Instagram to use AI to verify users’ age
Instagram, under fire from safety advocates to keep children off the app and prevent teens from seeing harmful content, is testing new ways to verify users’ age. Among them: running users’ video selfies through artificial intelligence that can determine if they are adults.
The Meta-owned app recently started requiring users to submit their birthdate to verify that they are over 13 and eligible to use Instagram. The company has also introduced new privacy settings for 13 to 18 year olds, including parental controls.
Starting in the US, Instagram will be accepting video selfies, which Meta will submit to the identity verification company Yoti. “Yoti’s technology estimates your age based on your facial features and shares that estimate with us,” Instagram said in a statement. “Meta and Yoti then delete the image.”
If users don’t want to submit a video or ID, they can ask three adult users to vouch for them. Those users will get a request to confirm the person’s age, must respond within three days and mustn’t vouch for anyone else at the same time.
