The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published the results of its first study on the effectiveness of age estimation and verification (AEV) software in a decade.
In its latest study, NIST revealed potential use cases for AEV software that could include purchasing alcohol and accessing mature content online. However, the study identified a wide variation in performance among the algorithms, indicating the need for overall improvement in the field. As such, the study marks the beginning of a long-term initiative to conduct regular testing of AEV technology. Specifically, while the report highlights that AEV software has advanced over the past decade, no single algorithm stands out, and each exhibits sensitivities to specific demographic groups. The study also observed consistently higher error rates for female faces than males, just like in 2014, and that the underlying reasons remain unknown.
Meanwhile, in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal (£), Digital Progress Institute President Joel Thayer called for Apple and Google to do more to protect children from adult-themed content by adding an age verification layer to their respective app stores. The two technology companies can use information that they already have to "shield children from harmful content."The Calls for Google and Apple to add age-verification into App stores
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