Instagram has Introduced Technology to Help Verify the Age Of Users in the UK & EU

(CTN News) – The social networking site Instagram is releasing a tool that will assist in determining the age of its users in the EU and UK as part of a significant safety upgrade.

The technology has been introduced in the UK. Users who attempt to update their date of birth from under 18 to over 18 on the application must submit their national ID or display a selfie video that AI will process.

According to Instagram, the new approach will ensure that users only see material on the network that is acceptable for their age.

To make an account on the photo- and video-sharing app, users must be at least 13 years old.

Instagram stipulated on its website that “accounts that represent someone under the age of 13 must explicitly mention in the account’s profile that a parent or manager handles the account.”

The site also said, “If your kid is under 13 and has an account that is not under your management or that of a manager, you may explain to them how to cancel their account.”

Campaigners for online safety have long called for this functionality. Due to concerns that children would be exposed to potentially dangerous information on these sites, several people have expressed opposition to the proposal. After years of fighting, age verification is now conceivable.

Instagram partnered with Yoti, a UK company with experience in age estimate technologies.

The Yoti algorithm examines face traits when analyzing selfie videos. When it comes to a decision, it discloses Insta’s approximate age. The site said that Yoti’s algorithm estimated the user’s age and did not do face recognition.

Additionally, Instagram made it clear that no sensitive information, including account information, is sent to the tech company throughout the process. According to the behemoth owned by Meta, Instagram and Yoti instantly remove the pictures when a guess is made.

Instagram tested the technology earlier this year in several nations.

According to Tara Hopkins, Instagram’s public policy director, “We want everyone to enjoy Instagram in a manner suitable for their age, which means we need to know how old they are – and this is a difficulty throughout our industry.”

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