How to Verify Your Age On X Without Exposing Yourself: If you’re in the UK, you’ve probably heard about the Online Safety Act by now. The latest part of the law came into effect on July 25th, and it’s a big one. It requires online platforms to use age verification technology to make sure kids and vulnerable adults can’t access harmful content.
That means most major social media sites, including X, now have some kind of verification system. On X, you might be asked to upload your ID or snap a selfie to prove your age. If you’d rather not do that, you’ll be stuck with a watered-down feed where anything the UK government flags as “potentially harmful” is blocked from view.
So, let’s break down how X’s age verification works, what it means for your privacy, and whether there’s a way to share your details more safely.
How X figures out your age and why that’s a bit worrying
X doesn’t ask everyone for ID right away. Instead, it uses a few different methods to try to guess your age first.
If your account was created before 2012, or you’ve already gone through identity checks for business or personal verification, you’re automatically marked as an adult and no extra steps are needed.
If X doesn’t have that information, it turns to other clues such as your email address or linked social media accounts to make an educated guess. The details on how they do this are vague, but these methods don’t seem to carry much privacy risk.
However, if those checks fail, you’ll have to prove your age by uploading either a selfie or a photo of your government-issued ID. This hasn’t been rolled out fully yet, but it is coming soon.
Here’s where things get tricky. X hasn’t said exactly which companies will handle this verification process. In the past, they have worked with Au10tix, Stripe, and Persona, so it is likely they will use them again.
The problem is that personal data like passport or driver’s license scans is a goldmine for cybercriminals. Hackers can use that information to impersonate you across the internet. This is not just a theoretical risk because Au10tix was hacked in 2024. With more sites now collecting sensitive data for ID checks, the rewards for hackers are bigger than ever.
Safer ways to prove your age on X
Unfortunately, if you want full access on X, you will have to hand over some kind of personal information such as a passport, driver’s license, or a facial scan. That means both X and its verification partners will have your data.
Most providers claim to have strong security in place. But with platforms rushing to comply with the law and facing fines of up to 10 percent if they do not, there is no guarantee your data will be handled with the highest level of care.
One way to reduce your risk is to use a VPN. It will not stop you from having to share your details, but it will encrypt your internet traffic so it is much harder for hackers to intercept your information while it is being sent.
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