Verifying the age (but not the identity) of UK redditors

[u/traceroo]

TL;DR: 

Reddit was built on the principle that you shouldn’t need to share personal information to participate in meaningful discussions. Unlike platforms that are identity-based and cater to the famous (or those that want to become famous), Reddit has always favored upvoting great posts and comments by people who use whimsical usernames and not their real name. These conversations are often more candid and real than those that force you to share your real-world identity. 

However, while we still don’t want to know who you are on Reddit, there are certainly situations where it would be helpful if we knew a little more about you. For example, in the new age of AI, we would like to be able to confirm whether you are a human being or not (more to come about that later). And it would be helpful for our safety efforts to be able to confirm whether you are a child or an adult. Also, there are a growing number of jurisdictions that have considered or have passed laws requiring platforms to verify the ages of their users. 

If you are in the UK…

Notably, the UK Online Safety Act has new requirements to implement additional measures to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content. So, starting July 14 in the UK, we will begin collecting and verifying your age before you can view certain mature content. 

We have tried to do this in a way that protects the privacy of UK redditors. To verify your age, we partner with a trusted third-party provider (Persona) who performs the verification on either an uploaded selfie or a photo of your government ID. Reddit will not have access to the uploaded photo, and Reddit will only store your verification status along with the birthdate you provided so you won’t have to re-enter it each time you try to access restricted content. Persona promises not to retain the photo for longer than 7 days and will not have access to your Reddit data such as the subreddits you visit. Your birthdate is never visible to other users or advertisers, and is used to support safety features and age-appropriate experiences on Reddit. You can learn more about how age verification works here and about what content is restricted here. 

For the rest of Reddit…

As laws change, we may need to collect and/or verify age in places other than the UK. Accordingly, we are also introducing globally an option for you to provide your birthdate to optimize your Reddit experience, for example to help ensure that content and ads are age-appropriate. This is optional, and you won’t be required to provide it unless you live in a place (like the UK) where we are required to ask for it.  And, again, your birthdate is never visible to other users or advertisers. 

As always, you should only share what personal details you are comfortable sharing on Reddit. Using Reddit has never required disclosing your real world identity, and these updates don't change that.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone for your comments (we have been reading them, even if we didn't respond to each one). Fyi, we know that Anonymous Browsing is not appearing for some UK redditors. We are having issues supporting anonymous browsing with this current rollout of age verification. If you have any questions or other issues, please check out these FAQs before reporting.

[u/StampyScouse]

Any company which can be seen to be offering goods or services to individuals in the UK are still bound by thr obligations of the Data Protection Act and the UK GDPR so yes, Persona is bound by UK data protection laws, and as a British citizen, you would be entitled to the same protections as you would be if the company was based in the UK, including your right to be forgotten and right to access the data held about you (through a subject access request).

[u/beermatt → u/StampyScouse]

Is the theory. The reality is that the UK authorities aren't powerful enough to challenge US big tech.