Google's age gating only for 18+ videos hidden to non members - rolling out more secure age verification in the US - most will pass verification automatically - any IDs stored in unhackable servers
This is about Google’s pilot to roll out more reliable age verification for the 18+ in the USA on YouTube for several weeks starting August 13th. It already has it in other countries such as the UK. This is nothing to do with the UK Online Safety Act except that it may have gained confidence in age verification by its work for the UK.
YouTube already only shows 18+ content such as porn to logged in 18+ users. It is just doing a more robust form of ID verification for 18+
Most people will automatically pass the age verification without doing anything. Or you may need to upload a selfie.
If you fail age verification on YouTube, the only videos hidden from you are 18+ videos. So the worst case is that you can't watch porn and other videos marked as 18+ until you complete age verification.
Google has world-class server security - their servers are unhackable because they use a “zero trust” system. This means even their own staff, with physical access to the servers, can only access the content on them if they have been given the credentials and authorization to do so.
Most age verifiers like Yoti delete your selfie or document ID immediately after it is uploaded. The age verification for the Online Safety Act in the UK is required to respect privacy and keep your details secure and that is how they usually do it.
YouTube can do it differently because of Google’s unhackable servers.
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To check what is hidden for under 18s just log into YouTube with an incognito window - if the video you like to watch is still visible then it is not age gated
Google will not hide videos you can watch anyway whether logged in or not.
To check the effect of failing 18+ age verification, just open a new Private or incognito window - an option in most browsers and then you can see if you can see it without being logged into YouTube or Google.
Here is a test video - which is labelled as age restricted by the uploader - but harmless, it is just a still photograph of a field of tulips.
This is what it looks like if you click on it:
Someone just switched on the check box to say it is age restricted and uploaded it to test how age restriction works.
If you can see your video without that screen, age verification isn't needed to see it.
Anyone well over 18, say in their 20s, would likely pass age verification automatically just by the signals the AI can analyse.
If not google will likely just ask for a selfie unless you are close to 18+ And the IDs are stored securely if you do have to upload an ID.
18+ Age gating is NOT THE SAME AS “Made for kids” - it just hides 18+ rated videos
Then YouTube kids is an app kids can use to explore YouTube.
It only shows age appropriate videos for 12 and below and it doesn’t have comments on it or targeted ads.
But the older videos are not hidden from kids on the internet only from the YouTube Kids app. Anyone can see them so long as they can browse the internet.
However you have to be 13+ to join adult YouTube.
Even if you join adult YouTube and you visit a video that is made for kids then it won’t have a comments section or targeted ads. That’s because some kids may join adult youtube even though they are 12 or under and lie about their age.
For content creators, Made for Kids disables some features that can be used to interact - there shouldn't be any kids on adult YouTube anyway but in case there are the videos made for them don't let anyone comment on those videos etc.
But those videos would likely mostly be shown on YouTube kids.
Age gating is NOT the same as restricted mode - a setting you have to switch on yourself used by some libraries and schools which restricts even many news stories
This is NOT the same as restricted mode - a very restricted setting that is used by some schools and libraries.
To hide the ones hidden in restricted mode you have to be logged in and switch on restricted mode. Restricted mode hides even many stories on the mainstream news:
Violence: Graphic descriptions of violence, violent acts, natural disasters and tragedies, or violence in the news.
Mature subjects: Videos that cover specific details about events related to terrorism, war, crime and political conflicts that resulted in death or serious injury. These videos won't be shown in Restricted mode, even if no graphic imagery is shown.
You can read about restricted mode here: Restricted mode - NOT the same as age gated: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7354993
None of this is anything to do with LGBT.
YouTube has classified videos as suitable for under 18 and 12 or under for years - only thing new is to help catch out people who lie about their ages based on whether they search for and watch similar videos to young kids - with machine learning (AI) to eliminate false positives
Youtube content is already age restricted for those under 18. This is not new it's been like this for several years and I see the option whenever I upload a video.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802167?hl=en-GB
As you see from that screenshot, when you upload a video you have an option to say if it is mature content and is only for 18 and over. If you do that, under 18s won't see your video.
