Ofcom: guidance on highly effective age assurance (Part 3) · The robustness criterion

The robustness criterion What is robustness?

what is robustness · in force: unknown

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The robustness criterion What is robustness?

4.22Robustness describes the degree to which an age assurance method can correctly determine the age of a user in actual deployment contexts. Common threats to robustness in the context of age assurance methods include:

• Conditions that change the quality or characteristics of the input e.g., poor lighting, blurring, brightness, contrast, or positioning of the user in the image (relevant for methods reliant on visual input e.g., facial age estimation, photo-ID matching, etc).

• Circumvention techniques that are easily accessible to children where it is reasonable to assume they may use them e.g., a child user uploading an image of an ID that does not belong to them.

4.23We acknowledge that it may be possible for some children to circumvent the age assurance process or access control mechanisms that the provider has put in place to meet its duties. However, risks can be mitigated by service providers taking steps to improve the robustness of their age assurance process. We therefore expect service providers to take appropriate steps to mitigate against, and refrain from promoting, any methods of circumvention which are easily accessible to children and where it is reasonable to assume they may use them.

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4.22 Robustness describes the degree to which an age assurance method can correctly
determine the age of a user in actual deployment contexts. Common threats to robustness
in the context of age assurance methods include:

• Conditions that change the quality or characteristics of the input e.g., poor lighting,
blurring, brightness, contrast, or positioning of the user in the image (relevant for
methods reliant on visual input e.g., facial age estimation, photo-ID matching, etc).

• Circumvention techniques that are easily accessible to children where it is reasonable
to assume they may use them e.g., a child user uploading an image of an ID that does
not belong to them.

4.23 We acknowledge that it may be possible for some children to circumvent the age assurance
process or access control mechanisms that the provider has put in place to meet its duties.
However, risks can be mitigated by service providers taking steps to improve the robustness
of their age assurance process. We therefore expect service providers to take appropriate
steps to mitigate against, and refrain from promoting, any methods of circumvention which
are easily accessible to children and where it is reasonable to assume they may use them.

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Service providers must take appropriate steps to mitigate and refrain from promoting easily accessible methods of circumvention.

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Instrument: uk:ofcom/heaa-guidance-part3
Part: The robustness criterion
Version: eb000eee3d25f24ca2bee58c…
Content hash: sha256 07c2c5d8d3e69fb5103e97b5…
Source: ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/statement-protecting-children-from-harms-online/main-document/guidance-on-highly-effective-age-assurance-part-3-guidance-.pdf?v=396471