Biometrics emerge as likely age assurance option as Australian gov’t rules out ID docs

Kids in Australia may find themselves scrambling to create as many social media accounts as they can before the end of the week, when the government’s social media ban for youth under 16 will come into effect after getting the go-ahead from a Senate committee.

However, the proposed age verification law did not progress without significant changes – and they may have implications for biometrics providers.

Proposed amendments the government agreed to would bar designated social media platforms from compelling the use of a government digital ID or other government IDs, such as a driver’s license or passport.

Which is to say, Australians will not be forced to provide personal identification to continue using the designated platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit and X – most of the major, established social media platforms.

However, The Guardian reports that “the explanatory memorandum for the government legislation concedes that complying with the age assurance framework ‘may require the collection, use and disclosure of additional personal information’.”

As such, “with the use of identification documents now ruled out, supporters of the bill say platforms may look to biometric forms of age assurance, such as facial scanning, to fulfil the requirements of the legislation.”

Certain biometric methods, such as a selfie-based face match, would require users to allow a third party to access personal ID. Facial age estimation, however, is a biometric option that could apply.

Regardless, the Senate rejects the social media companies’ push for the bill to be paused until the government’s ongoing age assurance trial is concluded. However, it does recommend September 2025 as a timeline for the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), which is running the trial, to deliver a progress report on the matter. And it urges the government to take the results into consideration once they arrive.

A Reuters report says the committee also emphasized the need to involve young people in the process. InnovationAus quotes Independent senator David Pocock, who says “young people may not vote, but they have a right to have a say about the laws that will impact them.”

Even among those in the coalition supporting the bill, there are concerns. Nationals senator Matt Canavan issued a dissenting report, saying that the bill had been “forced through the Parliament with a haste not benefitting its radical and unprecedented nature.”

Canavan notes how unlikely it is that the government had time to review “even a fraction” of the 1500 public submissions on the age verification bill that accumulated in the 24-hour period. “There is no great urgency to pass this bill before Christmas,” he says. ”Even if it becomes law, the bill will not take effect until 12 months later. It would be much wiser to use this time to get the law right.”

While government and industry plot a path forward, the exception for the big social networks to compel users to provide personal ID should placate them. But despite the non-requirement, the firms are not about to be let off the hook on children’s online safety. The senate committee also backed legislation for a ‘Digital Duty of Care’, which is in the works, and would compel platforms to prioritize the safety of their users, likely with legal implications.

Article Topics

Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)  |  age estimation  |  age verification  |  Australia  |  biometrics  |  children  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  legislation  |  selfie biometrics  |  social media