As online age verification laws gain momentum globally, a novel approach using email footprints is emerging as a potential privacy-friendly solution for platforms to verify user ages.
Australia's recent legislation banning under-16s from social media has reignited discussions around age verification technologies. In response, regulators and tech companies are exploring various methods to determine user ages while protecting privacy.
Among these solutions, email-based age estimation stands out for its non-intrusive approach. Rather than requiring users to upload identification documents, this technology analyzes the digital footprint of email addresses to estimate user ages.
"The system examines how an email has been used across various online services," explains Lina Ghazal, head of regulatory affairs at Verifymy. "An email's history of interactions with banking, mortgage, or gaming services helps build an age profile."
Early testing shows promising results. According to industry data, only 0.3% of under-18s were incorrectly classified as adults, while 2.4% of adults were mistakenly identified as minors.
The technology's privacy-centric design is noteworthy. It uses existing digital footprints without collecting additional personal data. The process employs encryption and zero-knowledge proofs to maintain user anonymity while conducting age checks.
However, challenges remain. Critics point to the lack of standardized regulations in age verification technologies. Some argue this could lead to more invasive identification requirements in the future. Small businesses also express concerns about implementation costs, though providers claim prices are becoming more affordable.
As social media platforms debate whether age verification should be handled at the app store or operating system level, email-based estimation offers an immediate solution that balances privacy with child safety requirements.
While no single technology provides a complete answer to online age verification, email-based estimation represents a step toward protecting younger users without compromising privacy. The approach continues to evolve as regulators and platforms work to create safer online spaces for children.