OCR Labs gets age verification certification; euConsent pushes for ‘live operation’

Age verification just keeps getting hotter, at least from the government side. This year, the French government mandated that people wanting to view online pornography prove their age with digital certificates. And the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Bill is expected to soon require much the same.

The private sector, of course, is active here, too. For example, a consortium of European businesses, nonprofits and universities have formed an organization to push a verification concept they have devised.

And in the UK, OCR Labs has picked up certificates that could make the firm more attractive to organizations struggling with age verification.

OCR Labs software meets age-check certification

Australian ID verification provider OCR Labs has been accredited to the UK’s Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS).

The company’s enterprise API now meets the PAS 1296:2018 code of practice for online age verification, according to accrediting organization. The API also adheres to GDPR data protection and privacy requirements. The ACCS certification is valid for three years.

OCR Labs recently said its software complies with the ISO 30107-3 presentation attack detection (PAD) standard as well as NIST SP 800-63 digital identity guidelines. It also is approved for right-to-work checks.

euConsent evolves from pilot to advocacy organization and developer

The consortium behind the European Commission-funded, €1.4 million pilot project to simplify verification has created a nonprofit of its own to push the software to the market.

The goal for the confusingly named euConsent is to bring the euConsent software to “live operation.” The application can use one age check that works in multiple sites without out requiring additional actions from the person who has been verified. The person is anonymous in the transactions.

The software, according to the consortium, can accommodate parental consent for minors, too.

Developers of euConsent reportedly are updating it for integration with the eIDAS European ID wallet. It also is supposed to get cryptographic protections advocated by the French data protection authority, the CNIL.

The seed funding for the new venture has come from its commercial members. Organizers say they want to raise €2.5 million ($2.7 million) from EU member states and foundations.

“Without user-friendly, interoperable age verification, there is a danger that age-checks become the new cookie pop-up, but on steroids,” Iain Corby, euConsent secretary general and UK Age Verification Providers Association executive director, says in a statement.

People are cautious about government-issued and private digital identities to prove their age. “EuConsent will combine the choice of a trusted, third-party age verification supplier with the convenience of a single age check giving access to any age-restricted service, while also enabling an age-aware internet without excessive costs to consumers or websites,” says Corby.

Article Topics

Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)  |  age verification  |  biometrics  |  euCONSENT  |  face biometrics  |  OCR Labs