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Amid plans by several European countries to limit children’s access to social media, hundreds of security and privacy experts have urged governments not to implement age verification systems until thorough research is completed. In an open letter, 405 experts from 30 countries warned about potential risks to privacy, security, and equality for users, reports EuroNews.
Age verification typically involves using a live selfie or uploading a government-issued ID to estimate a user’s age. Some platforms already use these methods, and in Italy and France they are mandatory. Other countries considering similar measures include Poland, the UK, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Finland, and Germany.
The experts highlight that these approaches are not yet sufficiently safe. Risks include malware, fraud on illegal sites, and the potential disclosure of more personal data to service providers.
The letter emphasizes that age verification technologies should not be implemented “until there is scientific consensus on the benefits and harms of age verification technologies.” Introducing such systems prematurely is described as “unsafe and socially unacceptable” without a clear understanding of the consequences for security, privacy, and equality.
The document also outlines technical requirements for a potentially secure system. Effective age verification should include cryptographic protection in every request to ensure data security during transmission. However, the authors warn that building and maintaining such infrastructure globally would be highly complex.
“This infrastructure is not only difficult to create and maintain on a global scale, but it would also complicate service provision, meaning many providers may refuse to adopt age verification systems,” the letter states.
Recently, Discord completed testing the Persona verification system in the UK but decided against global deployment following criticism over biometric privacy. Users expressed concerns about opaque handling of IDs and potential access by developers to government databases.
