Verifymy

🚨 Positive news from the AEPD, the Spanish data protection regulator. In a recent blog, the AEPD has expressed support for age estimation techniques, provided they're paired with backup verification methods, such as Government ID scans. This is a great example of how the law can keep pace with innovation and is a significant move toward balancing privacy, innovation, and online safety—especially for age assurance in digital platforms. We explore how GDPR and the AEPD are adapting to new technologies, plus the emergence of innovative, highly accurate age estimation technologies, in part as a response to concerns about the amount of personal data users may be asked to share to complete more traditional age verification. Check out our latest blog for more👇 https://lnkd.in/e252q-Gn #GDPR #AgeEstimation #AEPD #DataProtection #Innovation #OnlineSafety

Check out this week’s selection of online safety news and articles that grabbed our attention: Telegram founder Pavel Durov facing charges over allowing criminal activity on messaging app Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, will face further investigation over allegations he allowed criminal activity on the messaging app. French judges have barred Mr Durov from leaving France pending further investigation, but he has avoided being held in custody with a €5m bail. https://lnkd.in/eHrWgyba ——— Ofcom hiring more online safety staff amid calls to tackle misinformation Misinformation spread online which fuelled the recent riots has increased scrutiny about how social media platforms should be regulated. Media regulator Ofcom is ramping up its hiring of online safety staff as debate continues over the ability of the UK to properly tackle the spread of misinformation online. https://lnkd.in/eyq8pghi ——— The Center for Countering Digital Hate releases new report on Grok AI: A deepfake disinformation disaster for democracy New research by CCDH shows that X's Grok AI can easily generate misleading images about the 2024 US election. Elon Musk's platform didn't reject any of the 60 prompts tested by us, including disinformation about candidates and election fraud. https://lnkd.in/eYAX_595 Follow along for regular online safety news and updates. #saferinternet #onlinesafety #onlineharms #ageassurance #ageverification #ageestimation #technews 

We are thrilled to introduce Mikkel Nielsen as CPO at Verifymy. Mikkel will lead our global team of talented professionals dedicated to developing innovative online safety solutions. He brings a wealth of product experience, having worked with scale-ups and start-ups in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare and government for over two decades. He will spearhead our efforts to leverage AI at scale, enhancing our age assurance and content moderation technologies. His focus will be on building a comprehensive ecosystem of online safety tools, collaborating with major tech companies and publishers to create safer digital spaces for children and society as a whole. #OnlineSafety #Product #SafetyTech #AgeAssurance

Tom Hodgson and Christopher Murphy will be at #DevCom next week, discussing our work in safeguarding children and society online, and delivering age appropriate experiences for users. Catch up with them to hear more about how our new proprietary age assurance solution can be seamlessly deployed in the background, remaining invisible to your users—requiring just their email address! #DDC2024 #SaferInternet #AgeAssurance

"Ah, they will focus on the bigger companies first." - A sentiment I've heard from people when talking about age assurance. Here is the ICO's recent Children's Code strategy update. 🚨 The ICO has recently audited 34 social media and video-sharing platforms, focusing on: • Default privacy and geolocation settings 🌎 • Profiling of children for targeted advertising 🎯 • Use of children’s personal information in recommender systems 💻 • Handling of personal information for children under 13 years old 🎒 Most platforms set the minimum age at 13 and rely solely on self-declaration. However, the ICO has stated that self-declaration isn't effective for age assurance, especially when data is used for profiling, tracking, or advertising. Nice to see email age estimation shouted out as a suggested method. 📧 What's noteworthy is that 11 companies have been put on notice for poor children's privacy practices, four of which relate to age assurance. This is a wake-up call for many in social media and video-sharing platforms. For those interested, you can find the full list of audited sites and more details here: ICO Children's Privacy Update: https://lnkd.in/e9JfYiat Apart from age assurance, what steps should companies take now to stay ahead of these regulatory changes? #ChildrensPrivacy #DataProtection #AgeAssurance #Compliance #ICOUpdate #DigitalSafety

Safeguarding Children Stats we should be aware of - Which one surprises you the most? 1. 1 in 10 children have watched porn by the age of 9. ( Daily Mail ) 2. 18% of kids surveyed reported that they first saw adult content on social media platforms. ( CNN) 3. 41% of the respondents reported seeing online pornography during the school day. (CNN) 4. 31% said they viewed it while attending school in person. (CNN ) 5. By age 14, smartphone ownership climbs to 91% (Forbes) Despite these challenges my colleagues and I at Verifymy are working across borders, with governments, tech organizations, and charities to limit the exposure of unwanted content and its risks - not only to children, but those businesses who are unaware of how to approach/solve the issue. To read more about some of these challenges or discuss further see our latest blog. #childsafety #moderation #brand

Yesterday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) with a decisive 91-3 vote. This is a major step towards a safer digital space for our youth; however, this is just the first hurdle as the bill moves to the House. Our recent research shows that 80% of American parents say their kids have experienced some form of online harm, ranging from illicit content to harassment. Verifymy's COO, Andy Lulham comments in the New York Post: "The level of harmful and illegal content online today is unacceptable. Parents are rightly worried and are doing everything they can to educate and protect their kids as they interact online". You can read the full article here - https://lnkd.in/ewDfb4aw Follow along for more online safety news. #OnlineSafety #SaferInternet #KOSA #COPPA2

🚨 Understanding Sextortion: A Growing Threat Sextortion, defined by the Metropolitan Police as "the short name for 'financially motivated sexual extortion'", is on the rise. This crime involves online predators blackmailing victims, often young boys, after obtaining intimate images or videos. Reports show an alarming increase in cases, with many involving children aged 14-18. Robust safeguarding solutions are essential to combat this. Education and awareness are crucial, but platforms must also take responsibility. Implementing effective age assurance measures can help protect vulnerable users and prevent these crimes. Our latest blog explores this in more detail 👇 https://lnkd.in/gTDx2ajQ Follow along for more online safety news. #Sextortion #OnlineSafety #CyberSecurity #SaferInternet #Technology

🚨 Understanding Sextortion: A Growing Threat Sextortion, defined by the Metropolitan Police as "the short name for 'financially motivated sexual extortion'", is on the rise. This crime involves online predators blackmailing victims, often young boys, after obtaining intimate images or videos. Reports show an alarming increase in cases, with many involving children aged 14-18. Robust safeguarding solutions are essential to combat this. Education and awareness are crucial, but platforms must also take responsibility. Implementing effective age assurance measures can help protect vulnerable users and prevent these crimes. Our latest blog explores this in more detail 👇 https://lnkd.in/gTDx2ajQ Follow along for more online safety news. #Sextortion #OnlineSafety #CyberSecurity #SaferInternet #Technology