(BRUSSELS) — Today, the European Commission announced the launch of the EU Age Verification App. The European Commission conveyed the urgency of the App’s deployment in light of the high political priority to address the harms many young people face online and touted the technical readiness of the App for public use.
As previously highlighted by CDT, an extensive body of research exists indicating the various problems with wide-scale age verification online. Center for Democracy & Technology Senior Technologist Nick Doty comments:
“Hundreds of researchers have noted the many risks and problems of wide-scale age verification online and these should be well-considered. While the European Commission’s proposed approach may include some of the necessary privacy protections, it’s not at all clear that the privacy, security and free expression issues have been addressed or vetted. Announcing that the project is complete before that kind of review is exactly the wrong order for something of such fundamental importance to the human rights of every European user of the Internet.”
CDT Europe has also highlighted the unintended consequences age verification approaches may have on other groups. As CDT Europe’s Director of the Security, Surveillance and Human Rights Programme Rand Hammoud comments:
“The statements offered today provide little reassurance around the many data protection, anonymity and security concerns for high risk individuals including human rights defenders, individuals in exile, journalists,etc., who all need to be able to access online services anonymously and in safety. It is also unclear what kind of data access governments and/or EU agencies have, and what cybersecurity measures are in place to prevent and mitigate the risks associated with hacks or leaks. It is essential that the European Commission convey what safeguards will be in place to prevent user tracking and sharing of data with third parties or governments. ”
Reflecting on the announcements alignment with the enforcement of the EU Digital Services Act and related guidelines on the protection of minors, CDT Europe’s Director of the Online Expression & Civic Space Programme Christian Cirhigiri comments:
“In the context of the DSA’s enforcement, we reiterate that age verification is not a ‘silver bullet’ solution. While the app could help address some of the harmful exposures children face online, it will limit children who can’t prove their age, such as undocumented children of migrant communities in the EU, from accessing useful content online, including educational programs,thus hinging on their fundamental rights for participation, freedom of expression, and access to information. We would also stress that the proposed EU wide coordination mechanism should be opened to engagement of expert CSOs, researchers, and journalists to ensure general public interest oversight on this process.”