not available to under-18s.”
According to research, children are exposed to online pornography as early as age nine. By the age of 13, approximately 50% had been exposed.
Some adolescents simply falsify their date of birth to circumvent age restrictions on websites.
Mr. Scully also stated that the amendments would “prevent the majority of children – who don’t look for VPN or other ways around this – from almost tripping over access to pornography, as is currently the case”
A raft of modifications
The United Kingdom has struggled to protect social media users, especially minors, from harmful content without impeding free speech.
New measures will also seek to hold top executives personally accountable for ensuring the safety of minors on their platforms, the government said, after agreeing in January to toughen the bill with the possibility of imprisonment for tech executives.
Other alterations to the bill will permit regulators to obtain information on a child’s social media use if requested by a coroner, thereby enabling bereaved families to comprehend any potential influence of online activity on a child’s death.
Apple opposed the Online Safety Bill for requiring messaging firms to bypass end-to-end encryption to censor child abuse information.
The government stated that there would be no additional amendments to this section of the measure before its vote.
Next Thursday, the House of Lords will vote on the legislation, which may not pass for months.