There's YouTube kids too for 12 and under too. You have another option to say your video is for kids.
https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/kids-and-teens/
YouTube automatic age verification is based on the longevity of your account and videos you search and watch - if it guesses wrong you then upload a selfie and if that also is not accurate enough - then it asks for an ID
The YouTube restrictions for under 18 are NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ONLINE SAFETY ACT. It has had them for many years. The only new thing is they are now using AI. The two factors they mention specifically are
the longevity of an account - and the videos you search for and watch.
QUOTE We will use AI to interpret a variety of signals that help us to determine whether a user is over or under 18. These signals include the types of videos a user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched, or the longevity of the account.
https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/extending-our-built-in-protections-to-more-teens-on-youtube/
They are doing a pilot in the US which means they likely randomly select some people to test, and half are tested using AI and half not and monitor it closely to see if there are any problems.
The aim will be to test their conclusions that AI is able to deduce someone's age reasonably accurately from those signals.
Then they would fix any glitches and expand to a large population in the USA and once they have it working for the USA they'd likely then do pilots with smaller populations in other countries and so expand it bit by bit throughout the world. At least that is a normal way of doing it. It is internally driven not by external requirements in this case.
Though they are already likely doing it for the UK online safety act that may be how they got onto it?
You do NOT need to watch adult content to pass age verification - if you want to try to game the system just watch lots of videos with heroes and heroines aged in their 20s or older - but the algorithm is likely far more sophisticated than just relying on the age of the hero / heroine
On the videos they search for and watch
17 year olds tend to watch videos with 17 year olds as heroes and heroines for fictional movies and they also watch videos for 17 year olds. Of course young people watch videos for older heroines and heroes too but if someone watches a lot of videos with 17 year olds as heroes and heroines and only a few with 27 year old heroes and heroines, they are likely 17 themselves.
But there would be far more to it than that, if that is the only signal they used then it would fail in many instances.
For instance if you are an author that writes stories for kids you would likely watch many kids movies on YouTubes. But the AI would likely have many ways to cross check to see WHY you are watching videos with 17 year olds as heroes and heroines.
You can't expect YouTube to spell out how it does it as that would give users ways to try to trick the AI.
E.g. in that case a 17 year old might watch large numbers of videos where the heroes and heroines are in their mid 20s to try to game the AI if that is what they do.
Some people are watching 18+ movies in hope it would help them pass the age verification more easily. But watching 18+ movies seems an unlikely signal to use for detecting kids that lie about their age to watch 18+ movies on YouTube.
If this worked a better idea would be to watch loads of videos on how to do yoga for seniors or accessible walking trips for seniors near to where you live etc.
If you want to try to game the system - here is a page of videos popular with seniors.
https://crestwoodmanoronline.org/news/youtube-channels-for-older-adults-our-top-10-picks/
But it is likely far too sophisticated to conclude that you are a senior because you suddenly for a few days watch lots of videos about how to do yoga if you are a senior or walking tours for seniors.
If YouTube does ask for a selfie or your ID - it ranks amongst the most secure companies out there - completely unhackable because of its zero trust servers
If the AI mistakenly deduces you are under 18 YouTube may ask you to get a selfie or upload a document ID.
Google has its own age verification system. Google doesn’t erase the ID for the people who need to upload one but your ID is securely stored and won’t be made public though it can sometimes need manual review. https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/10071085?hl=en#zippy=%2Cuse-an-id-for-age-verification%2Cfind-valid-types-of-id-for-age-verification%2Cuse-a-selfie-for-age-verification%2Cuse-an-email-address-for-age-verification
Google has a high reputation for security and hasn't been involved in data leaks since 2018. https://firewalltimes.com/google-data-breach-timeline/
Google operates a "zero trust" methodology. Most companies have an intranet where users are trusted by default and the internet where they are not trusted. However Google doesn't trust anyone even if they are working on a server itself, unless they authenticate themselves individually. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-google-implemented-zero-trust-model-modern-security-9uwce/
This means that even if someone got into Google's own intranet it would be meaningless as they can't access anything on it unless they are trusted.
Most of the ages can be verified without uploading your ID but if you do need to upload an ID, your ID is securely stored and won’t be made public. Google has a high reputation for security.
These are examples of a valid government ID:
Some examples of a valid government ID may include your:
Driver's license
Passport
National ID card
When you upload your ID you give Google permission to confirm it is current and valid, to confirm you are old enough, and improve their age verification systems and protect against fraud.
