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regulatory
Shortlist of age checks for the UK's under-16 social media ban is out, 'some' adults will need verifying
The UK communications regulator Ofcom has published four methods of age verification for a forthcoming under-16 social media ban, including photo ID matching, bank account checks, digital ID services, and facial age estimation. The regulator acknowledged that some adults may avoid verification by allowing platforms to infer their age from activity, while around 150,000 teenagers lack photo ID and could be excluded entirely. Ofcom admitted circumvention is inevitable and committed to monitoring workarounds for 12 months after the ban takes effect.
Why it matters: Social media platforms and their compliance teams must prepare to implement one of four age assurance methods by the time the ban takes effect next year, and should expect enforcement action from Ofcom for non-compliance; privacy advocates and marginalized populations face potential exclusion from online services due to ID requirements.
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- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker