Kids Say They're Using Photos of Trump and Markiplier to Bypass 'Gorllia Tag' Age Verification
Kids say they are using pictures of Trump, YouTuber Markiplier, and the G-Man from Half-Life to bypass newly integrated age restriction software in the VR game Gorilla Tag.
Gorilla Tag is a popular game with a global reach and a young audience, which means it has to comply with complicated and contradictory laws aimed at protecting kids online. In Gorilla Tag, players control a legless ape avatar and use their arms to navigate the world and play games like, well, tag. Developer Another Axiom has had to contend with new and developing laws aimed at keeping kids safe online. The laws vary from state to state and country to country.
Gorilla Tag’s new age verification system sometimes requires a user scanning their face so the system can estimate their age. To get around the face scan, some enterprising youths say they are using what the community has dubbed the “Markiplier method.” The UK is one of the country’s that requires a selfie but not a credit card, so some players are using a VPN to set their location to Britain and then pulling up a specific video of the YouTuber Markiplier to trick the system, according to a screenshot of the guide sent to 404 Media.
In the Gorilla Tag Discord server, 404 Media found several users discussing bypassing the facial scan. “If you need to make a parent account just point your camera at a video of markiplier speaking and it will verify you lol,” one user said.
“I hope they don’t patch the markiplier method,” said another.
The age verification system is from k-ID, an Andreseen Horowitz backed tech company that bills itself as a one-stop shop for helping game’s studios comply with all this child safety legislation. A game with k-ID uses the IP address of the device that’s accessing the game to determine where the user is located and tailors the age verification experience accordingly.
“Our top priorities are keeping the game fun and following regulatory requirements around the world. We've also heard feedback from players and their parents or guardians who share similar concerns, so we're taking steps to improve the experience for everyone,” Another Axiom said in an FAQ about the launch of k-ID on its website.
Gorilla Tag started rolling out k-ID a few days ago and it’s caused chaos and controversy in the game’s community. Users hit by k-ID are prompted to enter their birthday and then jump through various hoops depending on their age and the country they’re in.
Another screenshot sent to 404 Media appears to show a user passing the facial scan with 3D Blender models of the G-Man from Half Life (now of Skibidi toilet fame) and President Donald Trump.
Another Axiom did not respond to 404 Media’s request for comment.
k-ID told 404 Media that it was currently assessing some of these claims. “As a company that exists to keep children safer online, we regularly encounter attempts at bypassing these systems,” it said in an email. “When such activity is detected or reported, we are able to quickly test and learn from these behaviors. We continually update and improve our technologies and tools which helps us battle spoofing attempts and keep children safer.”
“This company has existed for barely over a year, and can be bypassed via facial scan using donald trump, markiplier, you name it,” a user in the Gorilla Tag Discord said on Tuesday.
Joseph Cox contributed reporting.
