Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has announced a plan to implement age checks for social media users, which may require adults to prove their age as well. The plan is intended to enforce the government's ban on under-16s using social media, but Ofcom says that face scans used to estimate ages are too imprecise to police the ban on their own.
As a result, a second check, often using photo ID, will be required to verify a user's age. This second check will not only apply to teenagers, but also to many adults with existing social media accounts. Ofcom has identified four methods that it considers capable of being highly effective at verifying age, including photo ID matching, banking information, digital identity services, and facial age estimation.
However, the regulator notes that some of these technologies have a margin of error of a few years, which is why a second, verified check will be necessary. Privacy campaigners, including Big Brother Watch, have argued that this plan is essentially a national ID system by the back door, which will kill anonymity online.