The latest global news concerning Orwellian methods used to verify age takes us to the land of “Oz,” where Sony just announced it will require Australian PlayStation users to verify they are 18 or older before they can buy R18+ rated games and content from the PlayStation Store. Verification will run through Yoti, either by facial scan or by uploading ID, with both methods utilizing face-reading technology to determine your birthdate.
Face-Scanning for Age
As reported at Gadgetguy, a circulated email from Sony as well as Sony’s own support page indicates the policy is soon to come for the Aussies. London-based Yoti uses a facial scan that estimates age from your facial geometry. A photograph of the ID or passport can also be used, but the method is the same: they run the ID through “a liveness face scan” that takes roughly 3 to 6 minutes.
Sony says Yoti deletes the facial geometry once verification is done, and that PlayStation never collects or stores it, but GadgetGuy also reports that researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California found Yoti collected information “beyond what is strictly necessary to verify age.”
Classifying R18+ Content
The “R18+” rating is Australia’s legally restrictive classification used for films, video games, and publications, implemented by the Australian eSafety Commissioner earlier this year. The Australian Classification Board uses an “Impact Test” to determine if media qualifies for the rating. Measuring whether the material’s overall impression creates a high impact on the audience, the board evaluates the depiction and context of violence, sex, language, drug use, and nudity, and assesses whether these elements are gratuitous, realistic, or—in the case of video games—if they reward the player for illicit actions.
No firm start date has been given for the new system, but Sony’s own FAQ page only says verification “will soon be required” in Australia and they recommend scanning early to avoid interruptions. “As part of our commitment to online safety and age-appropriate play, we use age verification to help deliver the best PlayStation experience for your age and to help protect our younger players,” states PlayStation’s website.
If users choose not to verify this way, they can still play games made for over 18 players already in their library, but are prohibited from buying them moving forward.
Does the US Check ID for Mature Video Games?
Currently, there is no legal requirement or digital ID check to buy or play mature (rated “M”) games online in the United States, but as Wet Ink has reported, age verification is becoming more prevalent in the U.S. for adult material in general.
While adult sites have had to navigate the scary implications of face scanning (biometric tracking, surveillance and other questions about privacy and identity theft), now that popular titles like Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto and Activision’s Call of Duty will be affected in some countries, it remains to be seen if there will be more pushback.
Many privacy experts and civil rights organizations — such as the ACLU— consider online face scanning for ID to be intrusive, but there are bigger implications. Despite what the companies might say, these scans are permanent digital markers that might allow for the monitoring of citizens by those in power, not unlike the systems used in George Orwell’s 1984. “Big Brother” is watching and it’s not a game.
