The ESRB wants to start using facial scanning technology to check peoples ages

The ESRB wants to start using facial scanning technology to check people's ages​

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Andy Chalk
Mon, 24 July 2023 at 4:52 pm GMT-5·3-min read

Remember a couple years ago, when Chinese gaming giant Tencent began using facial recognition to keep the kids from playing too many videogames? It turns out that the Entertainment Software Rating Board, North America's videogame rating agency, is looking to do something quite similar.

The ESRB, along with digital identity company Yoti and Epic Games-owned "youth digital media" company SuperAwesome, have filed a proposal with the FTC seeking approval for a new "verifiable parental consent mechanism" called Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation. Simply put, the parent takes a selfie, assisted by an "auto face capture module," which is then analyzed by the system to ensure it's the face of an adult, who can then grant whatever permissions are required. The entire process of verification takes less than a second "on average," and images are permanently deleted after the verification is complete.

"The upload of still images is not accepted, and photos that do not meet the required level of quality to create an age estimate are rejected," the filing states. "These factors minimize the risk of circumvention and of children taking images of unaware adults."

Of course, kids outsmarting the system isn't the only risk at play here. Accuracy strikes me as the big one, given that facial recognition technology is so notoriously racist: A study conducted in the US, for instance, found that Asian and African American people were up to 100 times more likely to be incorrectly identified by facial recognition systems than white people. And maybe I'm underestimating the magic at work here but determining whether someone is 16 or 18 based on a single selfie also strikes me as a real roll of the dice. The ESRB dismissed concerns about the "fairness" of the system, however, saying that "the difference in rejection rates between gender and skin tone is very small."

"The data suggests that for those between 25 and 35, 15 out of 1,000 females vs 7 out of 1,000 males might be incorrectly classified as under-25 (and would have the option of verifying using another method)," the filing states. "The range of difference by skin tone is between 8 out of 1,000 vs 28 out of 1,000. While bias exists, as is inherent in any automated system, this is not material, especially as compared to the benefits and the increase in access to certain groups of parents."

It's important to note that none of this is proposed as a replacement for current systems: Instead, the ESRB presented its facial age verification plan as "an additional, optional verification method" that will be of particular use to people who don't have photo ID. In a statement send to PC Gamer, Yoti also noted that the system works without actually recognizing or identifying individuals: Instead, the technology simply estimates the age of the image it sees.

That's all good, but in my eyes it doesn't change the fact that, yeah, this really is a gross invasion of privacy—I sure as hell don't want to be sharing my mug with the Great Digital Overmind just so my hypothetical kid can play some GTA Online. Quite honestly, I also don't think relying on potentially-dodgy technology to enforce our social mores is such a great idea to begin with. And come on, does anyone seriously think that a sharp 16-year-old won't have this system beat in about 15 minutes anyway?

The ESRB actually made its request to the FTC back on June 2, but it's only come to light now (via GamesIndustry) because the FTC is now seeking public comment on the plan. If you'd like to share your thoughts, you've got until August 21 to do so at federalregister.gov.

 

[Alligator Alcatraz]

Guess who owns 40% of shares in Epic Games
View attachment 5233116
Guess what company has already been insidiously stealing data from users through Epic Online Services and through their spyware launcher that was illegally rifling through private local Steam files. Perhaps Epic Games needs a community watch (if there isn't one already), Tim Sweeney himself is a hypocritical lolcow and all the people that gunt guard Epic are just as much.

I don't really want to put together an OP for a thread, but if someone else wants to, check r/FuckEpic and r/TimCriticizesTim as a starting point.

Go back to Reddit, faggot. No one cares.

 

[Terrifik]

NO
Long answer: NO
same issue with toys that took data .
Its illegal in authoritarian UK & eastern countries due their data privacy laws.
( yes, data will be abused & yes it will record more than sex, age, sound,)
it's the Zoom issue on Steroids'.
(It going to moved to porn & (surfing the internet) X if it allowed after)

 

[indigoisviolet]

Interesting, isn't it? How every time Big Tech "helps protect children online" it involves everyone nudging closer to removing reasonable doubt from legal cases prosecuting web piracy. They tried to trick us into eye scans to unlock phones, to fingerprints to unlock laptops, to recording every sound in our rooms 24/7, and they still cannot progress to issuing confident court summons. It's almost as if every digital safeguarding measure has been suggested by David Geffin personally, and not a single one of them has ever helped protect an isolated kid online.

Funnily enough, one of the porno sites was inisiting on full 3D facial scans of the cam whores if they wanted to post, and some of them were commenting on how creepy it was, but also how surprised they were that the third party scanning companies had studios all over the place. There's an entire side industry already in existence to photograph us in 4K Ultra from literally every angle, and all because as of right now they cannot legally prove 100% who copypasted that magnet link. It's so petty when you examine the motivation.

