X's new age verification system promises security, but still creates several privacy dilemmas for users.
Last month, the Online Safety Act in the United Kingdom.
The latest version of the law went into effect on July 25 and requires internet service providers to use age verification technology to ensure that children and vulnerable adults do not have access to harmful online content.
Most major social media, including X, have implemented a verification system that asks users to hand over their ID or take a selfie. If someone doesn't follow this process, out of fear for their privacy, they'll end up seeing a "filtered" timeline, and when content is deemed "potentially harmful" by the UK government, it won't be accessible.
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Here we will look at the potential implications of the age verification system on X (for privacy), and whether it is possible for someone to hand over their details in a secure way in order to access the content.
How X estimates age – Potential Risks
X uses several factors to automatically guess the age of users to reduce the number of people who need to go through verification. If the account was created before 2012 or has previously been verified as either a business or individual, the operator is automatically assumed to be an adult, so no further action is required.
If X does not have clear age data, it proceeds to verification methods.
Age verification system on X
Verification methods include email and social media screening, but there aren't many details about exactly how X uses this information to calculate age. However, none of these methods appear to carry significant risk.
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If these methods fail, you will need to prove your age by sending either a selfie or a photo of an official government document (ID or passport). X has not yet implemented these methods, but plans to do so soon.
Concerns about the age verification system
And that’s where the concerns come in. X has provided little information about which partners it will use to process these requests. However, it has previously worked with Au10tix, Stripe, and Persona for other identity verification, so they will likely be used again.
What's the problem? Personal data is a treasure trove for cybercriminals. Scans of passports and driver's licenses can be used to impersonate you across the internet. Au10tix has already been hacked once in 2024. Now, it's much more tempting for hackers to target websites that implement identity verification, as the payoff for them is huge if they can intercept your personal data in transit.
You can safely prove your age at X;
If you want to verify your age on X, you'll need to submit some form of personal information, such as a driver's license, passport, or facial scan, which will end up in the hands of both X and its associates.
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While most providers are supposed to be secure, the rush of internet providers to comply with the law to avoid fines of up to 10% means there is no guarantee that data security will be a priority. Therefore, you can never be completely sure that the data you submit is safe.
Using a VPN reduces some of these risks. By encrypting your online traffic, you remove the possibility of your data being intercepted and used maliciously by third parties.
