The Australian internet industry has produced draft censorship rules related to age/ID verification. The schedule is for these to come into force in 2025. One of the rules that has caught the attention is that search engines will be required to
age/ID verify users before links to porn or gambling sites sites can be provided. The draft codes will apply to websites, social media, video games, search engines, gaming companies, app developers and internet service providers, among others. As
is the case in most other countries, the authorities are refusing to specify exactly what age/ID verification mechanisms will be acceptable and will leave it to companies to take enormous commercial risks in guessing what mechanisms will be acceptable.
Examples of options include checking photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks, digital ID wallets or systems, or attestation by a parent or guardian. The codes have been developed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association
(Amta), the Communications Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA), the Digital Industry Group Inc. (Digi), and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA). Dr Jennifer Duxbury, Digi's director for policy,
regulatory affairs, and research, told Guardian Australia that the group doesn't speak for the porn industry, and added: I can't predict what their reaction might be, whether they would withdraw from the market, or what's
the likely outcome.
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