Instagram, facing scrutiny from security advocates, began testing an AI program in the U.S. earlier this year to verify the age of users who claim to be 18 or older. It uses techniques including verifying identity by running video selfies through an AI system. The Meta-owned service is now set to roll out the program in two key overseas markets: India and Brazil.
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Those countries together have about 400 million monthly active users on Instagram, according to market intelligence platform Sensor Tower, data from which an industry executive shared with TechCrunch. Instagram said in an updated blog post that it plans to roll out this AI age verification program in the UK and EU before the end of the year.
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Users can verify their age by providing an ID. Instagram has a list of documents it accepts for verification.
The program allows users to upload a video of themselves, which Instagram runs through an artificial intelligence (AI) system to determine if they are indeed 18 years of age or older. For this option, Instagram has partnered with U.K.-based identity startup Yoti .Once users finish taking a video selfie by following on-screen instructions, Meta shares the photo with Yoti for verification via its specially trained AI . Both companies say they delete the data afterward.
Many social media companies use Yoti 's age estimation technology for verification, as many users may not have a valid ID that is acceptable to Instagram.
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The launch comes at a time when safety advocates are criticizing Instagram for allowing children under 13 to use the platform and not doing enough to prevent teens from seeing potentially harmful content. For its part, Instagram last year made it mandatory for everyone to enter their dates of birth, but it's difficult to rely on that factor alone, as users can very easily provide false information.
Information source: techcrunch.com
