MEDIA RELEASE

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ABA Approach to Internet Age Verification is Inconsistent and Unrealistic, Says ACS

Thursday 18 November 1999 - The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has called on the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) to adopt a more realistic approach to verifying the ages of Internet users.

The ACS has submitted a response to the ABA Consultation Paper on Age Verification Device Specifications, saying the simple age procedures suggested by the ABA would create a number of technical and practical problems.

Chair of the ACS Economic, Legal and Social Implications Committee, Philip Argy, said the ABA was asking for an inappropriate level of personal information considering its need was simply to verify an individual's age.

"The ABA proposal asks for a range of personal information from individuals accessing adult only Internet sites - far more than would be required by someone wanting to purchase adult magazines or videos either in person or through the mail.

"In addition, there is an obvious lack of detailed security procedures for handling this sensitive information. Not only does this present a clear risk for those individuals, but the electronic and fiscal processes proposed to implement simple age security could make ABA proscribed sites an attractive target for those seeking to obtain such valuable commodities.

"The ABA has a duty to implement a process that simply verifies age, not one that verifies complete identity. A more appropriate test might be the type of approach currently used to obtain a proof of age card for a teenager, as is already required for nightclubs and some licensed premises," he said. The ACS believes public key encryption, which has already been endorsed by the Government, provides a more practical and acceptable implementation process.

"We believe an implementation policy along these lines would safeguard the public and trading confidence required to ensure that e-commerce can progress to SMEs and the broader community, who have been slow to take it up due to concerns over identity and credit card number theft," Mr Argy said.

This media release is available on the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.org.au/news/abasub.htm

ENDS

The Australian Computer Society is the recognised association for information technology (IT) professionals, attracting a large and active membership from all levels of the IT industry and providing a wide range of services to its members. It is the public voice of the IT profession, the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the IT industry, with a commitment to the wider community to ensure the beneficial use of IT. See the ACS Home Page for more information.

Media Enquiries:

Philip Argy, ACS ELSIC Chair, Tel: (02) 9296 2054, Email: pargy@msj.com.au

Andrew Freeman, ACS Community Affairs Board, Tel: (02) 6264 3698 , Email: afreeman@pcug.org.au

Caroline New, Caroline New PR, Tel: (02) 9980 8060 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au