Age assurance from k-ID protects young gamers as firm joins safety coalition

The Gaming Safety Coalition is getting a new member in k-ID, an age assurance and content customization provider focused on video games.

Per the firm’s website, “k-ID develops a free-to-use family portal designed to simplify how kids and teens access age-appropriate online experiences while also simplifying how parents or guardians manage and engage with their children across programs and devices.” It features an interface that allows parents to send signals to a game, which then configures itself to provide an age-appropriate experience.

In an announcement posted to the site, co-founder and chief safety officer Jeff Wu – formerly of Google and Meta – says that “joining the Gaming Safety Coalition is a natural step for k-ID. Together, we are doubling down on our mission to provide the tools and safeguards developers need to create positive, secure digital experiences for all players. Let’s fearlessly go!”

The company has also announced a collaboration with FRVR, a global web-based game distribution company. A blog post says the partnership will see k-ID’s “first-of-its-kind global compliance engine integrated into one of FRVR’s most popular online games, Krunker.”

Krunker is a free-to-play first person shooter with a community of 3 million monthly active players. k-ID says the integration of its safety and privacy compliance technology “ensures rigorous online protection for Krunker’s younger players.” It provides an “optimized, low-friction Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) flow, which obtains and manages parental consent in a way that meets global regulatory requirements and adapts based on the user’s location.”

Web games made primarily with HTML5 are projected to become an $8 billion market in 2025.

“We are thrilled to help empower and protect the large, engaged community in Krunker,” says Kieran Donovan, co-founder and CEO of k-ID, an attorney who has advised tech and gaming companies on global compliance. “At our core, we’re driven by a mission to deliver empowering, safe experiences that resonate deeply with kids, teens, and everyone. What I love most about Krunker is its accessibility – it’s easy to pick up and naturally creates entertainment and connection between players.”

According to a profile in TechCrunch, the k-ID executive team also includes Chief Growth Officer Julian Corbett, who has held executive positions at Take-Two Interactive, Voodoo and Tencent; Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Luc Delany, previously CEO of the International Social Games Association (ISGA) and chair of the Mobile Games Intelligence Forum (MGIF); CTO Aakash Mandhar, previously of Microsoft and EA; and Chief Legal Officer Timothy Ma, previously head of international privacy and data protection officer at Tencent.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  gaming  |  Gaming Safety Coalition  |  k-ID  |  selfie biometrics