Spotify introduces age verification in UK

By Alimat Aliyeva

Spotify users in the UK will now be required to confirm their age in order to access certain content on the platform. This decision follows the controversial Law on Internet Security, which has stirred debate across the country, Azernews reports.

"You cannot use Spotify if you do not meet the minimum age requirements for the market you are in," reads a message on the Spotify website.

If users fail to pass the age verification within 90 days, Spotify threatens to delete their account. The music streaming service, which currently boasts nearly 700 million users, is introducing these measures to prevent teenagers and children from accessing explicit music and videos.

On Wednesday, July 30, UK users began reporting the appearance of a new pop-up window asking them to confirm their age using Yoti, a smartphone application that uses facial scanning technology to estimate a person’s age. While users can opt out of this verification process, doing so will restrict their access to videos that are intended for those over the age of 18. Although Spotify is designed for users over the age of 13, the platform does contain music and videos geared toward adult listeners.

The introduction of these age verification rules is in line with the recent Internet Security Act, which mandates that technology companies confirm the age of users attempting to access content meant for adults. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines of up to 10% of the company's turnover.

The rollout of these new rules has sparked significant backlash, particularly from those concerned about privacy and the potential overreach of the law. A petition calling for the repeal of the Law on Internet Security has already garnered over 420,000 signatures, highlighting public dissatisfaction with the government’s approach to digital regulation.

It's an interesting moment for privacy and digital rights advocates, as many argue that these measures could set a dangerous precedent for online privacy and could lead to even more intrusive age-checking systems across the internet. Furthermore, with the rise of AI-driven technologies like Yoti, concerns about how personal data, particularly biometric data, is handled and stored have become even more prominent.