Latest news with #TonyAllen
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Australian trial says tech for social media teen ban can work
Social media sites could face fines of up to US$32 million for failing to comply with the legislation, which was passed in November. (AFP pic) SYDNEY : Australia's world-leading ban on under-16s joining social media sites cleared a big hurdle today as a trial found digital age checks can work 'robustly and effectively'. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X could face fines of up to A$50 million (US$32 million) for failing to comply with the legislation, which was passed in November. They have described the law – which is due to come into effect by the end of this year – as vague, rushed and 'problematic'. There has been widespread concern over children's use of online platforms, as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Digital age verification systems – which would be critical to the ban – can work, said the interim findings of an independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, conducted for the government. 'These preliminary findings indicate that age assurance can be done in Australia privately, robustly and effectively,' it said. 'There are 'no significant technological barriers' to deploying age checking systems in Australia,' said the trial's project director, Tony Allen. 'These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online,' he said in a statement. In a separate interview with Australia's Nine Network, Allen said preventing children circumventing age verification tools was a 'big challenge', however. 'I don't think anything is completely foolproof,' he said. There are a 'plethora' of approaches to age verification but no single solution to suit all cases, said the trial report, in which 53 organisations took part. Australia's legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. Greece spearheaded a proposal this month for the EU to limit children's use of online platforms by setting an age of digital adulthood – barring children from social media without parental consent.
Hans India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Enforcing teen social media ban is ‘effective' but at odds with evidence
Technologies to enforce the Australian government's social media ban for the Under-16s are 'private, robust and effective'. That's according to the preliminary findings of a federal government-commissioned trial that has nearly finished testing them. The findings may give the government greater confidence to forge ahead with the ban, despite a suite of expert criticism. They might also alleviate some of the concerns of the Australian population about privacy and security implications of the ban, which is due to begin in December. For example, a report based on a survey of nearly 4,000 people and released by the government earlier this week found nine out of ten people support the idea of a ban. It was also found that a large number of people were 'very concerned' about how the ban would be implemented. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents had privacy and security concerns, while roughly half had concerns about age assurance accuracy and government oversight. The trial's preliminary findings paint a rosy picture of the potential for available technologies to check people's ages. However, they contain very little detail about specific technologies, and appear to be at odds with what we know about age-assurance technology from other sources. From facial to hand-movement recognition: The social media ban for U-16s was legislated in December 2024. A last-minute amendment to the law requires technology companies to provide 'alternative age assurance methods' for account holders to confirm their age, rather than relying only on government-issued ID. The Australian government commissioned an independent trial to evaluate the 'effectiveness, maturity, and readiness for use' of these alternative methods. The trial is being led by the Age Check Certification Scheme – a company based in the United Kingdom that specialises in testing and certifying identity verification systems. It includes 53 vendors offering a range of age assurance technologies to guess people's ages, using techniques like facial recognition and hand-movement recognition. According to the preliminary findings of the trial, 'age assurance can be done in Australia'. The trial's project director, Tony Allen, said 'there are no significant technological barriers' to assuring people's ages online. He added the solutions are 'technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online'. However, these claims are hard to square with other evidence. High error rates: A day earlier to the survey results, ABC reported that the trial found face-scanning technologies 'repeatedly misidentified' children as young as 15 as being in their 20s and 30s. These tools could only guess children's ages 'within an 18-month range in 85 percent of cases'. This means a 14-year-old might gain access to a social media account, while a 17-year-old might be blocked. This is in line with results of global trials of face-scanning technologies conducted for more than a decade. An ongoing series of studies of age estimation technology by the United States' National Institute of Standards and Technology shows that algorithms 'fail significantly when attempting to differentiate minors' of various ages. The tests also show that error rates are higher for young women compared to young men. Error rates are also higher for people with darker skin tones. These studies show that even the best age-estimation software currently available – Yoti – has an average error of 1.0 years. Other software options mistake someone's age by 3.1 years on average. This means, at best, a 16-year-old might be estimated to be 15 or 17 years old; at worst, they could be seen to be 13 or 19 years of age. These error rates mean a significant number of U-16 children could access social media accounts despite a ban being in place, while some over 16 could be blocked. Yoti also explains businesses needing to check exact ages (such as 18) can set higher age thresholds (such as 25), so fewer people under 18 get through the age check. This approach would be similar to that taken in Australia's retail liquor sector, where the sales staff verifies ID for anyone who appears to be under the age of 25. However, many young people lack the government-issued ID required for an additional age check. It's also worth remembering that in August 2023, the Australian government acknowledged that the age assurance technology market was 'immature' and could not meet key requirements, such as working reliably without circumvention and balancing privacy and security. Many questions remain unanswered: We don't yet know exactly what methods the platforms will use to verify account holders' ages. While face-scanning technologies are often discussed, they could use other methods to confirm age. The government trial also tested voice and hand movementsto guess young people's ages. But those methods also have accuracy issues. And it's not yet clear what recourse people will have if their age is misidentified. Will parents be able to complain if children U-16 gain access to accounts, despite restrictions? Will older Australians who are incorrectly blocked be able to appeal? If so, to whom? There are other outstanding questions. What's stopping someone who's Under-16 from getting someone who is over 16 years to set up an account on their behalf? To mitigate this risk, the government might require all social media users to verify their age at regular intervals. It's also unclear what level of age estimation error the government may be willing to accept in implementing a social media ban. The legislation says technology companies must demonstrate they have taken 'reasonable steps' to prevent under 16s from holding social media accounts. What is considered 'reasonable' is yet to be clearly defined. Australians will have to wait until later this year for the full results of the government's trial to be released, and to know how technology companies will respond. With less than six months until the ban comes into effect, social media users still don't have all the answers they need. (The writer is associated with RMIT University)
