For logged-in users, this means adults will be able to set content rules as they like to allow or block extreme content, while children will be blocked from seeing that content. Meanwhile, logged-out users or people using the equivalent of a browser’s incognito mode will see explicit images in search results as blurred-out, unless they choose to click on them. After several updates over recent years, this is already largely how Google Search and Bing are designed to work. Google and Microsoft have been contacted
for comment. The Age-Restricted Material Codes do not mandate the type of age assurance that services must adopt, only saying that methods must consider the technical accuracy, robustness, reliability and fairness of the solution. Options include facial age estimation and ID checks, but the tech giants are likely to rely on the AI-based age estimation that they already employ on accounts. When creating a Google account for example, the user can provide their own age and easily lie. But as the user navigates the web,
uses services, sends messages and interacts with others, metadata can help indicate a likely age range and could potentially trigger further age assurance measures.
search engines, child safety, harmful content, age assurance, Age-Restricted Material Codes, Google Search, Bing, $50m fine, incognito, blurred explicit images, AI-based age estimation, facial age estimation, ID checks
So basically if you’re not logged in you get blurry porn? Great.
I don’t get it, why can’t they just block it for everyone? Like incognito shouldn’t matter, but apparently it does now. $50m fine sounds like they’ll ignore it anyway.
“Adults set content rules” though… so if a parent logs in it’s fine, but if they don’t, kids can still see stuff once it’s clicked. Also facial age estimation??? That already never works for me on apps, so what if it just guesses wrong and locks people out or lets the wrong people through.
AI age checks are gonna be sketchy. Half the time my phone face unlock fails if I’m wearing glasses, so how is that “fair.” And people can lie when they make a Google account, so then what’s the point? Also I read somewhere this is just gonna make everything more annoying for normal searches, then the explicit results slip through anyway.