age verification

Regulators in Europe and beyond have been ramping up their efforts related to online safety for minors, through new legislation, guidance, and by promoting self-regulatory tools.  We discuss below recent developments in the EU and UK on age verification online.Continue Reading Age Verification: State of Play and Key Developments in the EU and UK

The European Data Protection Supervisor (“EDPS”) has issued an opinion on Europe’s strategy for protecting children on the Internet.  The European Commission consults with the EDPS on a variety of data protection issues.  However, the opinions of the EDPS are not legally binding. 

Among other things, the EDPS expressed support for: 

  • The implementation of technical tools, such as age-appropriate default privacy settings, to enhance the privacy of children online.     
  • Clear notice about the impact a change to a default setting would have on a child’s privacy and the potential harm it may cause. In particular, the EDPS suggested that in some circumstances a child might not be permitted to change the default settings, or might change the defaults only with parental consent, stating that the “extent to which a child may change the default privacy settings should also be linked to the age and level of maturity of the child.  It should be explored to what extent, and within which age group, parental consent would be required to validate a change of privacy settings.” 
  • A requirement that service providers inform children about the level of sensitivity of each piece of information they provide when creating an online profile and about the potential risks or harms they may encounter when such information is disclosed to a defined group of people or to the public. 
  • A restriction on industry’s ability to create online behavioral advertising segments that target children.
  • A legal mandate for industry to deploy an EU-wide reporting tool for content that is harmful to children.

Continue Reading European Data Protection Supervisor Issues Opinion on Children’s Privacy