The Internet is full of dangers, we know that.
The rich content available to us includes a mix of legal, illegal and material that falls into a gray area and is often vaguely described as “harmful”. It’s the kind of content that might suit anyone with a fully developed prefrontal cortex, but you wouldn’t necessarily want your kids exposed to it.
In the past, it was easy to access this content regardless of age. You can simply check a box and indicate that you are over 18 or 21, or enter an incorrect date of birth. But things are starting to change.
Last month, Britain became one of the first countries to require technology companies to verify the age of people using online services that could expose them to harmful content, including pornography. I’m a UK citizen and had to verify my age on Bluesky and Reddit in the first few days after the rules came into effect. And this is just the beginning.
Age verification is here for you, wherever you live. Most US states are considering or enacting age verification laws. The result is currently a hodgepodge of rules, some complete, some half-finished, and many currently unknown.
One thing you can be sure of is that age verification will affect your internet usage in the near future, if it hasn’t already. Here’s what you need to know:
What are the pros and cons of age verification?
The obvious and clear argument for age verification is that we need to make the internet safer for children.
The arguments against this idea are more complex and varied.
Data protection concerns include questions about the security of data storage and processing during the verification process (see Tea App Data Breach) and extend to the possibility that existing systems could be used to track people’s internet usage.
The question remains whether labeling it as “harmful content” could lead to denying access to important information such as sex education, health and political content. This could potentially constitute a violation of freedom of expression.
Critics also argue that making legal content harder for adults to access could lead people, including children, to seek out illegal content, leading them to even more dangerous parts of the internet.
Online rights groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Open Rights Groups, have spoken out about the potential dangers of age verification laws and are closely monitoring the effects of the laws as they take effect.
How does age verification work?
There are several ways you can be asked to verify your age online. This may include providing government-issued identification; Perform bank, mobile phone or credit card checks; or use a digital identity service that stores your verified age in a wallet.
You may also be asked to use technologies that estimate your age, such as verifying your email address, which may help you contact electricity companies with which you may be registered. In most cases, you will be asked to submit a selfie, which will be analyzed to predict your expected age. The technology is not infallible: after its introduction in the UK, reports began to circulate of people faking the technology by displaying characters from video games.
Some technology platforms are introducing their own proprietary technology to verify people’s age. However, the most common approach is to rely on third-party services that specialize in verification in the digital age.
In most cases, authentication is used to age-restrict certain features, such as instant messaging, to limit access to children rather than prohibiting them entirely. In other cases, especially on sites with pornographic and adult content, it can be used to block access completely.
Does my state have age verification rules?
In the United States, at least 41 age verification bills have been debated, introduced, defeated, or passed at the state level. Some states have made multiple attempts to introduce legislation, so this number does not reflect the number of states that are addressing the issue.
The pioneer was Louisiana, which by 2022 required websites to classify more than 33.33% of their content as adult in order to verify people’s ages. This opened the door to other accounts. To see if your state is taking action, you can check The Freedom of Speech Coalition Age Verification Bill.
A particularly notable moment in the implementation of the age verification legislation occurred in June this year. After two years of legal challenges, the Supreme Court upheld a 2023 Texas law requiring porn sites to verify people’s ages. The ruling, which establishes that minors do not have a right to access sexual material under the First Amendment, is likely to pave the way for other states to follow suit.
There have also been two attempts to introduce legislation at the federal level through bills. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Representative Greg Steube from Florida, both in 2023. Neither has progressed beyond this initial phase.
Laws at the federal level are likely to be easier for people to understand and for tech companies to follow than the many regulations set at the state level.
How are tech companies responding?
For technology companies, age verification presents a complex challenge. After years of pressure to protect young people who use their services, they are now legally required to do so in some cases and face fines if they don’t follow the rules.
In the UK, the law allows companies to choose their own authentication technology, and services are largely provided by third-party companies such as Yoti. The law extends from porn sites to social media, so I had to verify my age to use Bluesky and Reddit so I could use direct messages on the former and access some subreddits on the latter.
In the US, it is not so easy for Bluesky to comply with local laws. Last week, the company announced it would block access to the platform for people with IP addresses in Mississippi because of the state’s pension law.
“Mississippi’s approach would fundamentally change how users access Bluesky,” one person said. blog article. “We know this is disappointing for our Mississippians, but we believe it is a necessary step while the courts review the legal arguments.”
This is not the only online service that may not work in some jurisdictions due to age restrictions. Pornhub does currently blocked in 21 US states. Due to various local laws, you feel that you cannot comply with them.
This does not mean that age laws automatically preclude the operation of these services. For example, Bluesky could continue its operations in the UK. Meanwhile, Pornhub remains available in Louisiana, the first state to implement age verification rules, as the state relies on the third-party system LA Wallet to verify people’s ages rather than requiring Pornhub to implement its own system.
Some technology companies are also getting ahead of the rules by proactively implementing age-related security practices into their services.
Last month, gaming platform Roblox, which has been criticized for not doing enough to protect children, introduced age verification for teenagers who want to chat with each other. In July, YouTube also introduced its AI-based age estimation technology to determine whether viewers are under 18 and restrict certain types of content accordingly. in one Facebook support pageInformation on age verification technologies shows that Meta is also preparing to introduce more concrete measures to determine the age of people using its platforms.
Is it possible to bypass age verification?
As with death and taxes, online age verification is quickly becoming one of the most important things in life. This does not mean that everyone participates.
VPN is the main method to bypass authentication. In the week that the UK’s online safety law came into effect, free VPN services soared in the rankings on Apple’s App Store, suggesting that many people were trying to bypass age verification.
We don’t recommend using free VPNs because they offer slower speeds and collect your data. However, a paid option may be an option for you if you are determined to prioritize your privacy at all costs.
