Elon Musk Reveals Plans to Rectify ‘Local Laws’ Issue in X Project.

In the United Kingdom, recent age-verification laws have introduced complexities for users seeking access to adult content online, with certain platforms encountering challenges in estimating user ages accurately. One such platform, X, has yet to implement a widely available system for UK users to prove they are over 18, opting instead to estimate ages through alternative data points. As a result, some users are encountering messages indicating temporary restrictions on content access until X estimates their age.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has acknowledged the issue and confirmed efforts are underway to address it, following a user’s query regarding the lack of a current verification method. According to X’s European Age Assurance policy, users who have previously stated they are under 18 will experience account limitations. Conversely, those whose accounts were created before 2012 and users who were previously verified under the legacy system or hold a Verified Organization account will be granted adult access. Additionally, subscribers to X Premium can utilize a manual ID verification process.

X’s Age Assurance policy outlines plans for a forthcoming manual verification feature. Under the “User-involved verification options” section, it is stated that X intends to offer users two secure, privacy-respecting options: facial age estimation via live selfie and ID verification using a government-issued ID.

The expedient implementation of this system may be aimed at enabling users to swiftly reestablish full access to their accounts. One user on Reddit reported difficulty in sharing adult content, as they can no longer view NSFW posts following the implementation of these age-verification measures. Other users have discovered that bookmarked content becomes inaccessible unless they manipulate their location settings. On July 25, users found they could alter their location within X’s settings to access adult content; however, this option ceased functioning on July 26, leaving VPN usage as the primary workaround for accessing such content.

Musk has expressed opposition to the UK’s Online Safety Act, posting a critique of its intended purpose as “suppression of the people” on X. Social media networks are imposing restrictions on adult content to avoid substantial fines, with the UK law being enforced by the government body Ofcom, which plans to impose fines totaling £18 million or 10% of a company’s worldwide income, whichever is greater.

Age verification has also posed challenges for other social media services. Despite Discord having a system in place to gauge a user’s age, it has been discovered that this tool can be easily circumvented. One user successfully fooled the tool using the main character from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and the game’s photo mode during the verification process, leading the system to believe it was interacting with a real person.