The brand had used its verification systems on Instagram and its successful results have encouraged it to apply it to Facebook Dating.
Meta has been planning for some time how it could prevent minors from “accessing experiences intended for adults.” To make sure users engage in age-appropriate social media activities, she’s working on new verification systems, which we’ve talked about before at GLM.
Now, Mark Zuckerberg ‘s company intends to extend the age verification test to Facebook Dating in the United States. This service from the technology firm is designed to find love online, as is the case with Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, Badoo or other platforms, so it is important that minors do not access it.
“Age verification tools will help verify that only adults are using the service and will help prevent minors from accessing it,” Meta stresses in a press release. To do this, they have had the collaboration of Yoti, a company specialized in online age verification.
How will users be able to verify their age virtually?
- Video selfie: Internet users must record themselves following the instructions displayed on the screen. Meta then sends a still image from the video to Yoti’s tool, and Yoti analyzes facial features to estimate an age. According to Meta, the image is immediately deleted and the technology cannot recognize the identity of the user, so it is completely safe.
- Identification upload: Another option to verify age is to upload a copy of an identity document. Meta details that the information is encrypted and stored securely for a while and that other people will not be able to access the data.
The brand has stressed that since they began testing their verification system on Instagram in June they discovered that more people met their requirements. “We were able to stop 96% of teens who tried to edit their 18-to-18+ birthdays on Instagram from doing so,” the company says.