Windows 11 will tell apps how old they are

Microsoft is fundamentally changing its approach to child protection and account privacy in Windows 11. To this end, the software giant is integrating age verification mechanisms directly into the operating system.

Image Source: Windows Latest

Now, when an app or game on a Windows computer needs to restrict access to adult content or block purchases, its own mechanism comes into play to verify the user’s age. They are necessary to comply with applicable laws in different countries. Often, the app will ask for your date of birth, require you to enter payment information, turn to a third-party service for personal identification, or simply ask you to confirm that you are of legal age by checking a box in the appropriate box.

The new system API in Windows 11 does not pass this data, but instead sends registered applications the age range of the current system user. For example, the application will receive data from users who are in the age range of 13-15 years or over 18 years of age. This message will indicate that the user has passed independent age verification.

Microsoft said the changes should help developers customize content, limit available features and enforce parental controls without having to collect and store users’ birth dates. The software giant announced the changes amid a push by industry regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States to tighten age-verification laws for online users.

Microsoft document says “The Windows Age API provides a mechanism for applications to determine the age and verified age status of a logged-in user while respecting privacy principles.”. Most importantly, the app can ask two questions: What age group the user belongs to and whether the information has been verified using independent methods. Microsoft’s age verification tool does not reveal a user’s exact date of birth to apps. Instead, one of five age ranges will be transmitted.

The application does not need to know the user’s exact age. It is enough to obtain the information to which age group he belongs. This is exactly what the new Windows 11 API will provide. Another signal is through independent review. This involves another API that can send the values ​​”Confirmed”, “Unconfirmed”, “Rejected for review”, “Temporarily unavailable” or “Not applicable”. This will let the application know if the operating system user’s age has been verified. The software giant will not only open new APIs to its services, but also to third-party developers.

Window will check who is requesting the data before providing it to the application. Applications using the API must first register with the digital security platform. Therefore, every application installed on the computer will be able to receive data about the user’s age and adjust the level of available features, content, etc. on this basis. The new API has been integrated into Windows 11 24H2 but has not yet been launched. This is expected to happen later this year.