Reddit Starts Verifying Ages of Users In the UK

Reddit has begun verifying users' ages in the UK to restrict access to 'certain mature content' for minors, complying with the UK's Online Safety Act. The BBC reports: Reddit, known for its online communities and discussions, said that while it does not want to know who its audience is: 'It would be helpful for our safety efforts to be able to confirm whether you are a child or an adult.' Ofcom, the UK regulator, said: 'We expect other companies to follow suit, or face enforcement if they fail to act.' Reddit said that from 14 July, an outside firm called Persona will perform age verification for the social media platform either through an uploaded selfie or 'a photo of your government ID,' such as a passport. It said Reddit will not have access to the photo and will only retain a user's verification status and date of birth so people do not have to re-enter it each time they try to access restricted content. Reddit added that Persona 'promises not to retain the picture for longer than seven days' and will not have access to a user's data on the site. The new rules in the UK come into force on 25 July.

Companies that fail to meet the rules face fines of up to 18 million pounds or 10% of worldwide revenue, 'whichever is greater.' [Ofcom] added that in the most serious cases, it can seek a court order for 'business disruption measures,' such as requiring payment providers or advertisers to withdraw their services from a platform, or requiring Internet Service Providers to block access to a site in the UK.'

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