YouTube to gauge US users’ ages with AI after UK and Australia add age checks
YouTube announced on Tuesday that it will begin to use artificial intelligence to estimate the ages of users in the US, in order to show them age-appropriate content.The rollout of the new feature comes one day after Australia’s government announced it would ban children under 16 from using YouTube and less than a week after the UK implemented sweeping age checks on content on social networks.YouTube’s AI age verification on its home turf indicates it is putting into place a form of compliance with the Australian and UK requirements, despite its persistent opposition to age-check requirements.“Over the next few weeks, we’ll begin to roll out machine learning to a small set of users in the US to estimate their age, so that teens are treated as teens and adults as adults,” wrote James Beser, director of product management for YouTube Youth, in a blogpost titled Extending our built-in protections to more teens on YouTube.YouTube was promised an exemption from Australia’s social media ban last year by the then communications minister, but the Australian government said on Monday that the platform would, in fact, be included in the country’s ban on children under 16 using social networks.
The ban is slated to take effect in December.Google, YouTube’s parent company, strenuously advocated against the Australian ban and has threatened to sue to overturn it.On 25 July, the UK’s long-awaited Online Safety Act took effect.The law requires social media and other internet platforms to implement safety measures protecting children – preventing them from accessing pornography or content that promotes dangerous behavior – or face large fines.Sign up to TechScapeA weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our livesafter newsletter promotionBy testing the new AI tool in the US – the platform’s second largest market after India – YouTube is following the example of other tech companies, which have in some cases followed tightened privacy regulations in the past by implementing stricter mandates for all their users.
In the US, California often functions as a de facto tech regulator, both by virtue of playing host to many of Silicon Valley’s biggest players and by passing stricter regulations than other states.Like Australia and the UK, some states in the US have passed age verification laws targeting social media sites, though these have not been interpreted as applying to YouTube.When YouTube determines a user is teen or pre-teen, the site will disable personalized advertising, activate digital wellbeing features and put stricter content filters as well as behavioral restrictions into place.YouTube’s AI will assess a user’s age via multiple behavioral factors, including what kind of videos the user searches for, the categories of videos they watch, and how long the account has been active, per its blogpost.“This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections,” Beser wrote, adding that the company had used the technology in other markets before introducing it in the US.
If the AI’s estimation is incorrect, YouTube says it will allow a user to verify their age with a credit card, a government ID or a selfie,How the Australian government will ensure that under-16s stay away from the world’s largest video site, one of the internet’s primary destinations for both children and adults, remains an open question,In June, a test of the technology meant to estimate Australian users’ ages was “not guaranteed to be effective”,
Lottie Woad off the pace at Women’s Open but second round too early for TV
It might even have been a relief to the organisers of this Women’s Open that, as shadows lengthened, Lottie Woad did not blast her way towards the front of the queue. Woad may well be the name on everyone’s lips but, on day two, she will barely feature on anybody’s screens.Perhaps it is a sign of this major’s rapid growth that everyone wants more. Nonetheless, fans will find it unsatisfactory that, with daily television coverage beginning at noon, Woad – plus Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko – will play the vast majority of her second round minus the eyeballs of anyone not in attendance at Royal Porthcawl. This is now a recurring theme after Leona Maguire took to social media to point out her hole in one at the recent Evian Championship was not caught on camera
Surrey boost title hopes by besting Durham: county cricket day three – as it happened
Surrey went clear of the rest at Chester-le-Street, a three-day win against Durham that puts them in prime position to swan gracefully in and collect their fourth Championship on the trot, with just three matches left in the season. India’s tall, elegant, slow left-armer Sai Kishore did exactly what he was signed for, zinging the Kookaburra through Durham, finishing with five for 72.Meanwhile Jordan Clark gave the Overtons a run for their money by hitting younger brother Graham, who had batted very nicely for 42, on the grill with a stinging bouncer. Surrey, needing 176 for victory, had a mild wobble when they lost Ryan Patel and Rory Burns in consecutive overs, but 40 from Sam Curran set the sails fair.Things don’t look so rosy for Durham who, if Yorkshire win on Friday, have their boots in the relegation zone
‘A big shame’: Chris Woakes could miss rest of fifth Test with shoulder injury
England face playing the remainder of the fifth Test against India a bowler down after Chris Woakes injured his left shoulder while fielding on the opening day at the Oval. The 36-year-old was scheduled to have a scan on Thursday evening, with his ability to take an active part in the remainder of the game to be assessed overnight.Woakes, the only English bowler considered fit enough to play all five games of a gruelling series, was clearly in considerable pain after landing awkwardly while attempting to keep the ball away from the boundary in the 60th over of a rain-affected day. After treatment on the field he was led to the dressing room with his arm cradled in a makeshift sling.“It doesn’t look great,” said Gus Atkinson, who was the pick of England’s bowlers on his return to the team
Gambhir’s India can’t escape the Fortis-verse on rain-hit day
Nothing does irony quite like Test cricket. Say what you like about the world’s most desiccated, Miss Havisham-ish team sport, out there trailing around the post-colonial world still dressed in its yellowing wedding dress. It’s definitely got a sense of humour.On day one of the fifth England-India Test this was expressed in cosmic terms, and a single bold and improbable dramatic arc. Talk about groundsmen a lot
Gus Atkinson throws down gauntlet to India before England’s Woakes blow
Welcome to England, India. Or at least, welcome to the England their batters might have expected when touching down at the start of June. Cloud cover, stoppages for rain, and seamers operating on a green-tinged surface — the opening day at the Oval was certainly a far cry from what came before.And yet by the time stumps came at 7.30pm the tourists had scrapped their way to a serviceable 204 for six from 64 overs and it was England who were feeling a bit glum
England v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day one – as it happened
Righto, that’s us done for today. Ali Martin’s report will be in here and on-site shortly, so do check back for that, but otherwise, thanks all for your company and comments, sorry I couldn’t use them all, and see you tomorrow, headbands donned, for Thorpey Day. On which point, we’ll get into it again then, but as below, if anyone needs an ear a chat or a mate, you know my email. Peace out, people.It might not seem this way, but there’s loads of mileage left in this match yet
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