Report from MediaPost
In Brief – The Australian eSafety Commissioner has released the Search Engine Services Online Safety Code that directs search engines to implement technical age verification by the end 2025. Age verification will apply to Australian search engine users that are logged into their account, which is presently the case for most Google and Microsoft users. Acceptable age verification methods include using government ID, biometric-based age estimation, or inference based on user activity. If a search engine determines that a user is under 18, it must automatically apply the highest level of safety settings to block pornography, violence, and other harmful content. Users that are not logged in to an account will not face age checks but will see blurred images of explicit or violent material in search results. The new code requires search engines to improve age assurance systems over time, prevent sexually explicit or violent autocomplete predictions, and show crisis support information for searches related to self-harm or eating disorders.
Context – When Anthony Albanese’s Government in Australia enacted a 16-year-old age limit for social media platforms (except YouTube), it made global headlines. Social media joined porn as top tier online risks for young people. Enforcement is not directed at teens or parents, the burdens are placed on websites. The eSafety Commissioner was tasked with setting the operational age check requirements, and the regulator directed the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) to carry out the Age Assurance Technology Trial. The ACCS’s preliminary report found that there were no significant technological barriers to implementation of age verification, although questions remain regarding the accuracy and reliability of many systems. While the country’s upcoming social media age limit is an especially high-profile use case, the Australian online age verification regime is not being developed with just social media in mind. It is already also search. It will be more. In France, age verification is being applied to porn sites, and maybe social media soon. In the UK, age checks are central to the Online Safety Act regime.