Technologies

Online Age Verification Rules Are Popping Up Everywhere. Here’s What You Need to Know

Most states across the US are considering or introducing age verification laws. The result right now is a mishmash of rules.

The internet is full of perils — this we know.

Among the rich trove of content we have at our fingertips is a combination of legal material, illegal material and material that falls into a gray area — often referred to in vague terms as «harmful.» This is the kind of content that might be appropriate for anyone with a fully developed prefrontal cortex to view but that you wouldn’t necessarily want your kids stumbling across.

In the past, accessing such content has been easy, regardless of age. You’ve been able to tick a box declaring yourself older than 18 or 21, or input a false birth date with no hassle. But that’s beginning to change.

Last month the UK became one of the first countries to mandate that tech companies verify the age of people using online services where they might be exposed to harmful content, including pornography. I’m a British citizen, and within the first few days of the rules coming into force, I was required to verify my age on Bluesky and Reddit. And it’s just the start.

Age verification is coming for you no matter where you live. Most states across the US are considering or introducing age verification laws. The result right now is a mishmash of rules, some fully cooked, others half-baked, with a lot currently unknown.

One thing you can be sure about is that age verification will impact your internet use at some point in the near future, if it hasn’t already happened. Here’s what you need to know.

What are the pros and cons of age verification?

The obvious, straightforward argument in favor of age verification is that we need to make the internet a safer place for kids.

The arguments against are more complex and varied.

Concerns about privacy encompass doubts about how securely your data will be stored and processed during the verification process (see the Tea App data breach), and extend to whether the systems being put in place could potentially be used to track people’s internet use.

Questions remain about whether the classification of «harmful content» could lead to people being restricted from accessing important information, such as sex education, health and political content. This could potentially amount to free speech violations.

Critics argue as well that by making legal adult content harder to access, people, including children, might go in search of illegal content instead — potentially pushing them into even more dangerous corners of the internet.

Online rights organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Open Rights Groups have been vocal about the potential perils of age verification legislation and are closely tracking the impact of laws as they come into force.

How does age verification work?

There are various methods by which you might be asked to verify your age on the internet. This could involve showing a government ID; running banking, mobile carrier or credit card checks; or using a digital identity service where your verified age is stored in a wallet.

You could also be asked to use tech that estimates your age, such as email address verification that can link you to utility companies you may be signed up with. More commonly, you may be asked to submit a selfie, which will be analyzed to predict your likely age. This tech isn’t foolproof — after it was introduced in the UK, reports circulated of people spoofing the technology by showing it characters from video games.

Some tech platforms are introducing their own proprietary technology to verify people’s ages but the more common approach is to rely on third-party services specializing in digital age verification.

In most cases, verification is used to age-gate certain features — direct messages, for example — to limit access among children, rather than to exclude them entirely. In others, especially for pornography and adult content sites, it could be used to block access entirely.

Is my state introducing age verification rules?

At least 41 age verification bills have been discussed, introduced, rejected or passed at state level in the US. Some states have made multiple attempts to introduce legislation, so this figure does not reflect the number of states engaging with the issue.

Leading the way was Louisiana, which in 2022 required sites that classified more than 33.33% of its content as adult to verify people’s ages. This opened the floodgates for more bills to follow. If you want to see if your state is taking action, you can check out the Free Speech Coalition’s Age Verification Bill Tracker.

One especially notable moment during the influx of age verification legislation occurred in June of this year. Following two years of legal challenges, the Supreme Court upheld a 2023 Texas law requiring pornography sites to verify people’s ages. The ruling, which said that minors do not have a First Amendment right to access sexual material, will likely pave the way for other states to follow suit.

There also have been two attempts to bring in legislation at the federal level, through bills introduced by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, both in 2023. Neither has yet progressed beyond that early stage.

Arguably federal level laws would be easier for people to understand and tech companies to comply with than the array of rules coming in at state level.

How are tech companies responding?

For tech companies, age verification presents a complex challenge. After years of pressure to protect younger people using their services, they are in some cases now legally obligated to do so — and risk penalties if they fail to comply.

In the UK, the law allows companies to choose their own verification technique and services are largely provided by third-party companies, such as Yoti. The law extends beyond pornography sites to social media — that’s why I had to verify my age to use Bluesky and Reddit, so I could use DMs on the former and access certain subreddits on the latter.

In the US, Bluesky isn’t finding it so easy to comply with local laws. Last week, the company said it would be blocking access to the platform for people with Mississippi IP addresses because of the state’s age assurance law.

