Roblox Agrees to Integrate the Philippine National ID Into Its Age Checks

Roblox has agreed to integrate the Philippine Identification System into its age and identity verification for users in the country, according to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.

The commitment came out of a meeting between Philippine officials and Roblox executives in Singapore on Thursday, called to discuss stronger safeguards against online grooming and extremist recruitment.

“We are pleased with the direction of our discussions with Roblox and the willingness they have shown to work with the Philippine government,” CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso said in a statement. “This is an important beginning, and we want to build on it to create a safer gaming environment for our children.”

The two sides are still working out how PhilSys will fit into the existing age-check system. Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda said a Roblox team is expected in the Philippines in the first week of September to study the technical implementation, and that the integration could be in place by October. Roblox also plans to open a Philippine office by October.

Roblox already requires an age check before a user can access chat, offering either a government-issued ID or facial age estimation. The company says its facial age estimation has a mean absolute error of about 1.4 years for users under 18. The CICC said accounts that do not complete a check will have chat disabled and more limited access to games, and that Roblox committed to tighter age-based limits on communication between children and users outside their age groups.

Aguda said the value of stronger identity checks runs in both directions. He said it is not only minors who need to authenticate, and that the checks would also make it harder for adults seeking to harm children to operate behind false identities.

Thailand made a similar move in August, proposing to link its national digital ID to Roblox accounts. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner secured an enforceable undertaking from Roblox covering a third-party age assurance audit.

PhilSys is already used for financial onboarding in the Philippines, and the central bank has proposed making national ID authentication mandatory for financial institutions.

Philippine officials also met Meta executives in Singapore over child safety and harmful content. Aguda said the government and Meta are working on a memorandum of understanding to be signed once the document is finalized.

Sources: Philstar.com

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By Cass Kennedy