New regulations seeking to make the internet safer for children come into force in the UK, Thursday, September 2, one year after their initial introduction. From now on, companies are obliged to comply with the code, or they risk facing penalties.
The protection of minors on the internet has become a particularly hot topic in recent months. Faced with the issue, the United Kingdom is responding with a new, groundbreaking code, according to the Information Commissioner's Office. But the code still has many critics, as compliance becomes mandatory after a one-year introductory phase. The Children's Code is a data protection code of practice for online services aiming to regulate how social networking, gaming, video and music streaming platforms share and use children's personal data. The goal is to prevent children from suffering physical, emotional or financial harm while surfing the internet.
Location tracking, profiling and the use of incentives that encourage users to provide personal data are among the features that must be disabled or limited. Tactics aiming to keep kids online for as long as possible -- such as automatically playing another video after one has finished -- are also being targeted. The Information Commissioner's Office, which designed and will enforce these rules, maintains that the code is not about age-grading the internet or excluding children.
Tech giants are making changes to help protect minors
As the Children's Code is based on GDP regulations (which regulate the use of personal data in the European Union), companies risk being fined up to £17.5 million (about $24 million) or 4% of their annual global turnover -- whichever is higher -- in the event of serious breaches. Such sanctions are enough to spook more than one tech giant, although most have already announced changes.
Instagram recently said that it would now require users' dates of birth, and Google has introduced a series of privacy changes for minors using its search engine or YouTube platform. TikTok recently opted to limit the direct messaging capabilities of accounts belonging to 16- and 17-year-olds, while offering guidance to parents and caregivers on how to support teens when they sign up.
The UK's code could have a global impact. Members of the US Senate and Congress are calling on major technology companies to voluntarily adopt the same standards, while Ireland is preparing similar regulations.
