Biometrics developers prominent in launch of North American age verifiers trade group

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), a global industry body for age verification technology providers, is forming a U.S. division to better serve clients in North America and meet demand across the continent for age checks.

The North American branch has twenty inaugural members, including Liquid Avatar Technologies, the U.S. and Canada divisions of Yoti, Au10tix, FaceTec, Privo, and BlueCheck.

Biometrics developers and vendors in the broader association also include Innovative Technology, Fujitsu, FinGo and Experian, along with the UK’s Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS).

The AVPA says it is responding to the popularity of social media; sale of restricted goods like alcohol, marijuana, and vaping products; online gambling; and compliance with child safety laws like as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that puts increased demand on age checks online. The association says it will raise the profile of online age assurance with state and federal lawmakers, regulators, online platforms, and website and app managers that process the data of youth or have age-inappropriate content for children. It also notes federal legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act, and the publication of the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Bill that require strengthened age verification for children.

The AVPA says it is developing a new standard for best practices in online age verification with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and an international framework for the industry with the ISO.

Warren Russell, co-chair of the AVPA, says, “Online Age Verification is already a global industry, but most of the legislative pressure has come from Europe. This is clearly changing, and we want to share the lessons learnt with our colleagues across the Atlantic, while also ensuring that the international standards we champion as a trade association accurately reflect the needs of the North American market.”

Article Topics

age verification  |  AU10TIX  |  AVPA  |  biometrics  |  children  |  COPPA  |  digital identity  |  FaceTec  |  legislation  |  Liquid Avatar  |  regulation  |  United States  |  Yoti