Roblox launches age-gated unfiltered chat feature: What it means for users
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Roblox's unfiltered chat feature requires age verification
Formerly known as Friends, Roblox's chat feature has now turned into Connections, according to Ryan Ebanks, a Roblox principal product manager for social products. He added that the new tech will prompt users above 13 years old to use the facial analysis software to determine their age in order to use to establish if they can access the new 'trusted connections' which will provide them the space to have unfiltered chats with other users who have gone through the same age screen process, as reported by NBC.
According to Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman's blog post, the age estimator software urges users to take a video selfie of themselves, 'which is analyzed against a large and diverse dataset to estimate their age.' Kaufman continued, 'If the system is not able to estimate the user's age with high confidence, then the user's age will remain unconfirmed and the user won't be able to access Trusted Connections."
In case the user fails to pass the age estimation software, but they are genuinely above the age of 13, they can still access the new chat feature by confirming their age via ID verification, 'and, in the future, verified parental consent."
Roblox partnered with Persona to introduce the new age screening tech, revealed Ebanks during a call with reporters, adding that the biometric data will be deleted within 30 days of being collected, as reported by The Verge.
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Can teens add adults to Trusted Connections?
Users aged between 13 and 17 will be able to add each other as Trusted Connections. However, that will not be the case when the teenagers are required to add adults. To add anyone aged 18 or above as a Trusted Connection by the teens, they will have to do so by scanning a QR code offline or via Roblox's Contact Importer feature, according to Kaufman. This is to ensure teenagers do not engage with adult strangers.
While the chats on Trusted Connections can be unfiltered, Robloc will monitor them for any 'critical harm.'
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