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Reddit has announced that it will be enforcing age verification checks for all UK users, in compliance with the new UK Online Safety Act. This move aims to prevent children from accessing mature content and ensure a safer online environment.
Starting immediately, users in the United Kingdom will need to verify their ages before being able to access restricted content on the platform. Reddit has partnered with third-party company Persona to facilitate this process.
To confirm their age, UK Redditors can either upload a photo of their government-issued ID or take a selfie. The latter option is available for those who are no longer minors and have no issues providing proof of their age. It’s worth noting that Reddit will not access or store the uploaded photos, only retaining the verification status and birthdate.
The social media platform has emphasized that it will take measures to protect users’ privacy by ensuring Persona, the third-party company responsible for the age verification process, can’t see any other Reddit information such as posts, comments, or subreddits visited. In addition, all photos uploaded or taken will be deleted after seven days.
Reddit has also announced stricter guidelines on content that will be restricted from minors in the UK. This includes sexually explicit material, posts encouraging suicide and disordered eating, as well as any content promoting hatred towards individuals based on their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender, or body type.
Furthermore, the platform has stated it will no longer allow posts that encourage challenges highly likely to result in serious injury, ingestion of harmful substances, or promote violence. Additionally, all content shaming people’s physical features will be restricted for minors.
It is essential to note that this new policy does not apply to users outside of the United Kingdom. However, Reddit has hinted that they may need to implement similar measures if other regions adopt comparable laws in the future.
The company also mentioned that it wants to confirm whether its users are human beings or not, given the rise of AI technology. While details on this initiative have not been shared yet, Reddit promised more information will be announced later.
Source: www.engadget.com
