商品描述
Safe or Secure? examines the evolution and deployment of age verification systems, situating them within broader technological, regulatory, and societal frameworks. It analyses this trend as part of the international response to the rapid expansion of the internet and subsequent exposure of minors to online contents that were not originally designed with age-based boundaries.
Drawing on developments across the globe, the book traces how age verification has progressed from simple offline age checks to cutting-edge solutions embedded within online services and digital platforms. It explores the persistent tension between child protection objectives and the need to safeguard privacy and data rights, a balance that continues to shape regulatory decisions and system design. The discussion covers a range of approaches currently in use or under development, including identity document verification, financial and institutional linkages, and emerging biometric and behavioural techniques such as facial analysis, voice, and electrocardiogram. These developments are examined in relation to their practical deployment, limitations, and implications for governance. The book also covers ongoing debate over where age verification should be implemented across the digital stack - at the device, operating system, app store, or platform level - and how this reflects unresolved questions of responsibility and accountability among different players of the ecosystem.
Structured to provide a clear progression from historical foundations to contemporary practice, the book is organized into thematic chapters and is written to remain accessible to readers across disciplines, including policymakers, engineers, researchers, practitioners, as well as broader stakeholders such as activists, educators, parents, and general users engaged in the ongoing discourse on online safety and digital governance.
商品描述(中文翻譯)
Safe or Secure? 探討年齡驗證系統的演進與部署，並將其置於更廣泛的技術、法規與社會框架中加以分析。本書將這項趨勢視為國際社會因應網際網路快速擴張的一環，以及未成年人因此接觸到原本未以年齡界線為設計考量之線上內容的後續反應。
本書整理全球各地的發展，追溯年齡驗證如何從簡單的離線年齡查核，逐步演進為嵌入線上服務與數位平台中的尖端解決方案。書中探討兒童保護目標與隱私及資料權利保障之間持續存在的矛盾，而這項平衡也持續形塑法規決策與系統設計。討論涵蓋目前已採用或正在開發中的多種方法，包括身分證件驗證、金融與機構連結，以及臉部分析、聲音與心電圖等新興生物特徵與行為分析技術。書中也從實際部署、限制與治理影響等面向，檢視這些發展。此外，本書亦探討年齡驗證應在數位技術堆疊的哪一層實施——裝置、作業系統、應用程式商店，或平台層級——以及這項選擇如何反映數位生態系統中不同參與者尚未解決的責任與問責問題。
本書以主題式章節編排，從歷史基礎逐步引導至當代實務，提供清晰的閱讀脈絡；同時力求讓不同領域的讀者都能理解，包括政策制定者、工程師、研究人員、實務工作者，以及關注線上安全與數位治理持續發展的更廣泛利害關係人，例如倡議人士、教育工作者、家長與一般使用者。
作者簡介
Azfar Adib is a doctoral researcher in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Concordia University, Canada. His research and advocacy include privacy-preserving approaches to age verification for safer online environments. He brings together a versatile portfolio in writing, public speaking, and leadership focused on technology, policy, and youth empowerment, supported by professional experience in telecommunications, academic training in both business and engineering, and extensive community engagement across Bangladesh and Canada.
作者簡介(中文翻譯)
Azfar Adib 是加拿大 Concordia University 電機與電腦工程系的博士研究員。他的研究與倡議工作包括採用保護隱私的方法進行年齡驗證，以打造更安全的線上環境。他在寫作、公開演講與領導力方面具備多元且豐富的經驗，專注於科技、政策與青年賦權；此外，他也擁有電信產業的專業經驗、商學與工程雙領域的學術訓練，以及在孟加拉與加拿大廣泛參與社群活動的經歷。
