A legal showdown between tech giants began to form in Washington as parents and lawmakers put pressure on social media age verification.
Showdown focused on a seemingly simple question, but one has a huge impact on the future of the network: Who is responsible for age verification?
As Emily Birnbaum reports, Bloomberg is a new lobbying group Bloomberg – backed by industry heavyweights like Meta, Stephen and the Game Group – has been established in Washington
The lobbying team believes that since Apple and Google control app storage, they should verify user age before downloading. Not surprisingly, Apple and Google disagree, believing that the obligation belongs to the developer because of the app collecting and processing user data.
Instagram will use AI to identify teenagers using adult accounts
For parents, this brewing battle can reshape the person in charge of protecting children online, of course, parents.
New lobbying teams join Apple and Google
The group is called the “Competitive Mobile Experience Alliance” and is led by antitrust attorney Brandon Kressin, who previously worked with the Match Group. This is the latest move by app makers against Apple and Google, aiming to shift the legal burden of age verification from the app developers themselves to the app store. The Alliance Program advocates state and federal legislation to consolidate legal liability.
Mixable light speed
Age verification laws remain legally grey areas in the United States, but they are beginning to take shape. So far, 18 states have passed legislation requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ age. In response, some platforms (such as PornHub) chose to block access in these states altogether rather than dealing with a logistical and data-sensitive headache that qualifies as a logistical and data-sensitive headache.
In addition to lobbying for the new policy, the alliance has pledged to support any antitrust actions proposed by Apple and Google. As Bloomberg notes, the complaints have been boiling for years, because people believe that applications unfairly discriminate against software, application and hardware manufacturers.
Age verification is bouncing
If the new alliance succeeds, the age check will move from a single app to Apple and Google itself—which may simplify verification, while also raising new questions about data privacy, freedom of speech and general utility.
Age verification method will also affect companies such as OpenAI. While Openai requires underage users to seek parental consent before using AI chatbots, it is actually a system of honors. Social media companies are facing similar challenges, with more and more parents and lawmakers joining forces to limit the access to social media for minors.
In March, Utah became the first state to pass a law requiring app stores to verify age. For users over 18 years of age, the law requires app stores to verify age through government-issued IDs or deny access altogether.
North Carolina has also introduced a similar bill for users under the age of 16. However, the legislation does not specify who is responsible for implementing a “commercially reasonable approach” to anonymously verify the age of users.
House and Senate members are preparing to introduce legislation similar to Utah in the coming months, Bloomberg reported.
