Certify the age of anyone who accesses porn sites. The proposal of the Privacy Guarantor

Restrict minors’ access to adult content online. Porn sites, platforms where data usage and desecration are out of control. If France announced a law to stem the phenomenon by September, in Italy the Privacy Guarantor is moving in the same vein. “Paris is currently trying to limit the access of minors to pornographic sites. Our idea is broader, perhaps more ambitious and more difficult to implement. Enforce robust age verification, not just on porn, but on all adult platforms.” Guido Scorza, from the board of the Guarantor, explains to Italian Tech the proposal presented to the Chamber during the Internet Safer Day.

The case of Replica, the service that creates a virtual friend (even for minors)

A proposal that starts from a broader starting point: it is not only easy porn that has an impact on the education of very young people, but risks are also hidden behind the challenges that take place on social networks such as TikTok, or the platforms that offer personalized services. Scorza gives the example of Replicate. A platform that presents itself as a service suitable for those over 13 years old. Based on artificial intelligence, it offers a service that can be summarized in the company slogan: “I want to be your friend”. To those who sign up, it offers the possibility of creating one. By appearance, eyes, hair, clothes, voice. And with this avatar you have conversations.

First of a general nature. Then it turned out that they could be of any kind. “We simulated an entry made by a child of less than 13 years. The system hasn’t cracked. We tried asking questions about sex. No obstacles. Then he also agreed to receive photographs. Photos that ended up in the servers of the company behind Replica. We could do nothing but issue a provision to block it in Italy”, says Scorza.

Possible solutions to stem the phenomenon. The French example

The network hides dangers. And the little ones don’t have too many defenses. For this reason, governments and supervisory authorities move on the narrow line between internet freedom and rules. There are not many solutions to protect minors. And all difficult to navigate. Scorza lists some of them: “The most banal is to ensure that authentication on these sites takes place with an electronic identity card or with Spid, perhaps in a particular form that certifies only age and not identity”.

But it’s not the simplest solution. Another, adds Scorza, is to do what will be done in France: “Entrust everything to one trusted third party. A service provider that only does this: check the age of the requester for the site you want to access. That it collects and holds data in a trustworthy manner. Yoti is one of them. Thus access by age to sites is guaranteed, but without the sites themselves managing this information”, reasons Scorza. The proposal was discussed yesterday in the Chamber in the presence of Maria Teresa Bellucci, deputy minister of labour, who registered it among the priorities of the executive.

However, social networks, platforms and sites that offer services based on artificial intelligence could move sooner. They know that European legislation has put them under fire. And the far west of data and online identities has never been so subject to regulation as in recent years. “For this these companies could find a solution on their own. Without waiting for a law to intervene”, concludes Scorza. “They know that sooner or later it will arrive”. All the better to move immediately, independently.