Europe on age verification, social networking

As the Internet Safety Technical Task Force wraps up its year of studying potential tech solutions for youth risk on the social Web, some perspective from across the Atlantic seems timely. The ISTTF’s report, which we worked on together this week as Task Force members, goes to the 49 attorneys general who formed the ISTTF at the end of the year. The European Commission last summer held a public consultation on social networking, age verification, and content rating “to gather the knowledge and views of all relevant stakeholders (including public bodies, child safety and consumer organisations, and industry).” More than 6 dozen entities responded (links to their individual comments are included here).

Reports on those stakeholders’ 70+ comments were presented at the EC’s Safer Internet Forum in September. Here are the EC’s conclusions on social networking and age verification, two subjects of particular interest to the US’s state attorneys general and the ISTTF (so I’m zooming in on these two):

1. Summary of European views on age verification

“Age verification debate continues; Schools now at center of discussion” at Adam Thierer’s tech policy blog