Colorado OS Age Check Bill Sparks Privacy Debate

Two Colorado lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require operating systems to verify user ages. Senate Bill 26-051, introduced last month, aims to have operating systems register an owner's age, creating an 'age bracket' that third-party apps can access via an API.

Proponents, like state Sen. Matt Ball, argue this approach is privacy-focused, as it avoids sharing personal identification and prevents children from accessing age-inappropriate applications. The bill forbids the sharing of this age data for any other purpose, seeking to create a secure and centralized age verification system.

However, the proposed bill faces scrutiny regarding its effectiveness and potential for circumvention. Critics point out that the legislation does not specify a state ID check for initial age verification and appears to exclude websites, focusing solely on apps and app stores. The bill also includes provisions for developers to override the age signal if they possess contrary information.

Some industry proponents, such as Pornhub's parent company Aylo, support device-level age checks as a robust solution for protecting minors. They advocate for a single verification through the operating system, which they believe reduces privacy risks and simplifies enforcement for regulators, contrasting with individual site-by-site verification methods.