Age assurance
In response to the ICO’s opinion on Age Assurance for the Children’s Code
The Age Appropriate Design Code is a statutory data protection code of practice from the ICO that applies to providers of Information Society Services that are likely to be accessed by children, such as apps, online games, and web and social media sites. The ICO released an Opinion that looks at how age assurance can form part of an appropriate and proportionate approach to reducing or eliminating risks and conforming to the code. This included opinions on age verification and age estimation technologies. We believe that some of the generalisations made about age estimation do not
Online age verification: a new era
For years, businesses delivering age-restricted services online have gotten away with hiding behind a tick box. But it seems that governments are waking up to the dangers caused by exposing minors to age-restricted content. New legislation is starting to enforce more stringent online age verification for social media, dating, gaming and adult content sites. But what does this mean for the operators of those sites? How do they verify a user’s age without adding friction to their carefully crafted user experience? In a world where 40% of users are said to abandon a website if it
Introducing the Post Office PASS card: the affordable way to prove your age
People need cheaper, safer ways to prove who they are. Shockingly, 93 per cent of 16-34-year-olds take their important ID documents out with them every day, with only a minority keeping them safe and sound at home. It’s not convenient or safe to carry your passport or driving licence every day just to prove your age, so why do they do it? Well, it’s because they often need to prove their age to do everyday tasks, like buying an energy drink or going to the cinema. With that comes a greater risk of damaged, lost or
Developing age estimation technology to tackle grooming online
Last month, Yoti Guardian Gavin Starks chaired our third stakeholder roundtable on the next proposed stage of the development of our age estimation technology. We brought together fifty five guests from seven countries, including representatives from 5rights, Apps for Good, Be In Touch South Africa, Breck Foundation, Caribou Digital, CyberSafeIreland, Digital Policy Alliance, FSM Germany – Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter, GoBubble, IEEE, Interactive Software Federation of Europe, International Committee of the Red Cross, Internet Commission, Internet Watch Foundation, Irish Data Protection Commission, Keele University, KJM German Federal Agency for the Protection of Minors, London School of Economics,
Helping to protect kids this Safer Internet Day and beyond
Ahead of the Age Appropriate Design Code, many companies are looking at how to provide age-appropriate services, messaging, content and, crucially for parents, how to deter grooming. We are working in the ICO Sandbox with partners including child-content moderation SaaS GoBubble (GoBubbleWrap), to further develop our privacy-preserving age estimation technology so that it can accurately estimate the age of children under 13. This vital ICO Sandbox partnership will offer child-centric content moderation with global scalability on a Software as a Service (SaaS) basis. This will include privacy information and accessible parental consent mechanisms, including the option
Automated age checks for StrongPoint
We’ve teamed up with StrongPoint to deliver automated age checks in their self-checkouts, Click & Collect lockers and Vensafe dispensing machines. Customers can simply look into the camera on the device and have their age anonymously estimated in seconds. If they look under the configured age threshold, they can prove their age with the Yoti app. Products: Facial Age Estimation, Digital ID Read more about transforming your shopping experience