At the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy in San Francisco, researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Irvine reported that popular online age checks can expose highly sensitive personal data. They examined Yoti, a London-based verification company whose clients include Meta, OnlyFans, Sony PlayStation and TikTok.
The paper shows that sites using third-party verification often send identifying information beyond a simple age result. A single verification attempt may transmit a user’s facial image, IP address and device fingerprint to other companies. Named recipients include credit card companies, IP geolocation services and data brokers.
The study also found that laws in 25 US states, affecting more than 40% of Americans, require digital age checks, but many covered sites do not enforce them. Researchers warned that the current methods are ineffective and risky for user privacy.
Difficult words
- symposium — academic meeting where researchers share new work
- verification — process to check identity or a person's ageverification attempt
- expose — make known or visible without the person's permission
- transmit — send data or information to another party
- device fingerprint — digital information that identifies a user's device
- data broker — company that buys and sells people's datadata brokers
- enforce — make people follow a rule or law
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think digital age checks are useful even if they risk privacy? Why or why not?
- What steps would you suggest sites take to protect user data when they use third-party verification services?
- Would you worry if a site sent your facial image to other companies? How would that affect your decision to use the site?
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