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Hello all, and happy Thursday!
With the new year, TikTok began rolling out age verification for EU users.
It’s a classic case of children’s safety leading to (or being used to justify) excess data collection. We don’t know exactly how bad TikTok’s age verification system is, as it’s only recently been revealed. The company recently completed a year-long pilot in Britain and began rolling it out in the EU earlier this month.
In essence, the system analyzes users’ profiles, posted videos, and other behavioral signals to predict whether an account belongs to an underage user. It’s not confirmed yet, but odds are this work is being carried out with AI. Then, human moderators review accounts flagged by the system to ban any under-13 users, as per TikTok’s terms of service. For appeals, TikTok will use a third-party provider to estimate age based on users’ biometrics, as well as credit-card checks and IDs.
That’s a lot of data processing!
TikTok asserts it worked in conjunction with EU data protection authorities and that its system is purpose-built for EU compliance. Even so, it seems hard to imagine that there was no other approach to reduce underage accounts that relied on less data collection.
Best,
Arlo
Events
Webinar: Untap Those Wires: How to Reduce CIPA Risk with Your CMP
The Cold War may be over, but wiretap laws are alive, well, and–if you’re a member of the plaintiff’s bar–very lucrative. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed under decades-old wiretap laws in recent years, with the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) chief among them. How can you protect your business against opportunistic CIPA lawsuits? Join Osano’s Chief Customer Officer Skye McCullough and Strategic Customer Success Manager Mark Brown on February 5th to discover the answer.
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On-Demand Webinar: Untangling 2026 Privacy: New Laws, Amendments, Enforcement, and More
Feel like privacy compliance has got you tied into knots? You’re not alone. 2025 was a hectic year for privacy and compliance professionals, and 2026 promises to present even more challenges. Our recent webinar covered everything you need to know to stay compliant in 2026. Now available free, ungated, and on demand!
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On January 1, 2026, new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regulations took effect, establishing comprehensive cybersecurity audit obligations for covered businesses–the first of its kind among state data privacy laws. Learn more about how to comply here.
Worried About Surveillance, States Enact Privacy Laws and Restrict Flock License Plate Readers
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TikTok Rolls Out AI Age Detection in EU Amid Privacy Concerns
In response to EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, TikTok is rolling out an AI-driven age-detection system in the EU to block users under 13. This approach uses machine learning to analyze behavior and requires ID verification to overcome users bypassing age gates. While aiming to enhance child safety, it faces criticism for privacy risks, accuracy issues, and potential biases.
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