VerifyMy News

Sign in Subscribe

UK Passes Online Safety Bill

Online Safety Bill

UK Passes Online Safety Bill

The Online Safety Bill has completed its passage through the UK Parliament and awaits only the King’s assent – a formality – before it becomes law. This will trigger an 18-month deadline for the newly appointed internet regulator, Ofcom, to create a series of codes of conduct which the Secretary of

Removing child sexual exploitation and abuse materials: call to action

Removing child sexual exploitation and abuse materials: call to action

The clue is in the name - the ‘World-Wide Web’ is a truly global entity, so it is both natural and welcome that the United Nations is showing an increased interest in preventing harm and conflict online, just as it has in the real world since 1945. At the end

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) release 2022 Annual Report

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) release 2022 Annual Report

The IWF have released their 2022 Annual Report revealing a deep dive into the digital and social emergency happening #BehindTheScreens, in children’s bedrooms. “Invite child abuse pyramid” or ICAP sites incentivise users to share links to criminal content in a “scattergun” approach which spams links to a variety of

The growing problem of online-facilitated child sexual abuse.

Digital Safeguarding

The growing problem of online-facilitated child sexual abuse.

This IICSA investigation focusses on the growing problem of online-facilitated child sexual abuse. The increase in access to and use of the internet has brought undeniable benefits to society. It has also enabled a section of society to misuse the internet to distribute indecent images of children; groom and manipulate

Online grooming crimes have risen by more than 80% in four years

Online grooming crimes have risen by more than 80% in four years

The NSPCC have obtained figures which show online grooming crimes recorded by the police continue to climb and have jumped by more than 80% in four years. Key findings from 41 UK police forces show an 84% rise since 2017/18, taking the total to more than 27,000 offences

Will UK’s online safety bill protect children from adult material?

Online Safety Bill

Will UK’s online safety bill protect children from adult material?

Dan Milmo of The Guardian asks key questions on the online safety bill due to become law this year. The bill imposes a duty of care on tech companies to protect children from harmful content. However, there are calls from campaigners and peers to toughen the legislation’s provisions regarding

'Phones have become a battleground for parenting in the age of social media'

Digital Safeguarding

'Phones have become a battleground for parenting in the age of social media'

Margaret Lynch looks at the question of smartphone use for children and shares her own experiences for The Journal. Keeping your kids offline only prevents them from learning the tools which will be vital for their future. Read the article in full here Opinion: ‘Phones have become a battleground for

A fifth of teenagers watch pornography frequently and some are addicted, UK study finds

A fifth of teenagers watch pornography frequently and some are addicted, UK study finds

Harriet Grant and Dan Milmo of The Guardian report on how a major new survey of British schoolchildren’s attitudes to pornography has found significant numbers of young people aged between 14 and 18 are watching it frequently, with some becoming addicted to sexually explicit content. The study by Dignify,

What Are Kids Doing in the Metaverse?

Digital Safeguarding

What Are Kids Doing in the Metaverse?

New report shares the details families, companies, and lawmakers need to keep kids safe. The metaverse is a hot topic right now. Newspapers are writing about it, tech corporations are investing in it, and children are in it (or will be soon). According to our new report, The Common Sense

Online Child Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse Materials

Digital Safeguarding

Online Child Exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse Materials

The phenomena of selling, exchanging, and producing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) is trending upwards at an alarming rate. CSAM commerce is estimated to be a multibillion dollar business. To assist in identifying suspicious financial activity related to CSAM, this infographic summarizes red flags and suspicious behaviors. Online Child Exploitation

I Didn’t Consent: A Global Landscape Report on Image-Based Sexual Abuse

Digital Safeguarding

I Didn’t Consent: A Global Landscape Report on Image-Based Sexual Abuse

‍The Image-Based Sexual Abuse initiative, powered by Panorama Global, published its landmark report. With social media, smart phones, and other technology woven seamlessly into all facets of everyday life, many of us – primarily women and girls, but not solely – must face the fact that threats of sexual and gender-based violence

Common Emoji Drug Codes

Common Emoji Drug Codes

As part of VerifyMy's commitment to making the internet safer for children and society, we've created this handy guide to aid parents, caregivers, and educators in understanding how emojis are used to facilitate drug sales online. For more information visit: https://www.dea.gov/onepill Download here: Emoji Drug Codes

