NetIDme’s patented age verification system has been accredited by the British Board of Film Classification for its new media download classification scheme.

BBFC.online uses the Board’s famous ‘black cards’ and category symbols to enable users downloading new media content − video-on-demand and streamed video which is offered to the public through websites, set-top boxes and portable media devices − to judge whether it is suitable for consumption.

Independent research indicated that 74 per cent of parents were concerned about downloading video material which does not come with independent content advice and labelling. In addition, 91 per cent of parents wanted to see BBFC film and DVD classification on downloadable/streaming films and other digital audiovisual content.

NetIDme Chief Executive, Alex Hewitt, said:

“BBFC.online is a revolutionary scheme that enables the application of the same rules in the online world that have been developed over many years to protect people in the real world.

To be one of the first companies to be accredited under the British Board of Film Classification’s scheme - and the only one capable of verifying under 18s - is a ringing endorsement of our patented age-verification system, which is currently used by a number of blue chip companies.”

Read more about NetIDme’s BBFC.online accreditation

Social networking sites are facing increased pressure from state law enforcement officials in the US to introduce age verification technology aimed at rooting out online sexual predators. See full article.

NetIDme Age Verification

Read the full NetIDme article here

Teenagers are exploiting the easy availability of pre-paid credit cards to buy alcohol and over 18 DVDs, and gamble on the internet.

The cards, which allow youngsters to top them up with cash before going on a spending spree, do not require any age verification when purchased from a retail outlet or purchased online.

Credit cards issued by banks require adults to go through numerous credit and identity checks before they are issued. But under the loophole, pre-paid cards do not require any of the checks.

The Children’s Charities’ Coalition for Internet Safety, said underage buying of goods and services was becoming a growing problem.

Secretary, John Carr said: “We have been calling for better age verification system for several years to deal with a huge range of things arising out of the online world.”

“It suddenly has got a whole lot worse with the emergence of these pre-paid credit cards. They allow you to go and register yourself at any age you want. They don’t do any check up on the information that you provide them with. The financial services industry needs to step in and stop these practices.” (more)

North Carolina legislators are weighing the merits of a unique bill aimed at governing non-adult access to Internet social networking sites, including thorny issues on the role of parental approval and whether the measure can actually help curb child predation.Senate Bill 132–The Protect Children From Sexual Predators Act–was passed by the state Senate in May and now resides in House judiciary and appropriations committees in a modified form. Read more

NetIDme Service

The social networking site, MySpace provides a forum to meet old friends, catch up on news, and listen to the latest music. But like the real world, it also has its share of undesirables. The online site has found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders among its 180 million members, it was revealed yesterday. (more)

Check out this recent independent review of the NetIDme service.

Excerpt: NetIDme is specially targeted at young users of internet chat rooms due to the fact that youngsters are vulnerably exposed to internet predators. With this in mind, NetIDme was established in 2004 to provide a secure solution for social networking, online dating, instant messaging, e-commerce, online gaming and online chatting. It is the first identity verification service for the internet. At the time of writing, no other company worldwide has taken the similar approach in tackling the problems occurring in social interactions via the internet.

Recent NetIDme developments:

• NetIDme OpenID
• NetIDme CardSpace

The Portman Group has today launched a comprehensive and authoritative set of best practice marketing guidelines for drinks producers.

The Best Practice Guidelines cover a range of marketing topics including unit labelling, the promotion of drinkaware.co.uk and website age verification pages.  The Guidelines are based on best practice initiatives which Portman Group member companies have pioneered and implemented.  (more)

Age and identity verification for the online world.
All websites that offer an online meeting space or age dependent content are increasingly facing regulatory and political pressure to implement age, or identity verification. In particular, concern over the safety of children online has exposed the need for more effective ways to authenticate people, and regulate access to particular websites.

NetID Authenticate is a secure age & identity verification solution for online services such as; social networking, online dating, and eCommerce. NetID Authenticate is the only identification service that provides a solution for identifying both adults and minors. The service validates user data by confirming information such as age, gender, name, and location against secure data sources. Its fast, reliable, and extremely simple to implement.

Business Benefits
Quickly confirm users’ age or identity during sign-up, or login.
Facilitates responsible community growth, and reputation protection.
Uses web services, therefore no hardware, or compatibility concerns.
Easily integrates into existing architecture, minimal IT requirements.
Provides a cost-effective age and identity verification solution.

User Benefits
Verification requires explicit user consent.
Consumer privacy is respected, personal details remain secure.
Personal data is not transferred, only a match code is provided.Data Protection and Privacy
Privacy and the protection of personal information is a high priority.
Data is never collected, stored, sold, or shared for marketing purposes.
Results are based on information from secure, trusted data sources.