Age assurance technologies with a high level of readiness have been tested in a trial run by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme. ConnectID, which relies on verification provided by trusted banks, was one of the technologies selected for this trial, which provided a grander picture of age assurance to fit into the safety landscape for online services.
The results from the government’s report on the outcomes are today welcomed by the creator of ConnectID, Australian Payments Plus. The inclusion of a wide-range of technologies helped assess the prospects of delivering age assurance securely and at scale to address global internet safety issues, which are most aggravated on social media platforms and adult sites.
Andrew Black, Managing Director of ConnectID said, “verifying age online has often meant trade-offs between accuracy, safety, and privacy. When considering how we implement age verification, it’s important we don’t introduce new privacy risks for young Australians”.
“Many Australians are already reluctant to share their data online in light of growing cyber breaches, and adding to these concerns, users worry that social media companies will now request and store copies of their identity documents,” he added.
ConnectID provides a model for fast, accurate and private age verification using existing customer account data held by a trusted entity.
The trial formed part of the government’s work to assess practical technologies for age assurance in a range of sectors, including a focus for enforcing the upcoming social media ban for under-16s.
