Skip Navigation

Australia will not force age verification due to privacy and security concerns

www.theguardian.com Australia will not force adult websites to bring in age verification due to privacy and security concerns

The eSafety commissioner is to work with industry on a new code to educate parents about how to access filtering software and limit children’s access

Australia will not force adult websites to bring in age verification due to privacy and security concerns

There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.

1
1 comments
  • This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The federal government will not force adult websites to bring in age verification following concerns about privacy and the lack of maturity of the technology.

    On Wednesday, the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, released the eSafety commissioner’s long-awaited roadmap for age verification for online pornographic material, which has been sitting with the government since March 2023.

    The federal government has decided against forcing sites to bring in age verification technology, instead tasking the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to work with the industry to develop a new code to educate parents on how to access filtering software and limit children’s access to such material or sites that are not appropriate.

    The roadmap said there was also a gap in sex education, particularly for LGBTQ+ people, with online pornography filling the place in many cases.

    “The government supports this approach, and will work with the regulator to ensure the full and successful implementation of the Online Safety Act,” she said.

    “While the government awaits the outcome of this process, the digital industry is on notice that we will not hesitate to take further action should it fail to keep children safe.”


    The original article contains 630 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 70%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!