G7 backs privacy-preserving approach to age assurance

While AI rises to the top of the agenda, child online safety continues to be a going concern – and online age assurance technology continues to be a major focus of debate. Following the adoption of seven Common Principles for age assurance across G7 nations, the G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable has published a “Statement for Privacy Preserving Age Assurance.”

The document highlights data protection and privacy issues with biometric age assurance tools. Many of the points are familiar ground for observers of the sector, including notes on proportionality and data retention, effectiveness and privacy by design.

While the statement is suitably noncommittal for the G7, it does point toward a future in which the evolution of policy and tech is in closer alignment. “We recognize that age assurance technologies are evolving to help address the challenges of protecting children in a digital environment, and we support the focus on interoperability, trustworthiness, and privacy within the development process.”

Your fridge may be tracking your kids

The G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable has also opened a new can of regulatory worms with a separate statement on children’s safety in the context of connected home devices.

“We as Data Protection and Privacy Authorities (DPAs) of the G7 recognise the growing impact that connected home devices such as smart TVs, virtual voice assistants, and other internet-enabled devices, such as connected toys, have on people’s daily lives, especially children,” the statement says.

Identifying the risk of online tracking technologies being used as part of these interactions, the roundtable says kids may not be aware that their data is being collected, raising significant questions around consent.

“The use of online tracking technologies in these connected home devices enables the monitoring of the device owners’ daily activities and behaviours, as well as those of people living with the device owner or visiting the device owner’s residence. Through this monitoring, connected home devices may have the ability to collect and reveal information about individuals, including children, at a large scale.”

The roundtable recommendations read like a textbook for General Online Safety 101: privacy by design, transparency, valid consent mechanisms, user control, fair and lawful data processing, and accountability across the supply chain.

“Manufacturers should consider how children are likely to engage with the connected home device and consider any further privacy-preserving needs or requirements to ensure that devices are developed to comply with the relevant jurisdictions’ binding policy or law.”

Article Topics

age verification  |  children  |  data privacy  |  data protection  |  G7  |  smart homes