OTTAWA – Meta has been lobbying the federal government for new rules to implement age verification at the app store level — which would put the burden on companies like Apple and Google, not individual platforms like Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.

The company has been pitching the idea in meetings with both the federal and provincial governments, said Meta Canada director of public policy Rachel Curran.

Curran said in an interview Meta has been making the case that the Liberal government should include the concept in upcoming legislation that deals with online safety issues.

“We think it’s by far the most effective, privacy-protective, efficient way to determine a user’s age,” Curran said.

Under Meta’s proposal, the app stores themselves — which are operated by Apple on its devices and

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