Age verification: Child protection or privacy risk?

The report surveys emerging age verification methods across online services—such as facial age estimation, open banking, digital IDs, credit card checks, email-based estimation, mobile operator checks, and photo-ID matching—examining their accuracy, security, and privacy trade-offs amid new regulatory pressures (e.g., Ofcom in the UK) and proposals like double-anonymity to protect user data. It also notes risks from deepfakes and spoofing, and the role of VPNs in circumventing regional restrictions, ultimately questioning whether these measures effectively protect minors without unduly compromising adult privacy.