The PC Pro Podcast Episode 753: We’re over 18 and we can prove it
Jul 31, 2025
Olivia Whitcroft, a lawyer specializing in online safety and data protection, discusses the legal ramifications of age-assurance rules under the Online Safety Act. She highlights the challenges between protecting children and risks like privacy loss and fraud. The conversation dives into real-world implementation, including the strengths and weaknesses of verification methods like Yoti and AllPass. Olivia also clarifies the difference between age estimation and verification, and discusses the regulation of AI tools to combat online threats.
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UK Online Safety Act Demands High Effectiveness
- The Online Safety Act requires "highly effective" age assurance for services likely accessed by children, targeting pornography, self-harm and more.
- The law expands prior rules and forces services to assess risks and apply mitigation measures beyond just porn.
Age Checks Create New Privacy And Fraud Risks
- Age assurance creates trade-offs between child safety and increased privacy/fraud risks from identity checks.
- Certification (ICO scheme) aims to reduce privacy harms but doesn't remove accuracy or fraud concerns.
Hands-On Tests Show Account-Based Verification
- Jon Honeyball tested live age-verification rollouts and found sites require accounts and third-party verifiers to gate access.
- He warns anonymous, one-click "are you over 18" gates are effectively gone for priority content.