Australia’s privacy regulator has released new guidance to help social media platforms and age assurance providers meet the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) obligations, which soon comes into effect under the Online Safety Act 2021.
Teenagers aged 16 and above must verify their age to be allowed to create a presence on social media platforms, such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Tech platforms have a legal duty to take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors from having accounts and deploy neutral identity systems that verify users’ ages taking a privacy-by-design approach, such as digital ID, document checks or facial age estimation. The least intrusive methods should be used, the OAIC stressed.
Captured personal information must only be used for SMMA compliance and not for other purposes without consent, and the rules mandate that personal and sensitive information, including biometric data, must be destroyed afterwards.
Social Media Minimum Age Privacy Guidance published: Australia’s legislation is just one example of this global policy change. Identity Week Europe examines online safety in detail, honing in on user privacy and safety, selective disclosure, and platform compliance.
