Briefing note: International Age Assurance Working Group Update

Purpose:

For information.

Overview:

• The International Age Assurance Working Group is a subgroup of the Digital Education Working Group and part of the Global Privacy Assembly.
• The group is chaired by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• PRPA team members have been attending the working group meetings since July 2022. Meetings occur two to three times a year.
• The objective of the working group is to share best practices and updates among data protection authorities and promote harmonization in age assurance approaches.

Background:

The following is recent activity of note concerning the working group:

• Last meeting: The last meeting of the International Age Assurance Working Group was held on February 21, 2024. At the meeting, Ofcom, the AEPD, the CNIL and the FTC provided updates on their age verification projects and strategies. Notably, in support of its role as regulator for online safety in the UK, Ofcom has just finished consulting on draft guidance to assist providers of online services that publish or display regulated provider pornographic content in complying with their age assurance and record-keeping duties under the UK Online Safety Act. This guidance will be considered as we work to develop our own age assurance guidance.
• (redacted)
• Event on "Demystifying Age Assurance to Protect Children Online": As part of the working group’s commitment to monitoring and sharing information about age assurance, on April 17, 2024, members were invited to an event on "Demystifying Age Assurance to Protect Children Online" which was co-organized by the European Parliament’s Child Rights Intergroup and the 5Rights Foundation. The event covered key principles and existing tools for the child rights community to understand and support age assurance solutions that can both protect and empower children in a digital environment. Karissa Leduc from PRPA attended the session.

Attachments:

(redacted)

Approval:

Distribution:

IPT, Policy, Research and Parliamentary Affairs Directorate, Technology Analysis Directorate.