SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Last month, the state of South Dakota settled its lawsuit with the gaming website Roblox, aimed at protecting children online. Roblox continues to add new safety measures in response.
Previous Coverage: Roblox settlement to protect South Dakota kids, fund state programs
When the $15 million settlement was reached, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley told media that the money was all secondary to the actionable steps to keep children safe from exploitation online.
Last month, Attorney General Marty Jackley described the settlement as a “very significant step forward”.
“I want to personally thank Roblox for stepping up, being willing to agree to do this with South Dakota,” Jackley said.
Even before the settlement, Roblox has been adding safety measures like parental controls, age-based accounts and age verifications throughout this year. They will continue to do so per the agreement. The settlement also included a unique partnership with local law enforcement.
One of the newest updates Roblox has introduced this month is a machine learning system to verify a gamer’s age. It tracks an account’s ongoing behavior to spot patterns that predict a user’s age.
They said it takes verification a step further than a picture, and it’s been certified by third-party labs to be highly accurate. Saying on their website, quote:
“Owning this system in-house lets us leverage Roblox-specific signals safely, operate with extreme rigor, and continuously iterate. Moving forward, we’re focused on optimizing our submodels, inference, and measurement.”
In speaking with the AG’s office, they said Roblox has held up its end of the bargain so far as they expected.
“Roblox, with this particular settlement, I think sets the national framework for how these should look. Whether there’s an investigation or lawsuit, I encourage those online platforms to look into this type of an agreement where we can be partners instead of adversaries,” Jackley explained.
Roblox also agreed to work alongside South Dakota’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program, or ICAC. The Attorney General’s Office said there has been transparent communication per the settlement.
You can find more information on the updated child safety features at about.roblox.com/safety.
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