Latest news with #ageverification
ABC News
3 hours ago
- Science
- ABC News
BTN Newsbreak 20/06/2025
AGE VERIFICATION SOFTWARE With the social media ban for Aussie teens kicking off in December, some people are worried about whether the age-checking tech for it isn't up to scratch. These students are just some of the thousands of teens across Australia who have been testing out facial scanning tech in the lead up to the social media ban which is all about protecting kids from accessing harmful content online. But so far the results been not that accurate. See from this December, more than 20 million Aussies will need to prove that they're over 16 years old if they want to log on to some of the big social media platforms. Which is why the government has been trialling out some age verification technology. See in recent trials, the tech could only guess people's ages within an 18 month range 85% of the time. While some experts say trialling this tech is a step in the right direction. Others say it's a sign that a flat out ban isn't great. But for now, there's still a bit of work that needs to be done. SPACEX EXPLOSION Things haven't exactly gone to plan in SpaceX's latest test launch. The spacecraft was preparing for its 10th test flight when it ran into a major anomaly, bit of an understatement. Don't worry, no one was inside the rocket, but eventually Space X's plan IS to have people in rockets like this one and send them to Mars by 2028. But they might have a few issues to overcome first. ANIMAL COMMUNICATION Have you ever wanted to talk to animals? Well a new competition is offering scientists 10 million dollars if they can do, well, just that. COW CUDDLES First up, to a farm in England that is offering visitors the chance to cuddle with a cow. This used to be a dairy farm, but due to crop shortages and the high cost of milk production, they decided to pivot to something a little different. It took more than a year to train the cows, getting them used to being cuddled, but now, they seem to really enjoy it. HIKING ROBOT Now to Mount Tai in China, which has welcomed its very first robotic hiking guide. This is its first time being tested out in the real world, after 2 months of development, and it seems to be handling everything pretty well so far. OLDEST MARRIED COUPLE And finally, to Newcastle where Delma, who's 100, and Frank, who's 101 are celebrating 80 years of wedded bliss, making them the oldest married couple in all of Australia!
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Australian trial says tech for social media teen ban can work
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 (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 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. djw/sft/mtp
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Australia moves closer to under-16 social media ban as trial finds age checks ‘robust and effective'
SYDNEY, June 20 — 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 Aus$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 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. — AFP
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Key admission in social media ban update
The brains tasked with finding a way to enforce Labor's world-leading social media ban for under 16s say it is possible but that there is no 'silver bullet'. The preliminary findings of the Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT) were released on Friday just six months before the ban was set to come into force. Project chief Tony Allen said his team found 'there isn't a one solution fits all' but rather a range of options that parties could use. 'There isn't like a silver bullet that will solve everything,' Mr Allen told Sky News. 'And different providers of social media services, for instance, will need to explore exactly what will work for them and their users, and that's really for them to assess their risk and to consider what they might want to implement.' In terms of what it might look like in practice, he suggested 'successive validated' – a series of tests designed to firm up a user's age. Mr Allen said it could start with 'something which is fairly simple, like holding your hand up or showing your face or talking'. 'And then that might not give you sufficient level of confidence, so then move on to maybe age inference techniques, or ultimately, they may need to move on to age verification where you need some sort of record or document,' he said. The trial uncovered some challenges. It found parental control and consent systems could be effective when first rolled out but could not 'cope with the evolving capacity of children' or properly protect a 'child's digital footprint'. It also warned that 'service providers were over-anticipating the eventual needs of regulators' and over-collecting user data. This consequently 'increased risk of privacy breaches', according to the findings. But Mr Allen said the 'clear conclusion' was that enforcing age limits could be enforced safely. He held back on putting a figure on the efficacy, noting the measurers were not 'foolproof'. 'There are ways that they (children) can get around them,' Mr Allen said. 'But then we've had tobacco laws for 100 years to stop children accessing tobacco, and it doesn't stop them from accessing some children from tobacco. 'So you have to try and work on how you reduce the risk and reduce the instance. 'You'll never completely eliminate it.' NewsWire understands the full findings will be handed to the government later this month.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Media Ban Moves Closer in Australia After Tech Trial
(Bloomberg) -- Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s moved closer to implementation after a key trial found that checking a user's age is technologically possible and can be integrated into existing services. Security Concerns Hit Some of the World's 'Most Livable Cities' JFK AirTrain Cuts Fares 50% This Summer to Lure Riders Off Roads NYC Congestion Toll Cuts Manhattan Gridlock by 25%, RPA Reports Taser-Maker Axon Triggers a NIMBY Backlash in its Hometown One Architect's Quest to Save Mumbai's Heritage From Disappearing The conclusions are a blow to Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Snap Inc., which opposed the controversial legislation. Some platform operators had questioned whether a user's age could be reliably established using current technology. The results of the government-backed trial clear the way for the law to come into force by the end of the year. The findings also potentially allow other jurisdictions to follow Australia's lead as countries around the world grapple with ways to protect children from harmful content online. 'Age assurance can be done in Australia and can be private, robust and effective,' the government-commissioned Age Assurance Technology Trial said in a statement Friday announcing its preliminary findings. The trial's project director, Tony Allen, said there were 'no significant technological barriers' to stopping under-16s gaining social media accounts. 'These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online,' he said. Under the new law, digital platforms including Snapchat, Meta-owned Instagram, and X will be responsible for enforcing the age limit, with penalties of as much as A$50 million ($32 million) for breaches. The trial tested a range of methods and technologies, including facial scans, inferring a user's age based on their behavior, age verification, as well as parental controls. The tests also took into account the ways teenagers might try to circumvent age checks. 'We found a plethora of approaches that fit different use cases in different ways, but we didn't find a single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases,' the trial said in its statement. More than 50 companies participated in the trial, while Apple Inc. and Google, developers of the most popular mobile-phone operating systems, are also contributing, Allen said on a video conference call on Friday. The trial didn't assess public acceptance for any particular technology or the costs involved. The accuracy of the different methods, for example the margin of error for facial analysis, wasn't made available. (Adds details of trial in final four paragraphs.) Ken Griffin on Trump, Harvard and Why Novice Investors Won't Beat the Pros Is Mark Cuban the Loudmouth Billionaire that Democrats Need for 2028? The US Has More Copper Than China But No Way to Refine All of It Can 'MAMUWT' Be to Musk What 'TACO' Is to Trump? How a Tiny Middleman Could Access Two-Factor Login Codes From Tech Giants ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
