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Frz 30 Aug @ 3:21am
Steam Supports response regarding Credit Card being the only method of verification
I understand your concern about this. 

For now, verification based on credit card ownership is the only path we can provide for age verification under the OSA. As this is a new process, we are still gathering data on potential pain points for users and will take your feedback back to the team. We are sorry for the inconvenience this new requirement is causing for you and the rest of our UK users.

More information on this process can be found in our FAQ: Age Assurance under the UK Online Safety Act

Steam Support

To open a ticket I had to go:

Help - Steam Support - My Account - Data Related to my Account - Contact Steam Support (at the very bottom)

This is clearly a problem and more verification options need to be added.

Heres a list of verification methods that Valve could use listed by Ofcom:

And how will I prove my age?

There’s a number of methods a site or app might use to ask you to confirm your age. They might do this check themselves or use another company to do the check. These methods include:

Facial age estimation – you show your face via photo or video, and technology analyses it to estimate your age.
Open banking – you give permission for the age-check service to securely access information from your bank about whether you are over 18. The age-check service then confirms this with the site or app.
Digital identity services – these include digital identity wallets, which can securely store and share information which proves your age in a digital format.
Credit card age checks – you provide your credit card details and a payment processor checks if the card is valid. As you must be over 18 to obtain a credit card this shows you are over 18.
Email-based age estimation – you provide your email address, and technology analyses other online services where it has been used – such as banking or utility providers - to estimate your age.
Mobile network operator age checks – you give your permission for an age-check service to confirm whether or not your mobile phone number has age filters applied to it. If there are no restrictions, this confirms you are over 18.
Photo-ID matching – this is similar to a check when you show a document. For example, you upload an image of a document that shows your face and age, and an image of yourself at the same time – these are compared to confirm if the document is yours.
Last edited by Frz; 30 Aug @ 4:41am
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Showing 1-15 of 48 comments
dq_177 30 Aug @ 4:32am 
Honestly if they are already willing to have a debit card connected to our bank account as a payment option then why not just verify the users age through the bank?
Its a thing, and more logical than trying to push people to take out a needless credit card.
#1
dgresevfan 30 Aug @ 4:33am 
Seems very odd when you consider that Youtube does to a certain point simply assume your account is owned by an adult if you created it 18 years ago or more. That would be very easy to implement.
#2
dq_177 30 Aug @ 4:35am 
Originally posted by dgresevfan:
Seems very odd when you consider that Youtube does to a certain point simply assume your account is owned by an adult if you created it 18 years ago or more. That would be very easy to implement.
Nexus Mods does a similar thing now too I believe in reaction to Ofcams heavyhanded nonsense, as long as your account is old enough.
#3
daryon43 30 Aug @ 4:35am 
Originally posted by dq_177:
Honestly if they are already willing to have a debit card connected to our bank account as a payment option then why not just verify the users age through the bank?
Its a thing, and more logical than trying to push people to take out a needless credit card.

Because i suspect it's more work than Steam are willing to put into this for such a small user base
#4
Frz 30 Aug @ 4:40am 
Originally posted by dq_177:
Honestly if they are already willing to have a debit card connected to our bank account as a payment option then why not just verify the users age through the bank?
Its a thing, and more logical than trying to push people to take out a needless credit card.

This is my thought too. A bank is needed to give a credit or debit card so limiting the verification process to just the credit card makes less sense than communicating with banks directly so either can be used. It does feel like they rushed it and thought if you need to be 18 to have a credit card and if it comes back valid, problem solved.
#5
CrapHat 30 Aug @ 4:54am 
Im 0ver 50 and do not want a Credit Card. I have a debit card. STEAM/VALVE sort this crap out!
#6
Old Vagabond 30 Aug @ 5:00am 
Originally posted by CrapHat:
Im 0ver 50 and do not want a Credit Card. I have a debit card. STEAM/VALVE sort this crap out!
Yeah, me too. I destroyed my last credit card over a decade ago, and I have no desire for another.
#7
daryon43 30 Aug @ 5:07am 
I'm apparently not eligible for a credit card so i'm basically screwed
#8
Tweeto 30 Aug @ 6:36am 
This to me sounds like this was a rushed decision without any thought for other forms of verification like open banking also ironically enough Valve could be breaking another law in the UK the Equality Act 2010 and the reasonable adjustments clause of the law.
#9
CaptEngland 30 Aug @ 6:43am 
Perhaps we all need to write to our local M.P's on this problem. That's what they are they for to represent us of voting age.
#10
Old Vagabond 30 Aug @ 6:51am 
Originally posted by CaptEngland:
Perhaps we all need to write to our local M.P's on this problem. That's what they are they for to represent us of voting age.
They bloody started it!
#11
Tweeto 30 Aug @ 6:53am 
I have written to Valve in a Steam Support ticket regarding my issues with their age verification and warned them of potential Equality Act 2010 violations, massive drop in sales in the UK if they do not add other forms of verification and potential indie developers in the UK refusing to release their game on Steam due to the restrictions.
#12
max_brown2000 30 Aug @ 7:08am 
I don't have a Credit Card and don't see why valve are going down this route there are other options that are we could use, they need to either completely remove all adult content (which if certain payment processors had there way would love) or gives us more options
#13
Guided 30 Aug @ 7:14am 
I've never had a credit card. I dont like debt.

And now I cant even view my discovery queue?

Ironic, Steam wants me to save my money :/
#14
Brian9824 30 Aug @ 7:39am 
Originally posted by dgresevfan:
Seems very odd when you consider that Youtube does to a certain point simply assume your account is owned by an adult if you created it 18 years ago or more. That would be very easy to implement.

The issue is the UK doesn't accept that as proof because of the fact that someone under 18 can be using their parents account. If UK adds account age to the factors to validate age then steam can indeed use account age
#15
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Date Posted: 30 Aug @ 3:21am
Posts: 48
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