Safe or Secure?

Decoding Age Verification in the Digital Era
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-08118-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 112 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Safe or Secure? examines the evolution and deployment of age verification systems, situating them within broader technological, regulatory, and societal frameworks. It analyzes this trend as part of the international response to the rapid expansion of the internet and subsequent exposure of minors to online content that was not originally designed with age-based boundaries.

Drawing on developments across the globe, the book traces how age verification has progressed from simple offline age checks to cutting-edge solutions embedded within online services and digital platforms. It explores the persistent tension between child protection objectives and the need to safeguard privacy and data rights, a balance that continues to shape regulatory decisions and system design. The discussion covers a range of approaches currently in use or under development, including identity document verification, financial and institutional linkages, and emerging biometric and behavioral techniques such as facial analysis, voice, and electrocardiogram. These developments are examined in relation to their practical deployment, limitations, and implications for governance. The book also covers ongoing debate over where age verification should be implemented across the digital stack—at the device, operating system, app store, or platform level—and how this reflects unresolved questions of responsibility and accountability among different players of the ecosystem.

Structured to provide a clear progression from historical foundations to contemporary practice, the book is organized into thematic chapters and is written to remain accessible to readers across disciplines, including policymakers, engineers, researchers, practitioners, as well as broader stakeholders such as activists, educators, parents, and general users engaged in the ongoing discourse on online safety and digital governance.

Zielgruppe

Academic and Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Adib, Azfar

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Wissenssoziologie, Wissenschaftssoziologie, Techniksoziologie
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Professionelle Anwendung
• Technische Wissenschaften Elektronik | Nachrichtentechnik Elektronik
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Künstliche Intelligenz
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Business Application Unternehmenssoftware

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures. List of Tables. Preface. Acknoweldgements. Disclaimers. Foreword. 1. The Origins of Age Verification 2. Digital Risks to Minors: Origins of Modern Age Checks 3. Age Verification Regulations 4. Age Verification Standards 5. Deploying Age Verification: Real World Impact 6. Age Verification Mechanisms and Techniques 7. Age Verification Using Electrocardiogram from Smartwatches 8. Conclusion. Appendix: A Chronology of Age Verification. Glossary. References. Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Azfar Adib is a doctoral researcher in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Concordia University, Canada. His research and advocacy include privacy-preserving approaches to age verification for safer online environments. He brings together a versatile portfolio in writing, public speaking, and leadership focused on technology, policy, and youth empowerment, supported by professional experience in telecommunications, academic training in both business and engineering, and extensive community engagement across Bangladesh and Canada.