The Communications Regulatory Authority is cracking down on the online dissemination of content potentially unsuitable for minors, such as porn, gambling, and the sale of alcohol or cigarettes. The regulator has approved a series of rules to verify the age of majority of users - in implementation of the so-called Caivano decree - to which video-sharing platforms and websites will have to comply within six months. The aim is to ensure effective protection of minors from the dangers of the Internet.
The technical methods identified by Agcom, with the favorable opinion of the Privacy Guarantor, were at the center of a public consultation in which thirteen trade and consumer associations and video sharing platforms participated. The system developed by the Authority is based on the intervention of independent and certified third parties, charged with providing proof of adulthood . The process is divided into two distinct phases for each session of use of specific services, such as access to pornographic content: first the identification of the person, then authentication to confirm that it is really them.
It will also be possible to use dedicated apps, installed on your smartphone or device, such as those linked to digital identity wallets. Through these apps, the user will be able to identify themselves and provide the required proof of age directly to the site or platform.
This system - explains the Authority - ensures a level of security appropriate to the risk and compliance with the minimization of personal data collected. The "double anonymity" mechanism does not allow age verification providers to know for which service the proof of age is issued. At the same time, the proof provided to the website or platform does not contain user identification data. Age verification systems must, however, comply with the guidelines that will soon be adopted by the European Commission, with the possibility, where necessary, of changes and adjustments to the measure adopted.
(Online Union)
