US EditionRoblox Starts Facial Age Verification for Chat Features
Roblox will assign users to six age groups and limit chat access to similar ages to enhance child safety amid lawsuits and regulatory pressure, starting globally in January.
- On Tuesday, Roblox announced voluntary facial age verification begins, with mandatory checks for chat access in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands starting December and global rollout next year.
- Public pressure from families and advocates follows multiple lawsuits by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others, with a petition of over 12,000 signatures and ParentsTogether Action planning a virtual protest Tuesday.
- Persona processes selfie images using AI to assign users to six age groups and deletes images after; users over 13 can appeal with ID and face fraud checks, Roblox says.
- Age-Based chat will limit conversations so children and teens on Roblox can only message peers in similar age groups, while the new Safety Center helps parents set controls and manage experiences.
- While Roblox touts the tool's accuracy, some experts have cautioned about reliability as Roblox declined to share an accuracy rate, third-party testing found a 1.37-year error, and breaches of about 70,000 IDs raise privacy concerns.
115 Articles
115 Articles
Roblox's selfie verification is a preview of an annoying internet future
Roblox is in a tight spot. After years of reports involving child predators on Roblox, the company faces pressure from the public and government to clean up its platform. The company's solution, announced on Nov. 18, is a cumbersome age verification system that might give us a preview of what's to come — everywhere.
Roblox will now restrict chat by age group, verified with selfie-based scans
Roblox recently clarified its age verification requirement for gamers who chat with strangers on the platform. Children will only be able to chat with other children, the company says, aiming to set a safety "gold standard" for online gaming that it hopes other studios will adopt on their own platforms.Read Entire Article
Metro News
Usa newsNew Roblox age checks to stop children from speaking with adult strangers
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Next year, adults will no longer be able to chat with children on the platform.
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