YouTube to lock out under-16s in Australia as controversial social media ban looms

• YouTube will comply with Australia's new social media ban for under-16s
• The new law requires parental consent for teen users
• Privacy concerns are growing over age verification methods

YouTube has confirmed it will comply with Australia's controversial new social media ban, which will require the platform to prevent users under the age of 16 from accessing its service. The video-sharing giant is the latest major tech company to fall in line ahead of the world-first law coming into force.

The legislation, which begins on December 10, mandates that social media companies must take "reasonable steps" to verify users' ages and remove those under 16 who do not have parental consent. Platforms failing to do so could face staggering fines of up to A$50 million. The move follows what the Australian government has described as a "moral imperative" to protect children online.

As first reported by Reuters, YouTube now joins a growing list of platforms, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat, and X, that are preparing to enforce the age restrictions. Just last month, the government expanded the list to include Reddit and the streaming service Kick, signaling a broad crackdown on online services popular with younger audiences.

While the platforms have committed to upholding the law, the methods for doing so have sparked a significant backlash. Privacy advocates and cyber safety experts are sounding the alarm over the security risks associated with mass data collection, and many teens are expected to look for ways around the ban.

The privacy risks of age verification

At the heart of the controversy are the "age assurance" technologies platforms will be required to implement. These methods could include facial scanning, analysis of user behavior, or requiring users to upload sensitive government-issued identification. Critics argue that creating centralized databases of such sensitive information creates a goldmine for scammers and hackers.

These concerns are amplified by the ambiguity of the law, which asks companies to take "reasonable steps" without clearly defining what that entails. As platforms rush to comply, they may adopt increasingly invasive techniques, compromising the data of all Australian users, not just children.

In response to these growing privacy concerns, many users may turn to tools like the best VPN services to protect their data. A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts a user's internet connection and masks their real location, offering a layer of anonymity from corporate or government surveillance. While primarily a privacy tool, its location-spoofing capability has led many to question whether VPNs could be used to circumvent the new age-gate rules.

A digital cat-and-mouse game

The Australian government has already stated that it expects platforms to "stop under-16s from using VPNs" to evade the ban. This creates a significant technical hurdle for companies, as effectively identifying and blocking VPN traffic is notoriously difficult.

Social media companies will likely attempt to blacklist IP addresses associated with VPN servers, but providers can quickly deploy new ones, leading to a constant "cat-and-mouse" game.

Furthermore, a sudden change in a user's digital location is a major red flag. If an account has a long history of being accessed from Australian IP addresses, a sudden switch to a US or UK-based server is unlikely to fool the platform's detection systems.

As the December 10 deadline approaches, both social media platforms and their users are entering uncharted territory. The government hopes to create a safer online environment for children, but the cost may be a significant erosion of digital privacy for everyone. The long-term impact of this landmark legislation on internet freedom and user security remains to be seen.

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