A consortium headed by the world-leading Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) has been awarded the tender for the Australian Government’s age assurance trial.
The Age Assurance Technology Trial is a key plank of the Government’s online safety agenda and aims to determine the effectiveness of available technologies to better protect young people by limiting their access to harmful and inappropriate content online.
These technologies will be considered as options to prevent access to online pornography by children and young people under the age of 18, and age-limit access to social media platforms for those under 16 years of age in line with the Government’s commitment.
ACCS is an independent accredited conformity assessment body for age assurance technologies. It will lead a consortium of industry experts to commence the trial immediately, with a view to providing a comprehensive final report to Government by mid-next year.
The trial will examine age verification, age estimation, age inference, parental certification or controls, technology stack deployments and technology readiness assessments in the Australian context. It will invite Australians to participate in testing these different age assurance solutions in a live environment.
Age assurance technologies include methods that verify a user’s identity credentials to accurately determine their age, as well as methods that estimate the age of a user – for example, using biometric markers or digital usage patterns.
The Age Assurance Technology Trial supports the Government’s commitment to protecting young people while navigating the complexities of digital spaces, ensuring that appropriate age controls are applied where necessary to protect vulnerable users.
It represents a collaborative approach between the Government and technology providers. The results of this trial will inform future policies aimed at enhancing online safety standards and guiding the implementation of age assurance technology across platforms accessed by Australians.
Quotes attributable to Andrew Irwin – Assistant Secretary, Online Safety Branch, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts:
“The department is working closely with industry and communities to deliver the age assurance trial, which will play an important role in determining the most effective way to protect young people online.
“As world leaders in their field and with the help of industry experts, ACCS is well placed to lead the trial, which will inform next steps for this vital work.
“We look forward to the findings and insights that this trial will deliver."
Quotes attributable to Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme:
“We are honoured to lead this initiative in collaboration with the Australian Government.
“This trial will provide essential insights into how age assurance technology can be used to create a safer online experience for users of all ages.
“Our consortium is dedicated to evaluating and advancing solutions that will help protect young Australians while respecting their privacy.”