New industry codes developed by the tech sector and Australia's eSafety commissioner will come into effect in December, requiring age verification for access to online pornography and other age-restricted content. The measures, part of the Online Safety Act, could include facial age estimation, bank card checks, and identity verification using driver's licences.
The codes will apply to search engines, social media, app stores, and AI chatbots. For logged-in accounts, search engines must implement age assurance from December, switching on safe search for users under 18 to filter out pornography. Six further draft codes extend similar requirements to app stores, messaging apps, and other services hosting content like self-harm material or extreme violence.
eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant emphasised a layered approach, targeting 'critical chokepoints' such as app stores and device-level age declarations. Tech companies like Apple and Google are already developing device-level age checks that apps can use.
Industry body Digi rejected claims of reduced anonymity, stating the codes target specific platforms and content types, not blanket identity verification. Inference methods like account history may be used to estimate age, avoiding intrusive checks for most users. However, critics like analyst Justin Warren call the changes a 'massive over-reaction' that hands more control to foreign tech firms.
