Agcom launches a public consultation on online age verification’s methods

The Italian convergent regulator Agcom has launched a public consultation on the specifications and requirements of the age assurance system, which will have to be implemented by the providers of video-sharing platforms (VSPs) that disseminate images, videos and services for adult users in Italy (See Resolution No. 61/24/CONS of March 6, 2024).

This is a new measure provided for by a national law (Legislative Decree 123/23 converted into Law 159/23), strengthening the legal framework aimed at protecting minors on the internet.

In November 2023, guidelines came into force (delibera n. 9/23/CONS) to oblige operators of electronic communications to include parental control systems among the pre-activated services offered to consumers.

The draft under consultation - targeting this time VSP providers disseminating adult content - was prepared by Agcom following the preliminary opinion of the Guarantor for the protection of personal data.

The objective of the draft is to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, minimizing the personal data collected and safeguarding its confidentiality as much as possible. 

The approach proposed by the Authority is technologically neutral, extendable to all content that require age verification, and leaves reasonable room for the providers to choose their age verification method while complying with the general requirements.

• For more details on the new regulation, see the Iris Newsletter (European Audiovisual Observatory)

• Link to the public consultation

Source: Agcom

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For further recent information on age verification and parental tools on video-sharing platforms, see:

 

- the French ARCOM's public consultation on a binding reference framework establishing the technical requirements to be met by the age verification systems put in place by online communication services providing access to pornographic content (FR - April 2024)

- European Audiovisual Observatory: “The protection of minors on video sharing platforms: age verification and parental control” (April 2024)

- Center for Law and Digital Technologies (eLaw) Leiden University (NL): "Research report: Mapping age assurance typologies and requirements"; as part of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) project coordinated by European Schoolnet (EUN) and commissioned by the European Commission (February 2024)