Legislated online age verification should not be provided by the private sector
Online age verification should be provided directly by a government agency like HMRC who already has the necessary data. The data transmitted to platforms during the age verification must be limited to a simple yes/no answer that they are old enough. The precise age must remain private.
Signatures
7
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 7/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 7/100,000
- 03 MAR 2026Petition rejectedduplicate
This is very similar to a petition which is currently open, which you may wish to sign: Replace age verification process set out in Online Safety Act to voucher system https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/756256
- 26 JAN 2026Petition created
Background
Private age verification is collecting too much sensitive data and poses a significant identity theft risk, especially to children. There have already been several known leaks. Privacy policies already cover how verification data is used for targeted advertising. The "Unless absolutely necessary" retention law is too broad. Smaller platforms cannot afford the costs of compliance and have to close, which ensures only big tech remains in the market. A public service would solve these issues.