ID checks in UK and Australia to listen to podcasts

• Spotify is adding age verification for users in the UK to access mature content, including podcasts marked as ‘explicit’. It uses a service called Yoti, which employs face scanning or asks you to upload images of your ID. It’s part of the UK’s Online Safety Act.

  • UK podcast The News Agents recently reported on a story where the UK government mistakenly leaked the identities of 18,000 Afghans who worked with the British government.
  • Proton VPN says it has had 18x more downloads in the UK since the law came into effect.

• ID checks are also coming to Australia, where YouTube and other social media services are to be banned for everyone under the age of 16 from Dec 10. The ban is for YouTube accounts, which includes YouTube Music. Facebook, Instagram and others are also to be banned.

  • This episode of the ABC’s PM podcast reports on Australian airline Qantas has confirmed that the personal information of 5.7 million customers was compromised in July.
  • Mullvad VPN sells vouchers via Amazon Australia: a voucher removes any potential link between an anonymous VPN account and the credit card used to pay for it.

• Godcaster, which unifies live radio and podcasts, is now available as an app, for iPhone and Android. Adam Curry made the announcement on the Glenn Beck Program.

• Podcast guest platform Talks.co has added double opt-in guest matching, hoping to help podcast hosts who are drowning in cold pitches from potential guests. There’s a free plan for podcast hosts.

• Podcast production agency Podcast Town has rebranded as EF3 Studios, broadening its focus to serve as a full-scale media and brand activation partner.

• The growing demand for video-first podcast spaces means Podshop Studios in London has announced a new four-studio complex in Shoreditch, close to its existing site.

• Jamit, a web3-powered podcast app, has added audio play adaptation runboyrun to the platform. It was published via open RSS in June.

• The Black Podcasting Awards has extended its entry deadline through Monday Aug 11.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement

• You’ve been podcasting for some time, but someone else has just appeared and they’re using the same podcast name as you are! Here’s how to deal with that, and what to do to avoid that from happening.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Check in every day with This Day in History, to hear the top historical event for this day in past years. Today - the world’s largest regional theme park company launched on this day in 1961.

Already hitting #1 in some charts, Julie’s Gone is new from Casefile Presents, looking at the disappearance of a 19 year-old woman in Melbourne. It’s with Acast.

Sport’s Strangest Crimes returned from the BBC this week. The new six-part series focuses on the story of cricketer Hansie Cronje and is hosted by former England cricketer Mark Butcher, who uncovers a dark world of manipulation, power and money - and the real cost of betrayal in sport.

Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata has relaunched with video episodes at Headgum, marking Byer’s third podcast at the network. After an 8-month hiatus, fans can once again enter the pantheon of best friendship. The show was previously at SiriusXM.

In News on Knees, we take the daily headlines from our worried hearts to the hands of God. News on Knees also invites all Christ followers to email their recorded prayers for the world, their state, local region, or even a specific societal issue to storykingmedia@gmail.com.

Find more podcasts, and add your show