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Xbox surprised some of its users by changing its approach to age verification. Many players received a message informing them that they no longer need to undergo additional verification to use certain platform features. Microsoft had earlier been rolling out an age-check system gradually across countries, which met with mixed reactions from the community. Now the company has apparently found a way to determine whether a user is of legal age without relying on external services. Interestingly, the system is said to take into account, among other things, the user's length of time in the Xbox ecosystem.
Xbox changes approach to age verification
A year ago Microsoft began rolling out age verification on Xbox in the UK, and over time similar solutions appeared in other regions. Players were told they might be asked to verify their age in the future to access certain platform features. The age verification was primarily intended to restrict minors' access to adult content. The measure was not universally well received, however, because it required using additional age-verification methods. Now Xbox appears to be moving away from that model, at least for some users. Players are receiving messages in which Microsoft states that "no further action is required". This means that specific people no longer have to go through the age verification process that might previously have been required to use certain features. The company plans to determine whether a user is an adult, among other things, based on their history in the Xbox ecosystem. One factor may be how long they've owned the account and used Microsoft services. It's an interesting change because it reduces the number of situations in which a user has to provide additional information to external verification systems.
The need to confirm age doesn't disappear everywhere
The new approach, however, does not mean that Microsoft has completely abandoned age verification on Xbox. In some countries users may still be required to confirm they are of legal age, particularly to access content designated for adults. An example is Australia, where Xbox is implementing mandatory age verification to access games rated 18+. At the same time, in other regions the system may consider an account to belong to an adult without requiring an additional verification process. Microsoft has not publicly explained all the details of how the new mechanism works. It is known, however, that age can be estimated based on information related to the account and its history. As a result, long-time Xbox users may receive automatic confirmation of adulthood. This can be much more convenient than having to use verification services every time. That does not mean every owner of an older account will automatically be exempt from additional confirmation. The system may operate depending on the country, local regulations, and the specific features the user wants to access. So Xbox appears to be seeking a compromise between protecting minors and the convenience of adult players. For now, it remains unclear whether the current change is a permanent solution or just another stage of testing conducted by Microsoft.
Xbox is starting to exempt some users from age verification requirements, likely using information about their account history. This doesn't mean the system is ending entirely, as additional age confirmation is still required in some countries. The change could, however, be good news for long-time users of the platform, who won't have to rely on external verification services.
source: purexbox