 

[Snekposter]

Guess who owns 40% of shares in Epic Games
View attachment 5233116
Guess what company has already been insidiously stealing data from users through Epic Online Services and through their spyware launcher that was illegally rifling through private local Steam files. Perhaps Epic Games needs a community watch (if there isn't one already), Tim Sweeney himself is a hypocritical lolcow and all the people that gunt guard Epic are just as much.

I don't really want to put together an OP for a thread, but if someone else wants to, check r/FuckEpic and r/TimCriticizesTim as a starting point.

God, I have a personal hatred for Timmy's ball-fondlers. I asked some of them just how they thought EGS was going to start making a profit considering he was throwing money hand over fist to get exclusives nobody was buying and their response was "LOL this idiot doesn't know how loss leaders work".

And this was years ago, right after the Borderlands hilarity, IIRC. Things haven't gotten any better for Timmy Boy since then.

 

[Mr. Zed da Robot Poon Fed]

Remember the EyeToy for the PS2 where for games like Tony Hawk's Underground, they would use face mapping technology to graph your face on the player character and it looked like your face was stretched horizontally? And it didn't give an accurate read on your face?

I could envision something like this happening here.

 

[BrunoMattei]

How the fuck are you going to do this when most people download the games now? Plus, kids with gaming PC's will just pirate the games or buy the game from a key site.

 

[frozen_runner]

Pirate everything. It's your moral duty.

 

[Male Idiot]

Arrrgh.

So Rabbi Dev-stein, you want me to pay for: surveillance, denuvo lagmaking rootkit and microtransactions and ban me if I say nigger?

Why would I want to spend money if spending money gets me a worse product then russian torrents?

At least 15 years ago, buying a game meant better multiplayer experience.

 

[Otterly]

I have kids. They like playing games.
There are settings in almost all devices that let you set screen time and see and monitor what’s been done . They don’t have jobs, so if they want a game they have to ask for me to pay for it and I check all games.
They play in family areas where I can see, not in their rooms. No chat functions enabled, stuff is set up so that any friend requests come through me. They’re allowed friends they know from school in person. Microphone and other settings are checked for all apps and games.
They’ve been taught that anything weird, dodgy or people trying to talk to them they tell me. Sometimes they get told no you can’t have/do/play that and after a brief sulk it’s accepted.
My point is that this surveillance isn’t needed. What’s needed is parents taking an active role and supervision of what kids are allowed to do.
There is absolutely no way I would allow them to upload a video to a platform like this.

 

[Male Idiot]

I have kids. They like playing games.
There are settings in almost all devices that let you set screen time and see and monitor what’s been done . They don’t have jobs, so if they want a game they have to ask for me to pay for it and I check all games.
They play in family areas where I can see, not in their rooms. No chat functions enabled, stuff is set up so that any friend requests come through me. They’re allowed friends they know from school in person. Microphone and other settings are checked for all apps and games.
They’ve been taught that anything weird, dodgy or people trying to talk to them they tell me. Sometimes they get told no you can’t have/do/play that and after a brief sulk it’s accepted.
My point is that this surveillance isn’t needed. What’s needed is parents taking an active role and supervision of what kids are allowed to do.
There is absolutely no way I would allow them to upload a video to a platform like this.

I mean yes. But you are rare in this regard, most parents put their 3 year old in front of tiktok....

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

Just card people like you would for cigarettes. It's simple.

 

[Eternal Gopnik]

It's so they can tell you really drank your Certified Microsoft(R) GamerFuel(TM) Verification Can(TM).

 

[Gottahavemysips]

After it was shown that the ESRB deliberately avoided any kind of lootbox investigations, even after the threats of some politicians to make a government ratings board, it's pretty clear they wouldn't do this. Look at GTA V, the primary player base of the online component is 13 year olds, and the content they release is pretty emblematic of the fact Rockstar is very aware and even targeting that audience. The industry won't like this, and the ESRB has been industry stooges ever since politician handwringing over violent video games went the way of the dodo.

 

[marvlouslie]

I mean, there's SEVERAL privacy violation issues regarding this, but whatever. Generation Z can have their kids' data stolen for all I fucking care. They'll vote for it.

 

[Leaf Wage Slave Jr]

I have kids. They like playing games.
There are settings in almost all devices that let you set screen time and see and monitor what’s been done . They don’t have jobs, so if they want a game they have to ask for me to pay for it and I check all games.
They play in family areas where I can see, not in their rooms. No chat functions enabled, stuff is set up so that any friend requests come through me. They’re allowed friends they know from school in person. Microphone and other settings are checked for all apps and games.
They’ve been taught that anything weird, dodgy or people trying to talk to them they tell me. Sometimes they get told no you can’t have/do/play that and after a brief sulk it’s accepted.
My point is that this surveillance isn’t needed. What’s needed is parents taking an active role and supervision of what kids are allowed to do.
There is absolutely no way I would allow them to upload a video to a platform like this.

