A comprehensive analysis of age assurance technologies co-authored by CISPA faculty member Dr. Wouter Lueks concludes that many currently proposed systems for protecting minors online come with significant trade-offs for privacy, security, accessibility and civil liberties. The study "Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance," conducted with colleagues from the University of Hamburg and the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, evaluates a broad range of approaches currently being debated by policymakers and platforms worldwide.
Age assurance technologies (AATs) have recently attracted significant public attention in the debate around online child protection. "There is a belief in society that we need to protect children from online harms," Lueks explains. "While this debate used to focus mostly on age-restricted content such as gambling and pornography, it has expanded to include a broader range of services, including social media services and other forms of potentially harmful content."
Against this backdrop, Lueks and his colleagues analyzed different technological architectures and regulatory approaches emerging across Europe, the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. While some of the analyzed approaches can provide a high level of security, the study finds that stronger forms of verification often come with greater societal costs.
