Storm around YouTube. Users protest against AI age estimation system

Age verification on the Internet goes beyond the United Kingdom. New rules on YouTube are set to come into effect on August 13, but for now only in the United States. Artificial intelligence is supposed to scan accounts and determine the actual age of a user, but it has received a negative response. A petition was created that exceeded the required number of signatures, but it didn't change anything (see Ars Technica).

Internet users oppose AI on YouTube

The aforementioned petition was initiated by the YouTuber Gerfdas Gaming, who created it a few weeks ago. Out of the required 50,000 signatures, the petition has already collected 68,163, and this number is still growing. Its content highlighted the concern that if the system incorrectly verifies our age, we will have to provide our sensitive data, which may expose us to risk.

However, it seems like it's a voice calling out in vain, because YouTube hasn't addressed this action in any way. The creator of the petition hopes that if enough people express their opposition to the platform's policy, it will be forced to reconsider its decision. Especially since it is still unknown how the AI system on YouTube works at all.

Experts have pointed out that it's unclear how long YouTube keeps downloaded data, where it's sold, and how quickly it's deleted. The company only had to confirm that it would not use data from identity documents or payment cards for advertising purposes. According to David Greene from EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), this means that Google stores this data for other, unspecified purposes.

This worries the YouTuber Gerfdasa, who, in a conversation with Ars Technica, asked what would happen if YouTube falls victim to a hacker attack and sensitive user data is taken over. It's not even known where this information is stored.

Besides, the contentious issue is the AI itself, which will check the account history to determine the user's age. It's been said that these systems can make a mistake of up to two years, so ultimately, a minor could access adult content, and vice versa: someone could be denied access even though they're of the right age. The algorithm might get confused by users' behavior because some adults use YouTube for nostalgia and watch childhood cartoons, which could lead to a wrong age assessment.

In the created survey, Google Inc., YouTube management, and Alphabet Inc. currently have the status of "awaiting response."

• YouTube
• scandals and controversies
• tech
• AI / Artificial Intelligence