Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Irvine presented new findings at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy in San Francisco. They studied a London company called Yoti that many websites use for age verification.
The team found that a single verification attempt can send more than an age check. Sites often transmit a user’s facial image, online address and device fingerprint to other companies. The researchers said recipients include credit card firms, geolocation services and data brokers. Laws in 25 US states require digital age checks, but many covered sites do not enforce them.
Difficult words
- researcher — person who studies and finds new informationResearchers
- finding — new information from a study or investigationfindings
- verification — process to check if something is true
- facial image — a picture of a person's face
- device fingerprint — data that identifies a user's device online
- data broker — company that buys and sells personal informationdata brokers
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Discussion questions
- Would you be worried if a website sent your facial image to other companies? Why or why not?
- Do you think websites should enforce age checks more strictly? Why?
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