by Ken Macon, Reclaim The Net:
Google is extending its AI-driven age estimation system beyond YouTube and into its flagship search engine, raising renewed concerns over user surveillance and the growing reliance on opaque algorithmic profiling.
The technology, supposed to predict a user’s age by analyzing massive amounts of behavioral data such as search queries and watch history, has already triggered significant backlash.
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Users are now encountering age verification prompts within Google Search.
One individual described to Reclaim The Net being asked to verify their age while watching a video on YouTube, only to face a similar prompt during later Google searches.
This suggests that once a user is tagged for age checking, the requirement may be enforced across their entire Google profile.
While sightings of the feature on Search are still limited, users have noticed the demands for more data across the European Union. The full extent of the deployment is still unclear.
Integrating this system into search could have broad consequences that go even further than more behavioral profiling. Routine access to information could now be gated by requests to confirm one’s age, turning one of the most widely used tools on the internet into a more restrictive experience.
