Cheap software that can fool age verification systems has rendered Australia’s landmark social media law “useless”, according to the company stress-testing enforcement of a future ban on under-16s having accounts. There is a possibility that it could turn into something.
Last month, Australia passed the world’s first law banning anyone under the age of 16 from signing up for social media services such as Instagram, X, Facebook and Snapchat. The new law, which comes into effect from November 2025, will put the onus on technology companies to enforce age restrictions or face fines of up to A$49.9 million (US$31.9 million) for breaches of the system. be.
The Australian government has commissioned a $3.4 million court case to determine how the new law will be enforced and the most effective methods technology companies can use to comply. The exam will be co-ordinated by UK not-for-profit specialist firm The Age Check Certification Scheme, and will include live testing of 1,200 people starting next year.
Founder and CEO Tony Allen told the Financial Times that the exam will test different methods of age verification by incorporating “attack vectors” that can be used to fool the system. He said he plans to do a response test. These include the use of fake identities, face swaps, deepfake software, and virtual private networks (VPNs) that hide the user’s location.
Allen said the biggest concern is that easy-to-use, cheap and scalable techniques, such as software that makes people look 10 years older, could be used by people under 16 to undermine the law. . “Then age verification would be useless,” he says.
He wasn’t too keen on the idea that tech-savvy kids could easily jump through all the validation tools using expensive software and sophisticated techniques. “Kids who can do that aren’t interested in signing up for Facebook or looking at online porn. They’re more likely to try to infiltrate the FBI,” he said.
Allen said there is “no silver bullet” for age verification, and methods range from the use of official documents to less accurate techniques, such as age estimation based on facial and hand recognition technology.
The Australian government has put into law a provision that says people cannot be forced to provide government identification, such as a driver’s license or Medicare card, when registering with a social media company due to privacy concerns. That means social media companies will likely need to come up with different options for users to verify their age.
The Australian government has admitted it does not expect a ban on social media to be completely certain.
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Allen said the legislation would subject social media companies to the same restrictions and responsibilities as online gambling companies, credit card providers and retailers selling alcohol to ensure that children do not use their services. Given that responsibility, verification should become more routine over time, he said.
The trial is expected to report in June and will be important in defining how enforcement of Australia’s ban should proceed, as well as encouraging other governments to improve online safety for young people and children. It is also important in deciding how to approach a problem.
“The world is watching,” said Mimi Zou, a law professor at the University of New South Wales and an adviser to the UK Ministry of Justice.
She added that the debate over how to enforce Australia’s laws was obscuring broader points. “Most importantly, it sent a message to big tech companies that Australia is ready to do this, even if it doesn’t work out. We are being asked to do more to make room.”
