X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has introduced new age assurance measures in a bid to comply with Irish, UK and EU regulations.
Under provisions of the Irish Online Safety Code that came into force last Monday, video-sharing platforms that allow pornography must have effective age assurance measures.
Last week, the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán said it had not seen evidence of measures taken by X to comply with the code.
It contacted platform and asked for an explanation by last Friday.
Coimisiún na Meán received a reply from X on Friday with information about the measures that have been taken.
“We will assess whether these measures, and those taken by other platforms, are sufficient to comply with the Online Safety Code as part of our on-going supervision of platforms’ compliance with the Code and the other parts of our Online Safety Framework,” Coimisiún na Meán said.
In an online help centre post, X said it is required by regulations including the UK’s Online Safety Act, the Irish Online Safety Code and the European Union Digital Services Act, to verify age for access to certain types of content.
The company said it will take a multi-step approach.
This will include age assurance using existing signals such as previous age verification, legacy verified accounts, and account creation dates.
The company said where it does not have previous signals, it will look at things like user email addresses and social connections to estimate age.
X said it is also planning user involved verification options that will give account holders a choice between “two secure, privacy-respecting options.”
Users can upload a live selfie, which will be used to estimate their age by artificial intelligence facial recognition systems.
Alternatively, users can submit a government-issued ID, which will be used to estimate their age.
X said these measures should be made available in the coming weeks.
“If a user is determined to be under 18, they will be defaulted into sensitive media settings, and will not be able to access sensitive media,” X said.
“Until we are able to determine if a user is 18 or over, they may be defaulted into sensitive media settings, and may not be able to access sensitive media,” the company added.
X said if people believe they have had their ages incorrectly estimated as under 18, the decision can be challenged by contacting X.
The company said when it comes to privacy and data handling, it will be updating its use and storage information, and that third party providers will be bound by strict data protection standards.
Asked if it had any privacy concerns about the new age assurance measures being planned by X, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that it acknowledges that age assurance plays an important role in keeping children safe online and ensuring they do not access content that is inappropriate for their age.
“At the same time, age assurance should be implemented in a risk-based and proportionate manner that is compatible with an individual’s rights and freedoms,” a DPC spokesperson said.
“The methods used to verify age must be the least intrusive possible, and any personal data processed for verifying age for a specific use case must be necessary and proportionate for achieving the stated objective,” they added.
