Instagram uses an artificial intelligence system to determine the age of users
Instagram tests new methods that determine the age of its users. Between them Yoti of a company called artificial intelligence algorithms there are also. These algorithms can determine the age of a user with a certain level of error by scanning the face of the user shown in this or that photo. It is known that Instagram prohibits the use of its platform by children under 13 years of age. However, the photo service has never taken this factor seriously. For example, until 2019, Instagram did not even require new users registered on its platform to record their dates of birth. However, after the activists of children’s safety organizations took the issue seriously, the photo service began to use more sophisticated filtering methods for its users.
Currently, Instagram requires this or that user to provide accurate information about the age if the user tries to edit his date of birth within the social network. Thus, in this case, the user may have wanted to identify himself as a user of the age category 18 or older. In order to obtain accurate age information, the social network may require a photo of the user’s ID card. There are two new options for teens from the United States. Thus, adolescent users must find a guarantor for the upper age category or use the services of an artificial intelligence system. Under the first option, the user must find 3 guarantor subscribers over 18 years old. However, the user must also subscribe to those 3 subscribers.
In the second option, the user is offered to take a selfie video and send it to a company called Yoti. According to Yoti, its artificial intelligence algorithms can determine the age of a person by scanning his face in a photo or video. However, even company employees do not know what the final results of artificial intelligence algorithms are based on. Although the use of Yoti’s algorithms has been approved by the British government and German regulators, the results of these algorithms are not 100% accurate. However, in most cases, the results presented by the algorithms are correct. The level of accuracy in determining the age of the user depends on the actual age, sex and skin color of the scanned user. Unregistered and free testing of these algorithms by Yoti on the site can be realized. However, it is not clear how effective this system of the company is.