#12 Digital ID & Child Protection

Air date: June 27, 2023

Host: Francois Bedard (Senior Development Officer and Francophone Canada Ambassador, DIACC)

Engineer/Producer: Chris Ferreira (Sr. Program Manager, DIACC)

Topic: Digital ID & Child Protection

Summary:

In this episode, we explore the intersection of digital identification and child protection, some of the ways children are being harmed through online technologies and social platforms, and some of the safeguards currently being put in place. According to Statistics Canada, over 60% of Canadian children aged 8 to 17 use social media, and the proliferation of digital platforms presents new challenges for safeguarding children's online privacy and security. We discuss the benefits and risks of digital IDs for children, and the importance of implementing effective safeguards to prevent identity theft, cyberbullying, and other forms of online harm.

Join host Francois Bedard, Senior Development Officer and Francophone Canada Ambassador at the DIACC, as he dives into an insightful conversation with the following guests:

• Julie Dawson, Chief Policy & Regulatory Officer at Yoti
  • Julie is known internationally for driving the ethical framework development at Yoti digital identity platform. Julie leads regulatory and government relations for Yoti digital identity platform; developing policy approaches for fraud prevention and safeguarding, liaising with national and sectoral trust frameworks, in conjunction with Yoti's internal and external ethics boards. Julie is an authority in digital identity policy, ethics and governance, she represents Yoti at fora including the World Economic Forum Digital Identity Innovators; techUK, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Digital Identity, the Sprite + Network - Security, Privacy, Identity, and Trust Engagement Network. Julie has a proven track record of developing advanced strategic insight, impactful thought leadership, stewarding strategic opportunities, and differentiated policy positioning.
• Jacques Marcoux, Director of Research and Analytics for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P)
  • Jacques Marcoux is the Director of Research and Analytics for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), where he oversees and directs organizational research needs related to the sexual victimization of children. His team's mandate is to enhance the public understanding of the nature of online harm to children and to arm key stakeholders with evidence‑based research upon which sound policy decisions can be based. Jacques is formerly an award‑winning investigative reporter with CBC, specializing in data analysis. Previously he worked as a communications and public relations officer in the agricultural industry and in the field of competitive intelligence in the financial sector.

Questions asked:

1. Each guest introduced themselves and spoke as to why they think this topic is so important?
2. In your view, what are some of the ways that children today are being harmed through online technologies (e.g., the trafficking of children, AI deep fakes, sexual exploitation in immersive virtual reality)? 
3. What role do parents and guardians have in managing their children's online activities and/or digital identities, and how can they ensure their safety online? 
4. How can age assurance approaches be used to support age appropriate design of products and services to enable young people to thrive online and access age appropriate areas as per the 4 C’s = content, contact, conduct, and contract? 
5. How can digital ID systems, like facial technology or other digital age-verification tools, be used to protect children from online harm, exploitation, and accessing age-gated content while still enabling them to access necessary services and participate in the digital world? 
6. Closing remarks. If you could have one impactful message that promotes the online safety of children, what would it be? (each panelist 3 min = 6 min)

Resources referenced in this episode:

• Canadian Centre for Child Protection
• Cybertip!ca
• Yoti
• Age Verification Providers Association
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule

About the DIACC

Created as a result of the federal government’s Task Force for the Payments System Review, the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) is a non-profit coalition of public and private sector leaders who are committed to developing a Canadian digital identification and authentication framework that will secure Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. To learn more about the DIACC, please visit diacc.ca.

Music: Kesta - Comings and Goings (License)

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