YouTube’s selfie collection, AI age checks are concerning, privacy experts say

Privacy experts are demanding transparency after YouTube announced it would test using AI to estimate user ages in the US ahead of a wider rollout of the age check system.

Throughout the first half of August, YouTube will begin interpreting "a variety of signals" to determine if certain users are under 18. No new user data will be collected, but those signals could include things like "the types of videos a user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched, or the longevity of the account," YouTube said.

Anyone determined to be too young will automatically be hit with protections, with YouTube disabling their personalized advertising, "turning on digital wellbeing tools," and "limiting repetitive views of some kinds of content" determined to be harmful or too mature.

YouTube claims it has been estimating age in other markets "for some time, where it is working well." But it's ...