Spanish regulator consults public on age verification

Age verification and age estimation technology is gaining ground across Canada, Australia, the UK and the U.S. and with more deals for biometric companies comes a rise in regulatory action.

Spain considers age verification for video-sharing platforms

Spain has taken another step towards introducing age verification systems for keeping minors from harmful online content.

The country’s antitrust watchdog, the National Authority for Markets and Competition (CNMC), has published a public consultation this week to find the most effective way to introduce age verification systems for video-sharing platforms. Alongside the call, the agency has also published the Spanish Data Protection guidance and a concept test on age verification mechanisms.

Last week, the national data protection agency AEPD said that Spain is developing age verification technology to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content online. The new technology is being developed by the Royal Spanish Mint according to AEPD recommendations and is expected to be available by mid-2024, Reuters reports.

Users will be able to download an app, a QR code or a certificate that verifies their age ID which will rely on a health or residence card, a driver’s license, or a passport. This will allow them to access websites without disclosing any personal data to third parties, according to the AEPD.

Yoti updates progress on age estimation accuracy, bias reduction

Age verification provider Yoti has published new figures for its facial age estimation technology, showing improvement in detecting age in the 6 to 12-year-olds category.

The company’s white paper, published last week, showed the true positive rate (TPR) of 99.91 percent for estimating the age of 13- to 17-year-olds as being under 25. In previous results published in March, the company reported the same figure at 99.93 percent.

The TPR for estimating 6 to 12-year-olds as under the age of 13 reached 96.99 percent, while previous measurements put the percentage at 98.35 percent.

Yoti says there were no discernible biases across genders or skin tones. The company also claims that accuracy has improved, particularly for people over 40.

The mean absolute error both in the 6 to 12-year-old category as well as 13 to 17-year-olds is 1.4 years, the same result as last year. Regulators focus on these two age ranges to ensure that kids under 13 and 18 cannot have access to age-restricted goods and services.

Yoti’s age-checking service is used by companies such as Instagram, Facebook Dating, OnlyFans and Yubo. The company says that it now performs over 25 million checks per day or 300 checks per second while immediately deleting all images of users.

The company is also retiring old training and testing data to comply with regulations.

Luciditi integrates OneID open banking identity data

OneID has struck a partnership with Arissian Ltd to build open banking data into the latter’s digital ID platform, Luciditi, to carry out identity verification and age assurance checks.

The integration of open banking identity data gives Luciditi users more choice and convenience among the company’s identity and age proofing services, according to the announcement. The partners note the value of the integration for meeting the requirements of the Online Safety Act, enabling fast and anonymous age verification.

“With OneID, we can use Open Banking as a trusted source of key identity data, saving time and reducing cost,” says Arissian CEO Ian Moody.

ITL lands new deal in UK vaping industry

Age estimation and cash validation provider Innovative Technology Limited (ITL) has nabbed a new client in the UK vaping industry, landing a deal with vaping products supplier Vapouriz.

The firm has been providing Vapouriz with its in-store age estimation device MyCheckr, equipped with a camera and screen and designed to assist retailers in checking the ages of vape product buyers. ITL also allows the screens to be used for advertising, opening up additional revenue streams, according to John Vallis, senior business development manager for biometrics at ITL.

“Following a successful pilot in June, we are delighted that Vapouriz have taken the decision to rollout MyCheckr installations in all their stores plus several franchise outlets,” says Vallis.

In October, ITL named Dyflin Group as the first trading partner responsible for distributing their MyCheckr. The company has also been expanding its market reach in Europe with deals to supply its biometric age checks in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.

BlueCheck partners up with NATS for age verification in adult content

Age and identity verification company BlueCheck is partnering up with NATS, a software that powers affiliate programs created by Too Much Media.

The Austin, Texas-based firm, focused on adult content and content creation, will integrate its products into the NATS platform at the end of December. BlueCheck will initially use customer name and address data for verification but plans to expand to include mobile phone and facial age estimation technologies.

Further enhancements in 2024 will introduce advanced payment and fraud prevention features, the two companies announced

“Our joint effort is focused on delivering seamlessly integrated solutions that adhere to forthcoming regulations, a critical aspect in the adult and content creator sectors,” says Alex Zeig, CEO of BlueCheck.

Article Topics

age verification  |  BlueCheck  |  face biometrics  |  Innovative Technology  |  Luciditi  |  OneID  |  Yoti