Incode age assurance gets stamp of approval from ACCS

Incode Technologies has announced that their Incode Identity Platform product has received certification under the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS). A post on Incode’s LinkedIn profile says the certification “confirms that our platform meets the highest standards for data protection, privacy, and age verification, ensuring safe and compliant access to age-restricted products and services.”

The San Francisco-based identity services firm has been beefing up its product line of late, partly in response to the growing industry demand for online age assurance tools that can prevent underage users from accessing age-restricted goods. In June, it acquired Silicon Valley-based customer verification platform provider MetaMap, expanding its ID verification market share across North America, Latin America and Africa.

In a recent blog post, the company says online sales for home delivery of age-restricted products such as alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, is a “niche but growing segment of the delivery industry.” Yet, it argues, “the ease of ordering belies a morass of complicated state regulations when it comes to who can use and purchase products that can carry conflicting age limits.” For delivery services working in multiple states with differing laws, compliance can be a challenge.

First NIST review of age estimation algorithms gives Incode high score

Luckily, facial recognition, age estimation and other biometric systems are available to offer a smooth, secure verification process. Incode notes a recent study by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in which identity verification firms were tested on “accuracy, demographic fairness and robustness with varying real-world image quality” – and in which Incode placed high for all three categories.

In its first round of evaluations of biometric age estimation algorithms, NIST Biometric Standards and Testing found that Incode showed a false positive rate (FPR) of 0.047 (±0.017). For under-13s, its FPR was 0.055.

The firm says its multi-layer identity platform combines proprietary AI technology, deterministic identity checks, and advanced deepfake detection to offer verification that is fast and compliant. “Age verification is a strategic advantage for a business,” it says. “The faster that IDV can be completed, the greater the impact both to your business and to your customers.”

Following the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit in April, the ACCS issued a communique reflecting a consensus amongst attendees that current technology makes possible age assurance “that is privacy preserving, secure, effective and efficient.”

“If deployed proportionately and effectively,” it reads, “age assurance represents an opportunity to enhance the fundamental rights of children in a digital age, in addition to protecting anonymity and the freedoms of adults to enjoy online goods, content and services.”

Article Topics

Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)  |  age verification  |  biometric testing  |  biometrics  |  certification  |  data protection  |  face biometrics  |  Incode