The EU chooses Spain for the age verification pilot to access the internet

Madrid (EFE).- The European Commission has chosen Spain for the pilot project with which it will develop a tool for age verification that protects minors from adult content accessible on the internet, such as pornography.

This has been confirmed to EFE by sources from the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Function, who explained that the choice comes after the Commission launched a call to member states last October to select candidates to test this application.

The aim was to reach this European age verification tool that would serve as a common basis for each country to adapt it to its national circumstances.

‘Digital Wallet Beta’

Spain will participate in the project using its own tool, the ‘Digital Wallet Beta’ app, as the technical approach of this application aligns with the Commission’s focus since it is based on the European Digital Identity Wallet.

It is the country that has the most advanced work in developing an age verification app with this application that allows for anonymous age verification and also incorporates other services such as the accreditation of university degrees.

This effort was highlighted this Wednesday in the Congress of Deputies by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, Oscar López, who emphasized the importance of Spain being one of the first three countries to implement this tool.

Access for minors to content that is harmful to them is an increasingly concerning issue, and Spain, along with France and Greece, is leading a proposal to set a minimum age for access to social networks and to require all manufacturers of internet-enabled devices to integrate age verification and parental control tools.

The digital wallet

Age verification is one of the uses of the future European digital wallet: the digital identity that all member states will be required to provide to their citizens starting in November 2026, as established by the European eIDAS2 regulation.

The European digital wallet will allow European citizens to identify themselves to public and private administrations and companies, particularly when they require enhanced authentication (banks, energy companies, etc.) without the need to share their data, as is currently the case when registering with a username and password.

With the European digital wallet, it will initially be easier to manage affairs with the administration or companies, but sovereignty over our own data will also be gained, as only the necessary data to access a service or benefit will be shared. (May 28)