Age assurance technology is set to become a focal point in Australia as part of new legislation aimed at restricting social media access for users under the age of 16. The law, which is anticipated to come into effect in November 2025, mandates that social media platforms implement "reasonable steps" to verify the ages of their users to prevent minors from accessing their services. The exact definition of what constitutes "reasonable steps" remains undefined, making the forthcoming regulations critical for compliance.
As part of the law, Australia will trial various age-assurance technologies next year. The trial is managed by the eSafety Commissioner, with the aim of establishing parameters for the regulatory framework. Companies focusing on age-assurance technologies, such as Entrust, IDnow, Jumio, Veriff, and Yoti, are poised for potential growth in light of this new obligation. Yoti, based in the UK, has confirmed its participation in the Australian trial, planning to test its facial age estimation technology alongside its Digital ID app and ID document capabilities.
Tony Allen, CEO and founder of the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), which is overseeing the trial, explained that age assurance can be categorised into three areas: age verification, age estimation, and age inference. Age verification entails confirming a user's exact date of birth, often through government-issued ID or official records. In contrast, age estimation provides an approximate age, while age inference utilises confirmed personal information — for example, bank account details or a driver's license — to imply that a user exceeds a certain age threshold.
Despite the trial's global significance, the specifics of these age assurance methods in Australia are still under discussion. Social media giant Meta has been lobbying for age checks to be integrated into mobile app stores, aiming to minimise its direct responsibility for implementing age verification on its platforms. Allen anticipates a blend of verification methods, stating, “I would expect to see age verification, age estimation, and age inference. I think we’ll see a mix of all of those.”
Privacy concerns surrounding age-assurance technology have become increasingly prevalent. Allen noted that the latest developments aim to preserve users’ privacy by providing minimal data responses to age-check requests. “Generally, third-party age-assurance providers will only provide a yes/no response to an age-check ask, thereby minimising the data they return to the platform to shrink privacy risks,” he said, looking to alleviate fears about inappropriate data sharing and potential surveillance.
As the industry burgeons, companies are expected to innovate continuously. Yoti expressed uncertainty about the trial's outcomes and the specific measures that Australian lawmakers will consider proportionate for age verification. The industry is particularly interested in the margin of error permitted in techniques such as facial age estimation, which may appeal to social media companies due to the relative ease of implementation compared to traditional methods requiring government-issued ID.
Tony Allen anticipates that more age assurance technologies will emerge, citing ongoing developments, including innovative approaches that explore using biometrics such as pulse recognition or analysing hand movement for age verification. He remarked, “There’s an open call for participation [in the Australian age assurance trial] so … I think there’ll be all sorts coming out.”
With the growing legislative focus on age assurance across various regions, industry experts foresee that businesses will increasingly engage with these technologies to comply with emerging regulations and enhance their user safety measures.
Source: Noah Wire Services