Utah Passes Child Safety Law Requiring Apple to Verify User Age

Utah contiguous passed the App Store Accountability Act, a instrumentality that requires mobile app stores from Apple and Google to verify the property of users alternatively than having idiosyncratic apps bash property verification.


According to CNBC, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the measure this afternoon. It is the archetypal instrumentality related to mobile app store property verification that has passed successful the U.S., and it volition necessitate Apple to verify idiosyncratic property erstwhile an Apple Account is created. If a kid nether the property of 18 opens an account, Apple volition request to nexus the relationship to a parent's account, and parents volition person to consent to app purchases.

Ahead of erstwhile Utah's instrumentality passed, Apple announced new property assurance features that are designed to marque children safer online. During relationship setup, Apple volition inquire for the property scope of the idiosyncratic utilizing the device, and if the relationship is for a kid nether the property of 13, parents volition beryllium capable to usage a Connect to Family enactment to supply parental consent.

Apple besides updated its property scope categories for apps, and created a Declared Age Range API for developers that provides an property scope to guarantee that kids don't spot contented successful apps that is meant for adults. Apple's strategy is not afloat property verification, and Apple has said that it does not privation to cod day of commencement info astatine the ‌App Store‌ level due to the fact that each users would request to manus implicit that accusation careless of whether they privation to usage an property constricted app.
While lone a fraction of apps connected the App Store whitethorn necessitate property verification, each users would person to manus implicit their delicate personally identifying accusation to us-regardless of whether they really privation to usage 1 of these constricted acceptable of apps. That means giving america information similar a driver's license, passport, oregon nationalist recognition fig (such arsenic a Social Security number), adjacent if we don't request it. And due to the fact that galore kids successful the U.S. don't person government-issued IDs, parents successful the U.S. volition person to supply adjacent much delicate documentation conscionable to let their kid to entree apps meant for children. That's not successful the involvement of idiosyncratic information oregon privacy.
Apple believes that requiring invasive information similar driver's licenses, passport numbers, and Social Security Numbers to verify property would interruption idiosyncratic privateness and safety, but it is not wide if the caller strategy meets Utah's requirements.

Facebook and Instagram genitor institution Meta has been pushing for the app store property verification legislation, arguing that property verification astatine the level level is the simplest solution. Requiring the ‌App Store‌ and Play Store to corroborate idiosyncratic property volition mean that Meta does not person to put resources into property verification procedures, and it would not beryllium the people of outrage implicit the contented that children are exposed to.

Utah's instrumentality is acceptable to spell into effect connected May 7, but it whitethorn beryllium delayed owed to ineligible challenges.
This article, "Utah Passes Child Safety Law Requiring Apple to Verify User Age" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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