Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Google rolls out age inference in Canada

biometricupdate.com · 3hShare

Google is trying out an age assurance strategy in Canada for its YouTube platform. However, it has opted not for privacy preserving age assurance technology certified against international standards – but rather for its own machine learning-based age profiling system. Google calls it “age estimation,” though it is more properly classified as age inference, and even then only tenuously; ISO/IEC 27566-1 , which covers age assurance systems, specifies that true age inference must be “based on verified information.” Google’s system uses machine learning to “interpret a variety of signals already associated with a user’s account, such as the types of information a user has searched for or the categories of videos they’ve watched on YouTube. These signals help us determine whether a user is likely over or under the age of 18.” In a post , the company will automatically apply age-appropriate protections for users it determines to be under 18, including “Digital Wellbeing tools” such as “remin

First report: How Google, Meta are implementing its ‘age assurance’ tech in Canada — globalnews.ca, 1d