Guidelines for securely confirming your age on platform X - ensuring age validation without compromising private information
In the digital age, privacy is a paramount concern for many users, and this is especially true when it comes to age verification on social media platforms. Recently, the focus has been on social media service X, formerly known as Twitter, as it prepares to implement age verification measures to comply with UK, Ireland, and EU online safety laws.
The move towards age verification has raised significant user discomfort regarding data security and privacy risks. Critics highlight potential privacy violations from biometric processing and the exposure of sensitive identity information to the platform.
Hackers find it more attractive to target sites implementing ID verification due to the potential upside of intercepting personal information. This is a concern that has been exacerbated by the rush for online providers to comply with age verification regulations, with no guarantee that data safety will be a priority.
In the past, X has used services like Au10tix, Stripe, and Persona for ID verification purposes. However, in 2024, Au10tix, a potential partner of X, was compromised, raising questions about the security of these third-party services.
To manage these privacy risks, users are advised to avoid uploading government ID or face data where possible. Another safe practice is to use VPNs to connect from countries where age verification is not enforced, thus bypassing the requirement to submit sensitive data. This method reduces data exposure while maintaining access to restricted content. If verification is required and unavoidable, linking your account to trusted official organisations (government or business verified) may potentially bypass prompts.
X has not yet rolled out its age verification methods, but plans to do so soon. In the meantime, users should be aware of the trade-offs between complying with age verification and the data privacy risks introduced by current enforcement methods.
It is important to remember that careful management of personal data and the use of tools like VPNs can help protect privacy on X. However, users should remain vigilant and informed as the situation evolves.
[1] Privacy International. (2021). The Age Verification Programme: A Privacy Analysis. Retrieved from https://privacyinternational.org/node/1661
[2] Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2021). Age Verification and Social Media Services: A Privacy Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/07/age-verification-and-social-media-services-privacy-analysis
[3] Open Rights Group. (2021). The Impact of Age Verification on Privacy and Freedom of Expression. Retrieved from https://www.openrightsgroup.org/ourwork/projects/age-verification-impact-on-privacy-and-freedom-of-expression
[4] The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. (2021). Age Verification: A Review of the Current Landscape. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/age-verification-a-review-of-the-current-landscape/age-verification-a-review-of-the-current-landscape--2
- In the context of social media platform X, the transition towards data-and-cloud-computing-based age verification systems has sparked concerns about privacy and data security, given the potential risks of biometric processing and exposure of sensitive information.
- As service X prepares to adopt technology-driven age verification methods, users have been advised to adopt safe practices like avoiding government ID or face data uploads, using VPNs, and linking accounts to trusted official organisations to minimize privacy risks and protect personal data.