You also permit them to do a manual review of your ID if necessary.
If you upload a copy of your ID, your ID:
Is stored securely
Won't be made public
Google may use your ID to:
Confirm your ID is current and valid.
Confirm you're old enough to access certain content, features, or services.
Improve our verification services for Google products and protect against fraud and abuse.
In certain cases, your ID may be subject to manual review in accordance with Google security policies. Google will send you an email when the review is complete.
Your channel is NOT at risk if you fail age verification - under 18s can upload videos on YouTube too - ID verification for channel owners is to catch spammers and unlock advanced features - not new - not needed if you have a good channel history
The main reason some channel owners are asked to provide ID verification is to check that you aren't a user they already banned for spam or violating community guidelines.
This is nothing new and it is nothing to do with age verification, whatever your age so long as you are old enough to use YouTube (13+) you may be required to complete age verification to unlock certain advanced features or to prove you are not a known spammer.
QUOTE STARTS
Why does YouTube ask for my phone number/video verification/valid ID?
YouTube terminates millions of channels per year for violative content and behaviour. Many of these channels are created by the same groups and individuals, using or over-using the same kinds of features in an effort to defraud, scam or abuse viewers, creators and advertisers. Verifying your identity is one way that we tackle abuse and determine whether you have previously violated our policy to restrict repeat applications.
Video verification
A video verification is a short video of a person's face. We'll use this video to help us verify:
* That you're a real person
* That you're old enough to use Google services
* That you haven't been suspended for violating YouTube's policies
It will also help us to protect against fraud and abuse and may improve our verification systems.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9891124
Then they also require either a good channel history or ID verification for advanced features.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9890437#advancedfeatures
This is nothing new. People are mistakenly linking it to the new ID rules.
This is from four months ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/NewTubers/comments/1jmxtqs/just_got_this_youtube_message_uhh_what_the_heck_i/
See also
Age verification is NOT a privacy issue: uploaded selfies or IDs deleted within seconds - leaving only yes / no under 18 / over 12 - except Google retains your ID if needed, securely stored not public
There is no privacy issue here. Don’t worry if you are asked to upload a selfie or document ID for age verification. That’s because it is only retained for a second by the software and then deleted so there is nothing there to leak. No human ever sees it.
also
Online Safety Act is easy for sites to comply with if they have low risk of harm to kids - only large companies need to do age verification - details not retained and no censorship
The UK has freedom of speech. The Online Safety Act is not prohibiting any content on the internet.
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Also check out my Seven tips for dealing with doomsday fears based on things that help those scared, including a section about ways that health professionals can help you.
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There is much you can do to help yourself. As well as those seven tips, see my:
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— might help some of you to deal with doomsday anxieties
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INSTEAD GO TO THIS SEPARATE POST AND COMMENT THERE INSTEAD: https://robertinventor.substack.com/p/post-to-comment-on-with-off-topic-1d2
The reason is I often aren't able to respond to comments for some time and the unanswered comment can scare people who come to this post for help on something else
Also even when answered the comment may scare them because they see it first.
It works much better to put comments on other topics on a special post for them.
It is absolutely fine to digress and go off topic in conversations here - this is specifically about things you want help with that might scare people.
PLEASE DON’T TELL A SCARED PERSON THAT THE THING THEY ARE SCARED OF IS TRUE WITHOUT A VERY RELIABLE SOURCE OR IF YOU ARE A VERY RELIABLE SOURCE YOURSELF - AND RESPOND WITH CARE
This is not like a typical post on substack. It is specifically to help people who are very scared with voluntary fact checking. Please no politically motivated exaggerations here. And please be careful, be aware of the context.
We have a rule in the Facebook group and it is the same here.
If you are scared and need help it is absolutely fine to comment about anything to do with the topic of the post that scares you.
But if you are not scared or don’t want help with my voluntary fact checking please don’t comment with any scary material.
If you respond to scared people here please be careful with your sources. Don’t tell them that something they are scared of is true without excellent reliable sources, or if you are a reliable source yourself.
It also matters a lot exactly HOW you respond. E.g. if someone is in an area with a potential for earthquakes there’s a big difference between a reply that talks about the largest earthquake that’s possible there even when based on reliable sources, and says nothing about how to protect themselves and the same reply with a summary and link to measures to take to protect yourself in an earthquake.
Thanks!