Regulation
Articles
Sep 12, 2023
Understanding age verification in the Online Safety Bill
The Online Safety Bill has now been approved by the House of Lords and goes on for Royal Assent, where the ruling monarch signs off on new law. The Bill covers a wide range of issues including minimising the risk of children seeing harmful and age-inappropriate content, removing illegal content like child sexual abuse material (CSAM), criminalising fraudulent and scam ads, and introducing age verification for certain online services. This blog looks at some of the age requirements in the Bill and what this means for tech companies, adult sites, gaming companies, social media platforms and dating sites. What
Articles
Aug 23, 2023
Australia’s new National Self-Exclusion Register
From 21st August 2023, Australians will be able to ban themselves from all online wagering companies. “BetStop”, the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER) will let people exclude themselves from all licensed online wagering operators, for a minimum of 3 months and up to a lifetime. The move aims to protect vulnerable people and reduce problem wagering. The BetStop NSER will be managed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). ACMA released a report which found that 11 per cent of Australians had participated in online wagering in the past six months – up from 8% in 2020. What does
Articles
Jul 28, 2023
Asking the FTC to approve facial age estimation for verifiable parental consent
Together with the Privacy Certified program of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and SuperAwesome, we are asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for approval to implement facial age estimation as an authorised method for verifiable parental consent (VPC). The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires companies to ensure they are not collecting personal data from children under the age of 13 without a parent’s consent. Currently, the COPPA Rule enumerates seven, non-exhaustive methods that enable parents to verify their consent. These include verification by government ID, credit card transaction, and a method that involves facial recognition, which is
Articles
Jul 19, 2023
UK games industry publishes new guidelines for Loot Boxes
Loot Boxes, found in certain video games, give players the opportunity to receive random items. They can be purchased with real or virtual money or through gameplay. Loot Boxes are a lucky dip; the player doesn’t know what item they will receive. They might unlock new levels or give the players access to special characters, equipment and weapons. Loot Boxes can add an element of excitement to the game. But concerns have been raised that the very nature of receiving a surprise item can be addictive. That Loot Boxes could encourage and be a pathway to problem gambling. Following these
Articles
Apr 27, 2023
The Age Appropriate Design Code for businesses
The Age Appropriate Design Code (also known as the “Children’s Code”) is the first statutory code of practice for children’s data in the world. Introduced by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2021, the set of standards seeks to ensure that online services are designed in the best interests of a child. “The best interests of a child” is a concept from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which recognises that children need special safeguards and care in all aspects of their life. In a world first, the Code extends this protection to
Articles
Dec 03, 2022
Louisiana Age Verification Law: Arriving 2023
A new Louisiana law will allow parents to take legal action against companies that do not have reasonable age verification in place to keep minors out of porn sites and other sites containing harmful material. The law focuses on pornography, citing that “advances in technology, the universal availability of the internet, and limited age verification requirements” have created a public health crisis. The Louisiana Age Verification law will come into effect on 1st January 2023. It’s a significant milestone and demonstrates the important role an increasing number of lawmakers and regulators want age verification to play in keeping children