Unfortunately you're an outlier these days - how many parents just give their kid a tablet and no supervision just to get them to be quiet?

After it was shown that the ESRB deliberately avoided any kind of lootbox investigations, even after the threats of some politicians to make a government ratings board, it's pretty clear they wouldn't do this. Look at GTA V, the primary player base of the online component is 13 year olds, and the content they release is pretty emblematic of the fact Rockstar is very aware and even targeting that audience. The industry won't like this, and the ESRB has been industry stooges ever since politician handwringing over violent video games went the way of the dodo.

It's a fucking joke at this point, but I really just want the Gaming Industry to collapse under it's own weight. It won't, there's too much Fuck You Money tied up in it compared to the "ET on Atari" days, but most of the Entertainment Industry needs to die in a fire.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

hardcore videos of a lady gettin' her butthole hollowed out by an entire football team:
"Just click [I Agree] and we'll take your word that you're over 18"

Not anymore

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

I have kids. They like playing games.
There are settings in almost all devices that let you set screen time and see and monitor what’s been done . They don’t have jobs, so if they want a game they have to ask for me to pay for it and I check all games.
They play in family areas where I can see, not in their rooms. No chat functions enabled, stuff is set up so that any friend requests come through me. They’re allowed friends they know from school in person. Microphone and other settings are checked for all apps and games.
They’ve been taught that anything weird, dodgy or people trying to talk to them they tell me. Sometimes they get told no you can’t have/do/play that and after a brief sulk it’s accepted.
My point is that this surveillance isn’t needed. What’s needed is parents taking an active role and supervision of what kids are allowed to do.
There is absolutely no way I would allow them to upload a video to a platform like this.

Some games also have settings for disabling certain content. This is more common in games from the 90's and Japanese games. Not sure why so many Japanese games have an option to change the color of blood or even lower its intensity. Daggerfall had an option to turn nudity off. Daggerfall had tons of nudity.

Duke Nukem 3D had options to make the game less Duke Nukem. Think it took the strippers out.

 

[I'm Retarded?]

the ESRB is retarded and once again vastly overestimates their relevance. the whole point of an ESRB rating is that it's a quick at-a-glance summary of the kind of content you can find in a game, so a parent can make their own decision. the ESRB does not exist to override parental authority. yes some parents are fucking retarded, but as retarded parental decisions go, letting your kid play Brutal Murder Simulator 2023 is one of the lowest-risk perils. even small children can differentiate between real and fantasy violence. I played Doom as a little kid which, you Younger Folk may not understand, was considered to be extremely graphically violent for its time. after Columbine, when the news was saying that Harris and Klebold were using Doom as their VR murder training simulator, everyone thought I was going to shoot up my school or something. but guess what, a lot of time has passed and while my virtual body count must be in the billions at this point, my real body count remains 0 (as far as the police are aware). on the other hand, I spent time on rotten.com when I was in 6th/7th grade and while I've never felt anything for a dead Cacodemon, seeing pictures of fatal car crashes with people turned into hamburger gave me some pretty adult emotions I wasn't ready for. video game violence doesn't matter, and neither does the ESRB.

Just card people like you would for cigarettes. It's simple.

I remember this idea being floated back in the moral panic days, when guys like Jack Thompson were on TV saying Grand Theft Auto was brainwashing kids into becoming mass murderers. even though a lot of people really seriously believed (or were afraid to dismiss) the link between video games and real-world violence, this proposal was immediately shot down every time it came up because 1) it would inhibit games sales, 2) it's unenforceable since parents are the ones doing the purchase anyway, and 3) even if the previous points were excluded, the ESRB has no legal authority and cannot enforce any restrictions on game sales. game retailers would have to enforce this measure themselves, and if any one of them broke rank, the whole system would fall apart. this facial scanning bullshit is the same thing. nobody's going to do it, it's an unnecessary hassle, it's creepy even to normies, and it would have to be universally enforced or people will just get around it.

Not anymore
View attachment 5235133

oh, well, as long as it's Highly Secure. What could PAW-ssibly go wrong?!

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

The ESRB only exists because the American government threatened to ban games like Mortal Kombat. Companies like Sega already had their own rating systems prior to the ESRB. Remember renting Boogerman and seeing Sega's M rating on the cartridge. This game definitely didn't deserve that rating.

 

[The Last Stand]

Serious question, when was the last time any of us paid any attention to an ESRB rating in a game?