Roblox will roll out a biometric age-verification tool in June to sort users into age-appropriate accounts. The move raises privacy questions even as the platform aims to comply with child safety regulations.
The gaming platform's new system uses facial recognition and other biometric data to verify user ages and assign them to accounts with appropriate content restrictions and social features.
Roblox's head of safety product policy acknowledged the inherent tensions in the rollout to NBC News, stating "not everyone is going to be happy all the time."
The tool targets compliance with regulations like the UK Online Safety Bill and upcoming digital age verification laws. Younger users would face limitations on chat functions and user-generated content access.
Privacy advocates have raised concerns about collecting and storing biometric data from minors. The company has not yet detailed how it will secure the information or how long it will retain biometric records.
The June implementation marks a significant shift in how gaming platforms handle age verification, moving beyond traditional email-based methods. Other platforms are watching closely as regulators worldwide push for stronger protections for young users online.
Kodak has confirmed a security breach after the ShinyHunters extortion gang gained access to company data. The imaging company is working with external cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.
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The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has mandated that federal agencies patch a maximum-severity vulnerability in the Widget Factory Joomla Content Editor (JCE) plugin by Friday. The flaw is currently being exploited in active attacks.