AsiaOne
21-06-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Australia social media teen ban software trial organisers say the tech works, World News
SYDNEY - Some age-checking applications collect too much data and no product works 100 per cent of the time, but using software to enforce a teenage social media ban can work in Australia, the head of the world's biggest trial of the technology said on Friday (June 20). The view from the government-commissioned Age Assurance Technology Trial of more than 1,000 Australian school students and hundreds of adults is a boost to the country's plan to keep under 16s off social media. From December, in a world first ban, companies like Facebook and Instagram owner Meta, Snapchat and TikTok must prove they are taking reasonable steps to block young people from their platforms or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million (S$41 million). Since the Australian government announced the legislation last year, child protection advocates, tech industry groups and children themselves have questioned whether the ban can be enforced due to workarounds like Virtual Private Networks, which obscure an internet user's location. "Age assurance can be done in Australia privately, efficiently and effectively," said Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme, the UK-based organisation overseeing the Australian trial. The trial found "no significant tech barriers" to rolling out a software-based scheme in Australia, although there was "no one-size-fits-all solution, and no solution that worked perfectly in all deployments," Allen added in an online presentation. Allen noted that some age-assurance software firms "don't really know at this stage what data they may need to be able to support law enforcement and regulators in the future. "There's a risk there that they could be inadvertently over-collecting information that wouldn't be used or needed." Organisers of the trial, which concluded earlier this month, gave no data findings and offered only a broad overview which did not name individual products. They will deliver a report to the government next month which officials have said will inform an industry consultation ahead of the December deadline. A spokesperson for the office of the eSafety Commissioner, which will advise the government on how to implement the ban, said the preliminary findings were a "useful indication of the likely outcomes from the trial. [[nid:705771]] "We are pleased to see the trial suggests that age assurance technologies, when deployed the right way and likely in conjunction with other techniques and methods, can be private, robust and effective," the spokesperson said. The Australian ban is being watched closely around the world with several governments exploring ways to limit children's exposure to social media.
Express Tribune
20-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Teen social media ban clears first hurdle in Australia
Some age-checking applications collect too much data and no product works 100% of the time, but using software to enforce a teenage social media ban can work in Australia, the head of the world's biggest trial of the technology said on Friday. The view from the government-commissioned Age Assurance Technology Trial of more than 1,000 Australian school students and hundreds of adults is a boost to the country's plan to keep under 16s off social media. From December, in a world first ban, companies like Facebook and Instagram owner Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok must prove they are taking reasonable steps to block young people from their platforms or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million). Since the Australian government announced the legislation last year, child protection advocates, tech industry groups and children themselves have questioned whether the ban can be enforced due to workarounds like Virtual Private Networks, which obscure an internet user's location. "Age assurance can be done in Australia privately, efficiently and effectively," said Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme, the UK-based organisation overseeing the Australian trial. The trial found "no significant tech barriers" to rolling out a software-based scheme in Australia, although there was "no one-size-fits-all solution, and no solution that worked perfectly in all deployments," Allen added in an online presentation. Allen noted that some age-assurance software firms "don't really know at this stage what data they may need to be able to support law enforcement and regulators in the future. "There's a risk there that they could be inadvertently over-collecting information that wouldn't be used or needed." Organisers of the trial, which concluded earlier this month, gave no data findings and offered only a broad overview which did not name individual products. They will deliver a report to the government next month which officials have said will inform an industry consultation ahead of the December deadline. A spokesperson for the office of the eSafety Commissioner, which will advise the government on how to implement the ban, said the preliminary findings were a "useful indication of the likely outcomes from the trial. "We are pleased to see the trial suggests that age assurance technologies, when deployed the right way and likely in conjunction with other techniques and methods, can be private, robust and effective," the spokesperson said. The Australian ban is being watched closely around the world with several governments exploring ways to limit children's exposure to social media.
eNCA
20-06-2025
- Business
- eNCA
Australian trial says tech for social media teen ban can work
SYDNEY - Australia's world-leading ban on under-16s joining social media sites cleared a big hurdle Friday as a trial found digital age checks can work "robustly and effectively". Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X could face fines of up to Aus$50-million for failing to comply with the legislation, which was passed in November. They have described the law -- which is due to come into effect by the end of this year -- as vague, rushed and "problematic". There has been widespread concern over children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Digital age verification systems -- which would be critical to the ban -- can work, said the interim findings of an independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, conducted for the government. "These preliminary findings indicate that age assurance can be done in Australia privately, robustly and effectively," it said. There are "no significant technological barriers" to deploying age-checking systems in Australia, said the trial's project director, Tony Allen. "These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online," he said in a statement. In a separate interview with Australia's Nine Network, Allen said preventing children from circumventing age verification tools was a "big challenge", however. "I don't think anything is completely foolproof," he said. There are a "plethora" of approaches to age verification but no single solution to suit all cases, said the trial report, in which 53 organisations took part. Australia's legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. Greece spearheaded a proposal this month for the European Union to limit children's use of online platforms by setting an age of digital adulthood -- barring children from social media without parental consent.
