On Friday 10 October, the European Commission announced that it had sent several online platforms additional requests concerning the security and protection of their underage users.
YouTube, Snapchat, Apple and its App Store and Google and its Play Store must, as part of the DSA, send the Commission details of their age verification systems and how they prevent minors from accessing illegal products (drugs, tobacco and electronic cigarettes) or harmful content.
These requests, sent under the Digital Services Act (DSA), come as the Commission and the EU Council are increasingly showing support for restricting access to social networks by European minors (see other news).
With regard to Snapchat, the Commission is asking the app to provide information on the measures it takes to prevent children under 13 from accessing its services, as stated in the platform’s terms of use, as well as on the features that are intended to prevent the sale of illegal products.
Regarding YouTube, in addition to information on its age verification system, the Commission is seeking more details on its recommendations following reports of problematic content.
For the Apple App Store and Google Play, the Commission is requesting information on how they manage the risk that users, including minors, might download illegal apps, in particular gambling apps and tools for creating non-consensual sexual content, known as ‘nudify apps’.
At the same time, the Working Group on the Protection of Minors, established under the DSA, has agreed to identify smaller platforms, not subject to the act’s most restrictive obligations, but which nevertheless pose risks for minors, in order to verify their level of compliance (see EUROPE 13680/16).
These various measures are accompanied by the release of the second version of a blueprint for an age verification app for online users. This updated blueprint introduces the use of passports and identity cards as registration methods (see EUROPE 13680/15). (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)