Children’s Commissioner Report

Children’s Commissioner Report

The Children’s Commissioner for England publishes results of nationally representative survey of 1,000 young people aged 16 to 21 and focus groups with teenagers. Read full report here 31st January 2023: Children are being exposed to pornography from as young as nine, which is linked to low self-esteem

UK Online Safety Bill gains teeth

UK Online Safety Bill gains teeth

British ministers reached a compromise with backbenchers from their own party who had been pressing for senior executives in tech companies to be made criminally liable for breaches of the new Online Safety Bill being introduced in the United Kingdom. Similar provisions had been considered when the Bill was first

Visualsoft announce VS Verify, powered by VerifyMyAge

Visualsoft announce VS Verify, powered by VerifyMyAge

We are excited to announce Visualsoft has partnered with VerifyMy to offer their customers age verification services through VerifyMy's age verification solution - VerifyMyAge (VMA). Visualsoft aligns technology, marketing and strategic experience to provide an all-in-one eCommerce solution designed to grow and scale their merchant's businesses. Ed Harries, Director of

ASACP name VerifyMy as one of its valued Featured Sponsors for December 2022

ASACP name VerifyMy as one of its valued Featured Sponsors for December 2022

VerifyMy, the Google for Startups-backed safety-tech provider, has a mission to make the Internet a safer place via their VerifyMyAge and VerifyMyContent safety-tech solutions designed to deliver the best consumer experience without compromising the needs of the business. VerifyMyAge is a global leader in age assurance technology, safeguarding children by

VerifyMy joins the Internet Watch Foundation

VerifyMy joins the Internet Watch Foundation

We are pleased to announce that VerifyMy has joined the Internet Watch Foundation as a new Member, helping to keep the internet free from illegal child sexual abuse content. IWF Members are given access to a range of services that aid organisations in keeping their users, employees and children safe

VerifyMy joins WeProtect Global Alliance

VerifyMy joins WeProtect Global Alliance

We're excited to become a member of WeProtect Global Alliance to help in the fight to make the internet safer for children and society. Working with the Alliance, we will continue to develop our safeguarding solutions designed to solve the compliance and safeguarding problems of today's and tomorrow's online world.

California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273)

Age Appropriate Design Code

California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273)

Status: On Monday 29th August 2022 the California State Senate approved the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act. Both the Senate and the State Assembly did so unanimously so there is clear bi-partisan support. If signed by the Governor, the law comes into force on July 1, 2024. What is it:

VerifyMyContent discussed in UK Parliament

Online Safety Bill

VerifyMyContent discussed in UK Parliament

In a high-profile debate during the passage of the Online Safety Bill, the VerifyMyContent solution was referenced to demonstrate the technical feasibility of requiring adult websites to maintain effective records of identity and consent verification for all those who feature within their content. Following some 50 hours of debate in

VerifyMy facial age estimation approved by German regulator

VerifyMy facial age estimation approved by German regulator

VerifyMy is excited to announce that its facial age estimation technology has been approved by the Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (KJM), the German regulator for the protection of minors on online media. As a result, the technology can now be used to verify the age of users attempting to access 18+

Google for Startups select VerifyMy for Black Founders Fund award

Google for Startups select VerifyMy for Black Founders Fund award

We are proud to report that Google for Startups has selected VerifyMy as a recipient of its second Black Founders Fund in Europe. The award provides not only access to capital, but also global networking opportunities and the chance to access the very best of Google’s people, products and

UK Online Safety Bill may act to tackle the issue of consent in pornography

Online Safety Bill

UK Online Safety Bill may act to tackle the issue of consent in pornography

It has often been said that global corporations may wield more power and influence than national governments. A prime example of this has been Mastercard’s strong and principled stand against underage performers in adult content and the issue of participant consent. Their rule book was updated last year to

Offensive Weapons Act Update April 2022 - What's changed, and how does it affect your business?

Offensive Weapons Act

Offensive Weapons Act Update April 2022 - What's changed, and how does it affect your business?

In April 2022, the law restricting the sale of knives and corrosive substances in the UK was significantly tightened, now requiring rigorous age checks both before an online purchase and at the point of delivery. Read our report to better understand the impact on your buiness. Download the full report

The Online Safety Bill - What does it mean for the adult sector?

Online Safety Bill

The Online Safety Bill - What does it mean for the adult sector?

The United Kingdom government has presented to Parliament a revised draft of its trailblazing online safety legislation, which now begins the process of scrutiny by first the House of Commons and then the House of Lords before becoming law, probably early in 2023. Read our report to better understand the