Australia could use a wide range of technologies to restrict children’s access to social media, but each has its own weaknesses, writes the BBC.
The Australian government has said that the ban, which will come into effect in December and will prevent people under the age of 16 from using social media, is necessary to protect children. The new law is being praised as the first of its kind in the world, and more than one country is closely watching what will come of it. Under the new law, platforms will have to take the necessary steps to prevent children from registering on social media and delete existing children’s accounts. While the decision has received a response from parents, experts have expressed concerns about personal data privacy and the accuracy of age verification technologies.
The federal government commissioned the UK-based Age Verification Certification Organisation to examine ways in which Australia could enforce the ban, and its final report was published on the 31st of August. It looked at a range of technologies – including official verification using government-issued documents, parental consent and methods that virtually verify age by reading facial features, gestures and behaviour. It concluded that all of the above techniques are feasible.
At the same time, none of the options is universal and valid in all cases. None of them is guaranteed to be effective in all cases. The use of documents for identification was found to be the most accurate, but the report raised concerns that
platforms could retain personal data for longer than necessary.
Like other countries around the world, Australia has also faced data breaches in recent years, and in some cases sensitive data was stolen or made public.
The facial recognition technology was 92% accurate for people aged 18 and over, but there is a “buffer zone” of about two to three years before and after the age of 16. This means that there are situations where access to social networks is allowed to people who cannot do so yet, and vice versa – denied to those who have already reached the age of 16.
Methods that use parental approval also involve privacy and accuracy nuances.
The report recommends using several methods at once to achieve the best result. It also highlights that many technology developers are looking at ways to prevent age verification from being bypassed. This can happen by using fake documents or virtual private networks (VPNs) that do not allow the user to determine which country they are in.
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said
there is no one-size-fits-all solution,
and the report shows that age verification must be private and effective. She told reporters on the 1st of September: “These are some of the world’s richest companies. They are at the forefront of AI. They use the data that we give them for a bevy of commercial purposes. I think it is reasonable to ask them to use that same data and tech to keep kids safe online.” She added that there is no excuse for age verification technology not being available by the the 10th of December.
Polls show that a majority of Australian adults support a ban on social media for under-16s. However, there are also concerns that the ban could deprive children of opportunities to communicate and lead them to more dangerous corners of the internet. It is recommended that a ban be replaced by stricter content verification on social networks.
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