Instagram wants IDs like driver’s license to verify your age

NEW DELHI: Meta-owned Instagram on Thursday said it is testing new options for people to verify their age by uploading an ID like driver's license or ID card, along with other methods in a bid to provide age-appropriate experiences on the platform.

Starting with the US, if someone attempts to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, Instagram will require them to verify their age.

They can verify their age by uploading their ID, record a video selfie or ask mutual friends to verify the age. The person vouching must be at least 18 years old and must not be vouching for anyone else at that time.

"We're testing this so we can make sure teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group. We are also partnering with Yoti, a company that specializes in online age verification, to help ensure people's privacy," the company said in a statement.

"Your ID will be stored securely on our servers and is deleted within 30 days," it added.

The users can choose to upload a video selfie to verify their age.

"After you take a video selfie, we share the image with Yoti, and nothing else. The technology cannot recognize your identity - just your age," informed the company.

In 2019, Instagram first began asking people to provide their age when signing up.

"We require people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for Instagram. In some countries, our minimum age is higher," said Instagram.

For teenagers (age 13-17), Instagram provides them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don't know and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads.

"If you choose to upload a video selfie to verify your age, Meta and Yoti delete it once your age is confirmed. Your video is not used for anything else other than to verify your age. If you choose to upload an ID, after you send us a copy of your ID, it'll be encrypted and stored securely," said Instagram.