- Spotify is now asking the UK users to demonstrate their age to access mature content
- The age verification controls are part of the new online security law of the United Kingdom
- Spotify says he will present age checks if he suspects he is under 13, but many users have found checks despite being over 18 years old
Spotify has become the last application to introduce Designd measures to comply with the United Kingdom online security law, asking users to submit to age verification checks if they want to see or listen to restricted content, and many users are not happy.
The online security law entered into force as of July 25 and requires all platforms that show adult content to verify that users are over 18 years using age verification controls. Until now, we have seen the tastes of Xbox, Discord and Reddit introduce age verification, and now Spotify has done the same.
Like Reddit and X, Spotify has been associated with the Yoti Digital Identification Firm, a service that performs age controls through facial scan. For Spotify users, Yoti will use different means of age verification, from facial scan to request a scan of their identification if you suspect that you are under 13 years (minimal age requirement of Spotify).
It will also use algorithmic methods to estimate the age of a user. But Spotify is taking a step further, affirming in its official scheme that “your account will be deactivated and eventually eliminated” if you do not complete the age verification process.
While Yoti states that their data will remain safely and eventually deleted, the new requirement has caused a fuss among some Spotify users.
Some have taken forums such as Reddit to point out that young people are intelligent enough to find ways to avoid checks, for example, use a VPN to change their location to another place other than the United Kingdom, and a minority has even threatened to return to piracy (see below).
Comment from R/UKPOLITics
What is the ‘mature content’ in Spotify?
This is the hot question among Spotify fans, considering that the music transmission application does not house content with X classification on the same scale as Reddit or X. However, the platform has certain characteristics that are aimed at mature users.
In the case of Spotify, you may be asked to verify your age if you try to “access the content and characteristics of Spotify, such as musical videos that are labeled as 18+ by rightists.” This could also be applied to podcasts that discuss mature content and songs with explicit lyrics.
Fortunately, there is a return if your account is deactivated due to an inaccurate age estimate. According to Spotify, you will receive an email that “allows you to reactivate your account within 90 days after deactivation”, after which you must perform the age verification verifications again.
Until now, I have not been asked to verify my age in the Spotify application when I try to access mature podcasts and musical videos, but a handful of users in forums such as Reddit who are over 18 years of age have found checks.
Why have the VPN become so popular?
Spotify has explained in several community publications that it is not designed to work with VPN, and naturally should not use one to avoid age verification checks.
However, this has not prevented free VPNs to dominate the Apple United Kingdom Application Store, since Internet users seek to find ways to protect their data from future infractions, or maybe even avoid those verifications completely.
The VPN work by encrypting their Internet traffic, but not all are the same, so it is important to choose the right for their needs. Free VPNs can record an excessive amount of data, which could put their privacy at risk and sometimes lack important security characteristics.
If you are interested in some of the best offers for VPNs paid, you can consult them below.
