1506. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether a Data Protection Impact Assessment has been completed in respect of any proposed age assurance or age verification system for social media access; the date of completion; whether the assessment will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56448/26]

In line with Ireland's National Digital and AI Strategy, officials in my Department are engaging with the Office of the Chief Information Officer to deliver an age verification tool as one function of the Government Digital Wallet. This will offer to users a tool that protects their rights, particularly to privacy, and verifies to platforms whether the user is over 18 years old or not. At the same time, it will enable designated video-sharing platforms that are subject to the Online Safety Code, including the requirement to prevent minors from seeing adult only content, to confirm that a person is over 18 without requiring any other personal information.

Ireland’s age verification tool has been developed to meet high standards of privacy and in full compliance with the age verification blueprint that the European Commission published last year. The age verification tool will work in a “zero-knowledge” capacity, only confirming to a platform whether the user is over 18 or not. No other information, such as date of birth, will be provided to the platform or stored. Therefore, the risk of unnecessary data sharing or leakage is low.

Officials in my Department are working with OGCIO to arrange testing of the tool with some online platforms. A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is being prepared to support that testing and will be updated as testing progresses. I do not intend to publish the DPIA while it is ongoing.

The DPIA and the outcome of the testing will also inform the proposals for the legislation that will be needed to underpin the age verification function of the Wallet.