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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Technology
Josh Taylor Technology reporter

Face age and ID checks? Using the internet in Australia is about to fundamentally change

Finger of woman pushing heart icon on screen in mobile smartphone application
The codes will require search engines to have age assurance measures for all accounts, and to switch on safe search features for users they deem to be under 18. Photograph: oatawa/Getty Images/iStockphoto

As the old adage goes, “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog”. But in Australia it might soon be the case that everything from search engines and social media sites, to app stores and AI chatbots will have to know your age.

The Albanese government trumpeted the passage of its legislation banning under 16s from social media – which will come into effect in December – but new industry codes developed by the tech sector and eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant under the Online Safety Act will probably have much larger ramifications for how Australians access the internet.

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