Google opposes age control in online app stores

(AFP US tech giant Google on Friday reaffirmed its opposition to a proposal pushed by rival Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram) to implement age verification of online users at the app store level.

Imposing this measure on Google Play or Apple's App Store "would require sharing detailed data on age ranges with millions of developers who don't need it," Google argues in a blog post.

The multinational expresses its "concern about the risks that this 'solution' would pose to children."

A position shared by Apple: in an analysis published in February, the Cupertino firm stressed that "only a small fraction of apps require age verification" and that "the appropriate place" to apply this verification is limited "to the websites and apps" in question.

According to Google, such a measure would also allow "app developers to shirk their responsibilities" in addition to being ineffective, since "computers or other devices commonly shared in families would not be covered."

The group thus responds to an ad campaign launched in May by Meta calling for a "European regulation requiring age verification and parental consent in the app store" in order to "better protect" minors.

"Teenagers use on average 44 apps per week. Age verification at app store level would then simplify life for parents, who would only have to confirm their child's age once rather than for each app," Meta argues on Instagram's site.

The European Digital Services Regulation (DSA), which came into force last year, stipulates that age verification of service users is up to the apps or sites themselves.

But some content providers, such as porn site giant Aylo, advocate age verification at the level of devices and their operating system.

This approach "would change the protocols of the decentralized web, with consequences that are difficult to anticipate," Google responds in its blog post.