Baroness Kidron warns Ofcom could have done more to preserve user privacy

Baroness Beeban Kidron, a leading figure in the creation of the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), has defended the legislation's age-verification requirements, stating their success in protecting children should give the public confidence to go further. In her first interview since the new rules were enforced, Kidron stated that tech companies have "an abysmal record of child safety" and only make changes when forced to by regulation.

Kidron, a long-time child-safety campaigner, acknowledged the negative reactions to the introduction of age controls, including a surge in the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and complaints from free speech advocates. However, she urged against overreacting, arguing that the increased use of VPNs could be a sign of adults seeking privacy, not just children trying to bypass the new rules. She added that even if children are using VPNs, this still represents an improvement over the previous status quo where they could encounter explicit material on social media without actively looking for it.

Kidron also expressed concern that the age-verification systems recommended by the regulator Ofcom do not take privacy seriously enough. She criticised the watchdog for being "too close to the tech sector" and not being tough enough on the handling of personal data. She warned that the issue could become a "culture war" if not handled properly.

Critics of the new systems fear they are vulnerable to hackers, potentially exposing a vast amount of sensitive personal data. Kidron agreed, arguing that many complaints could have been avoided if Ofcom had been stricter in its privacy requirements for age-verification providers. She believes that age assurance does not have to be a "data grab" and that a stricter approach would have better protected users.

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