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UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

theregister.com

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Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#21

Post by asplake »

boffinism wrote: post #17

This feels like it could be resolved by technology. I am happy to identify myself to government entity A to prove my age, but I don't want A to know what sites I visit. I want to visit site B, but I don't want to identify myself. Is there no API that will allow B to verify my age via A, without A finding out what site B is, and without B finding out anything more than my age bracket?

Pretty sure that’s already on its way. One way we avoid giving card details to untrustworthy sites is to use a third party verification service. Suspect that this is well enough known that the headline should be construed as clickbait.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#22

Post by asplake »

hughrr wrote: post #13

Oh no they’re not. People will start buying shitty VPNs advertised on prime time TV instead and entirely side step the issue but create two more at the same time. Think we need a new national anthem now along the lines of https://youtu.be/P1CyPjQQTAM

Some people might, most won’t. Most under-18s certainly won’t.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#23

Post by habosa »

People don’t realize how invasive the UK govt is when it comes to internet monitoring.

Today if you try to access adult content on a UK mobile device you get blocked by age verification. You have to call your mobile provider and prove your age (it’s a once-per-contract thing). One of the ways you can prove your age is with a credit card. But I imagine it’s a large deterrent because not many people want to call Vodafone and ask permission to look at pornography. They’d probably just rather get a VPN.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#24

Post by MattPalmer1086 »

boffinism wrote: post #17

This feels like it could be resolved by technology. I am happy to identify myself to government entity A to prove my age, but I don't want A to know what sites I visit. I want to visit site B, but I don't want to identify myself. Is there no API that will allow B to verify my age via A, without A finding out what site B is, and without B finding out anything more than my age bracket?

There are privacy preserving technologies that can do this.

See the work of Jan Camenisch for example: https://jan.camenisch.org

But I doubt anything so well thought out would be implemented for this. Current government suggestions are credit card checks, checking identity against government passport records, or your mobile phone service provider.

I don't even understand the mobile phone one. My son has a mobile phone, but I'm the account holder according to the phone company. He's too young to enter into contracts for a start!

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#26

Post by hgomersall »

pdpi wrote: post #16
pharmakom wrote: post #10

They are also talking about doing it for Reddit, which makes me really sad.

There is no “talking about doing it for Reddit” here. Targeting a measure like this at specific companies is all sorts of gross, it has to be a case of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. There’s no reasonable definition of who should and shouldn’t be affected by this where Facebook has to comply but Reddit doesn’t.

The reasonable basis is that Facebook have consistently shown themselves to be a bad actor. I'm not arguing that age checks are a good thing, just that I don't see a reason why the law can't explicitly target companies that are detrimental to society. You might then argue Reddit should also be included for similar reasons.

I would suggest this is generally better than an attempt to codify in law some kind of definition of what companies should be covered.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#27

Post by d13 »

habosa wrote: post #23

People don’t realize how invasive the UK govt is when it comes to internet monitoring. Today if you try to access adult content on a UK mobile device you get blocked by age verification. You have to call your mobile provider and prove your age (it’s a once-per-contract thing). One of the ways you can prove your age is with a credit card. But I imagine it’s a large deterrent because not many people want to call Vodafo…

I’ve come to the realization I really should be using a VPN, for so many reasons. I really know nothing much them - any recommendations?

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#28

Post by toyg »

habosa wrote: post #23

People don’t realize how invasive the UK govt is when it comes to internet monitoring. Today if you try to access adult content on a UK mobile device you get blocked by age verification. You have to call your mobile provider and prove your age (it’s a once-per-contract thing). One of the ways you can prove your age is with a credit card. But I imagine it’s a large deterrent because not many people want to call Vodafo…

> not many people want to call Vodafone

No need to call, it's a switch in their app or website. It's the same for pretty much any provider.

The annoying part is that the switch tends to reset fairly often.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#29

Post by tempodox »

alephnan wrote: post #4
danboarder wrote: post #2

What could possibly go wrong... I don't expect Facebook or TikTok to oppose this very much, having credit cards on file is conveniently closer to making more money.

> having credit cards on file is conveniently closer to making more money It will be a drastic change to pivot the company from one where the customer is the product to the customer. Credit card input also introduces friction and bounce rate of user signup. This would hurt Facebook's user growth and MAU KPIs

Facebook's customers are advertisers, not users.

Re: UK.gov to make adults give credit card details for access to Facebook or TikTok

#30

Post by toyg »

Digit-Al wrote: post #7
danboarder wrote: post #2

What could possibly go wrong... I don't expect Facebook or TikTok to oppose this very much, having credit cards on file is conveniently closer to making more money.

I'm not so sure. I think Facebook might oppose it on the grounds that there are large numbers of people on the cusp who may just abandon Facebook if they have to give their credit card details. Facebook is already haemorrhaging users, I don't think they will want any friction that may lose them more.

And they struggle enough as it is to attract younger users, credit card checks would completely kill the demographic for them.
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