Consultation on age assurance
Many jurisdictions, including Canada, have been examining ways to enhance the safety of young people online. This includes restricting access to certain content or limiting the collection and use of personal information.
Online service providers may be required to determine whether a user is a young person, often through a process called age assurance. Age assurance involves methods to determine a user’s age or age group (age verification, age declaration, age estimation), which may be required by law or adopted for compliance.
While age assurance can improve online safety, such as by restricting harmful content or offering child-friendly services, it may raise privacy concerns.
What we did
From June to September 2024, we held an exploratory consultation on age assurance. We shared our early views on age assurance systems and their impact on privacy, and invited feedback from the public and interested parties to help shape future policies.
Age assurance exploratory consultation – call for comments
What we heard
We received 40 responses from a range of groups, including businesses, civil society, academics, technology experts, and international data protection authorities. Some responses supported our views, while others raised concerns or pointed out additional details.
Respondents were consistent in their view that the potential impacts – positive and negative – of the use or misuse of age assurance technologies should not be underestimated.
A full summary of the feedback can be found in our Age assurance – What we heard report.
Our results and next steps
The OPC’s strategic priorities for 2024-2027 include addressing the privacy impacts of new technologies and protecting children’s privacy. Age assurance is a key issue for the OPC, intersecting with both priorities.
Based on feedback from our exploratory consultation, our next step is to draft guidance on age assurance. We will consult further on the guidance and incorporate feedback from stakeholders. We also plan to engage with youth to better understand their views on online privacy issues and age assurance.
Joint Statement on a Common International Approach to Age Assurance
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