«Mississippi’s approach would fundamentally change how users access Bluesky,» it said in a blog post. «We know this is disappointing for our users in Mississippi, but we believe this is a necessary measure while the courts review the legal arguments.»

It’s not the only online service that’s been deterred from operating in specific jurisdictions because of age assurance rules. Pornhub is currently blocked in 21 US states because of various local laws it feels it can’t comply with.

That’s not to say age assurance laws automatically preclude these services from operating. Bluesky is still able to operate in the UK, for example. Meanwhile Pornhub can still be accessed in Louisiana, the first state to introduce age verification rules, because of the state’s reliance on third-party system LA Wallet to verify people’s ages, rather than requiring Pornhub to introduce its own system.

Some tech companies are also getting ahead of regulation by proactively introducing age assurance methods across their entire services.

Last month, gaming platform Roblox, which has come under fire for not doing enough to keep kids safe, introduced age verification for teens who want to chat with one another. Also in July, YouTube rolled out its AI-powered age-estimation technology to determine whether viewers are younger than 18, and restrict certain types of content accordingly. On a Facebook support page, information about age verification techniques suggests that Meta is also preparing to introduce more concrete efforts to determine the ages of people using its platforms.

Is it possible to bypass age verification?

Like death and taxes, online age verification is quickly becoming one of life’s inevitabilities. That doesn’t mean everyone is complying.

The primary method people are using to bypass verification is via VPNs. The week the UK’s Online Safety Act came into force, free VPNs shot up Apple’s App Store rankings, suggesting many people were attempting to avoid verifying their ages.

We don’t recommend using free VPNs, as they tend to offer slower speeds and collect your data, but a paid alternative could be an option for you if you’re determined to prioritize your privacy at all costs.

Technologies

Researchers Use Quantum Computer to Improve AI Predictions

A quantum computer assists an AI model with calculations that would take weeks to figure out with a normal computer.

AI models have been helping with predictions for a while now. Doctors, weather forecasters and stock brokers all use AI to try to peek into the future. Inside the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre in Germany, researchers have been experimenting with an AI model and a quantum computer. The quantum computer helps the AI with complex predictions it can’t handle alone.

The research team from University College London, who published their findings on Friday in the journal Science Advances, say that one day, quantum computers could help AI models make fast, accurate predictions across a range of industries, which would take regular computers weeks to figure out.

«The paper demonstrates that for these kinds of studies, even today’s relatively small and unreliable quantum devices can enhance the predictions of conventional AI models,» Peter Coveney, UCL professor and the study’s coauthor, told CNET.

Quantum computers differ from regular computers in several ways, including being able to perform simultaneous calculations rather than step-by-step calculations, and using quantum bits. While classical computers use bits as the smallest data unit, with each representing either a zero or a one, qubits can represent both zero and one simultaneously (superposition). Two qubits can also be linked together (entanglement).

Superposition and entanglement allow quantum computers to solve complex problems much faster than traditional computers. But quantum computers are incredibly delicate and must be kept at extremely low temperatures, making them impractical for everyday use.

But while today’s quantum computers are still experimental and often finicky, they might help AI solve big problems that would otherwise be too complicated or time-consuming.

Quantum advantage

The AI model used in the study is housed on a supercomputer connected to the quantum computer at the research center.

The team used this setup to predict how gases and liquids in a system would move and interact over an extended period. Climate science, medicine and city engineering all use this kind of modeling.

«Our new method appears to demonstrate ‘quantum advantage’ in a practical way — that is, the quantum computer outperforms what is possible through classical computing alone,» coauthor Maida Wang, a PHD student at UCL, said in an announcement.

Quantum computers are incredibly sensitive. Even tiny disturbances in the environment throw off the calculations, so the technology is still mostly used in research labs.

Because quantum computing is still limited, the researchers did most of the study with the supercomputer. The AI model handled the data processing, then used the quantum computer for one step.

After completing the hard calculations, the quantum computer handed the reins back to the AI model, so it could take care of everything else.

«Even today’s noisy and error-prone quantum devices can enhance the performance of conventional machine-learning algorithms trained on data from modern supercomputers,» Coveney said.

Solving big problems

Hooking up an AI model to run calculations on a quantum computer might sound outlandish, but there are already real examples of companies using this approach in healthcare.

In 2025, Google said its Quantum Echoes algorithm could calculate the structure of molecules that could pave the way for future drug discovery. Also, last year, the University of Toronto and Insilico Medicine used AI with a quantum computer to build molecules that target an «undruggable» form of cancer.

