DIDAS warns that age verification alone cannot solve harmful content, addictive design, profiling or commercial exploitation of children online. Where verification is necessary, it should reveal only what is required, such as a simple “over/under age threshold”, without exposing identity, birth date or biometrics. DIDAS proposes six principles: privacy by design/default, unlinkability, data minimisation, open-source […]
State Secretary Aerdts believes the online world is currently insufficiently safe for children and is therefore calling for a European minimum age for social media. According to her, social media platforms must take more responsibility for protecting minors against harmful content and addictive algorithms. Simultaneously, the government is launching a campaign to encourage parents to […]
A new European Citizens’ Initiative opposes mandatory digital identities and age verification, advocating for voluntary, privacy-friendly, and decentralized solutions. The organizers aim to prevent citizens from becoming dependent on digital wallets managed by the government or Big Tech. To compel the European Commission to issue an official response, at least 1 million verified signatures must […]
The European Commission’s DG CONNECT disclosed nine documents in response to an access-to-documents request, but all were already publicly available resources. No Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), internal privacy-by-design documentation, threat models, or controller-role assessments were released. DG CONNECT stated it does not hold a DPIA, arguing that responsibility lies with the future publisher of […]
The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, is demanding stronger age verification measures from social media platforms ahead of a proposed social media age ban. The regulator has launched an investigation into TikTok, questioning whether its current age assurance methods effectively protect minors. Ofcom is also investigating dozens of adult websites and working with Google and Bing […]
The Canadian government aims to introduce a minimum age of 16 for social media through the new Safe Social Media Act. Platforms can only be exempted from this rule if they take demonstrably effective measures to protect children online. In addition, an independent Digital Safety Commission will be established to set safety standards, monitor compliance, […]