Google is using your search and YouTube history to guess your age in Canada
Age verification checks have taken over the web in many major nations, yet Google has devised a way to complete them automatically provided you're old enough, albeit by using your browsing history to do so.
Usually you have to submit things like your driver's licence or passport in order to prove you're over the minimum required age to access certain content or entire websites, and many are understandably reluctant to do that as it breaches their privacy.
Consequently, certain companies and sites have come up with new, less-invasive ways to determine how old you are, with some of the more lenient basing it purely on the age of your account, whereas others take on more extensive methods.
Google believes that it's found the perfect middle ground to determine the age of YouTube users, as it forgoes the need to provide any personal data like your face or identification, but does compromise on looking through your browsing history.
How does Google work out your age from your browsing history?
As reported by Dexerto, the new system uses bespoke AI tools to analyze your account activity, checking things like your searches and YouTube viewing habits to determine whether you're confidently over the age of 18.
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It appears to relate to broader categories and types of information as opposed to specifics, and Google understandably remains reluctant to reveal the type of things that are likely to have you seen as an adult in order to stop people gaming the system.
"Our age estimation model uses machine learning to interpret a variety of signals already associated with a user's account," Google explains, "such as the types of information a user has searched for or the categories of videos they've watched on YouTube."
Content surrounding video games – while likely not everything under the umbrella of gaming – could perhaps be a signal of age, especially when looking at certain games like Minecraft, for example, and the same could be said for other types of media that you'd expect certain age groups to enjoy and engage in.
If the AI system is confident that you're over the age of 18 then everything will proceed as normal, but anyone that's flagged as potentially being underaged is then required to supply verification in order to prove themselves if they aren't a child.
Who does this new system apply to?
Currently the system is being exclusively rolled out in Canada, with it seemingly applying automatically to all Google accounts located in the region with no way to opt out.
While this might seem alarming as your browsing history is therefore being scanned by AI tools, Google already has access to the data that it's analyzing, and therefore nothing is technically changing.
If you are deemed to be under 18 – whether it's true or not – certain restrictions will be placed on your account automatically, with things like break and bedtime reminders, limited video recommendations, and limitations for features in services like Maps.
Google will send out notifications to users who are asked to prove their age to unlock these features and restrictions, with the tech giant noting:
"These notifications explain how their settings have changed to provide default account protections, and, if the model is incorrect, how adults can verify their age to manage these settings themselves."
You won't be able to use the Timeline feature in Maps, all personalized advertizing will be disabled, and access to adult-only apps in the Google Play Store will be revoked.