While there are still challenges with ensuring predictions are reliable, as well as with the sheer size of the datasets involved, Coveney said quantum computers can improve complex predictions.

«We are already at work on real-world applications,» he said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 20, #1044

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 20, No. 1,044.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is pretty tricky. It was a little unnerving to see «cannibalism» as one of the clues. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Cough, cough!

Green group hint: Reel it in.

Blue group hint: Spin a web.

Purple group hint: Not Sunday or Tuesday.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Mass of smoke.

Green group: Fishing gear.

Blue group: Associated with black widow spiders.

Purple group: ____ Monday.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is mass of smoke. The four answers are billow, cloud, plume and puff.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is fishing gear. The four answers are bait, hook, net and rod.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with black widow spiders. The four answers are cannibalism, hourglass, venom and web.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ Monday. The four answers are blue, cyber, manic and meatless.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Technologies

You Can Easily Switch From an iPhone to an Android Phone. Here’s How

Transfer your texts, photos and more from Apple’s iOS to your new Android phone.

Making the big leap from an iPhone to an Android phone, you’ll find yourself with a pretty long checklist of things to do. Whether you’re transitioning to Google’s Pixel 7 or a new Samsung phone like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, switching operating systems can quickly become a hassle if you don’t know the most efficient way to move your data.

The secret to an easy-peasy transfer process lies with the tiny plastic adapter that Google and Samsung (sometimes) include in the box. It’s like hiring professional movers to move your stuff, unpack it and decorate your new house just like your old one! The adapter has a USB-A connector on one end and a USB-C connector on the other that allows you to connect your new phone to your old iPhone. You can also use a USB-C to Lightning cable for newer phones like the iPhone 11.

With the adapter, you can transfer your photos, videos, files, music and wallpaper. You can even use it to automatically download any Android versions of free iOS apps you had on your old Apple phone. While iMessage, Apple’s messaging service, won’t work on an Android phone, you can even move your message history and threads to your new phone.

Switch from iPhone to a Google Pixel phone

If you’re switching specifically from an iPhone to a Google Pixel, the first thing you want to do is to charge up both phones. Next, you’re going to turn off iMessage across all of your Apple devices — any device that uses your AppleID. Go to Settings, then Messages and then toggle off iMessage.

If your new Pixel came with a SIM card, install it, turn the phone on and tap the Start button. Next, connect to a Wi-Fi network and then select Copy your data. Now unlock your old iPhone, and put your lighting power cable into the bottom. Then, plug the other end into the «magic adapter» which Google calls a Quick Switch Adapter (QSA). Finally, plug in the QSA into the Pixel. You can also use a USB-C to Lighting cable.

When prompted, tap Trust on your iPhone. Then sign into your Google Account on the Pixel. Next, choose what exactly you want to copy (photos, music, messages, etc.), then tap Copy.

Now it’s time for your Pixel to actually transfer everything. Depending on how much stuff you’re moving, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. While the transfer happens, you can continue setting up your phone like adding a PIN or setting up Google Assistant and Google Pay. Once the transfer completes, you’re done. Check to make sure everything you wanted to migrate actually did and enjoy your new Google life.

Switch from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy phone

If you got a new Samsung Galaxy phone, it also comes with an adapter, though you can move your data over Wi-Fi, too. I recommend using the adapter because it’s faster. You can also use a USB-C to Lighting cable to connect the two. Just like the Pixel transfer, the first thing you need to do is make sure both phones are charged up and turn off iMessage on your iPhone.

However, unlike the Pixel, you have the option to set up your Galaxy phone as new and then transfer the data which means you can start using your phone right away instead of waiting. To start the transfer, open the Smart Switch app on your Samsung phone. Your phone might take a minute to download the app.

Once you have it opened, you might be prompted to send or receive data. Tap Receive. Then, choose how you want to transfer: Wi-Fi or cable. Next, connect both phones with the adapter and your iPhone’s lightning cable — if you’re transferring over Wi-Fi, there’s no need to connect the phones together with a cable.

On the iPhone, tap Trust and on the Samsung phone you’ll see a message pop up that reads Connecting to your iPhone. If your iPhone uses encryption for backup, you might be prompted to enter your password. It should be your Apple ID password.

Next, the Samsung phone will scan your iPhone for data. This can take a few minutes after which you can choose exactly what kind of data you want to bring over. Then, tap the transfer arrow. The actual transfer can take a couple of minutes to an hour. Once it’s done, go through your new Samsung phone and check on your data. If you’re not finding your photos and videos in the Gallery app, check the Google Photos app.