In the face of mounting legislative efforts by Canadian and foreign lawmakers to impose age verification and age assurance requirements on online providers, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched an exploratory consultation to gather input on issues related to age assurance and privacy. Essential insights will address whether, how, and when online services should confirm the age of a user in order to restrict young people from accessing certain content and apply other age-related practices.
Age-assurance methods are proposed to restrict young people from accessing certain online content that could be harmful to them. In some instances, age assurance can also be used to direct young people to a version of a service that is tailored to children and youth. The age of a user is typically verified through methods that include age declaration, age verification, and age estimation — each of which delivers benefits, harms, and unintended consequences.
Feedback from the consultation will inform the drafting of a guidance document on the appropriate design and use of age-assurance technologies, as they relate to privacy. The OPC intends to hold a subsequent consultation on its draft guidance document before it is finalized.
Learn more at https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/consultations/consultation-age/expl_gd_age/
