Following the introduction of the Online Safety Act in the UK, many major sites and social media platforms have announced that they will be introducing age verification checks in order to comply with the Act.
The latest of these companies is Spotify, which has announced that users will have to verify their age in order to access certain content and services.
This has led to many users turning to the best VPNs in order to circumvent these age checks due to concerns about personal data safety.
Here, we explore why Spotify is verifying users’ ages and what age verification techniques it will use to do so.
How will Spotify verify users’ age?
Spotify has announced that it will be partnering with digital identity app Yoti in order to complete its age verification checks.
Spotify has said users will need to verify their age in order to access “some Spotify content and features.” This includes music videos that have been labelled as only suitable for those over 18 by rights-holders.
If users attempt to access music videos that have been classed as 18+, they will be presented with an age check.
The first step will be a facial age estimation. This means that users take a picture of themselves, which is then scanned using Yoti’s age-estimating AI service. If they are believed to be 18+, their age will be verified, and they will be able to access the content.
However, if Yoti can’t be sure that the user is above 18 from the image alone, users will then have to verify their age using photo ID.
Spotify has stated that the age verification is encrypted, and Yoti will delete all user data after the age check is complete.
What happens if you don’t verify your age on Spotify?
If you don’t verify your age on Spotify, you will not be able to access some content and services. The only example given by Spotify so far has been music videos that have been tagged as 18+, and it is unclear whether or not this will extend to other content – for example, podcasts or even songs marked as explicit.
If the age estimation software believes you are younger than you are, you will need to verify your age using photo ID.
If you are deemed younger than the minimum age required to use Spotify where you are based (for example, 13 years old in the UK) and cannot confirm your age, Spotify has said it will deactivate and eventually delete your account.
If you fail the age estimation check, you will have 90 days to reactivate your account and confirm your age via photo ID. If you do not do this within the 90 days, or if you reactivate your account but do not confirm your age via photo ID within 7 days, your account will be deleted.
This has raised concerns from Spotify users in the UK who do not wish to provide either pictures of themselves or their photo ID in order to verify they are over 18.
Some users are also questioning whether age checks will remain for 18+ content only or if all Spotify users in the UK will need to verify their age in order to use the service.
We will update this page as and when we get more clarity on the situation.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.