Billions Network CEO calls blockchain ‘powerful tool’ for age assurance, privacy

Is blockchain the future of age assurance? It is if you ask Evin McMullin, CEO of Billions Network – “the first universal human and AI network built with mobile first verification,” which is associated with biometrics provider Privado ID.

“So that means you can use the devices you already have, such as your phone or your computer, to prove who you are online, on chain, and even in real life.”

Speaking with the Biometric Update Podcast, McMullen takes issue with the algorithmic age inference method that YouTube has implemented, and with some other decentralized models for identity that nonetheless appear problematic on the privacy front.

“There’s a concern that YouTube will continue to tighten the gate here, leveraging age not just for safety, but rather for controlling which content is recommended or monetized, which could be seen as the first step in normalizing AI-based age verification tied to censorship,” she says. “What starts as age safety could become a control mechanism over what content is allowed or recommended or monetizable for different user groups if that process is opaque.”

McMullen says that, while there are many other identity and blockchain-related protocols working on parts of the problem, “they are not focused on privacy first, minimal disclosure, and accessibility to all as first principles” the way Billions Network is.

“Billions Network was founded on the belief that identity does not need to mean handing over all of your data, but rather we can enable people to make high consent, privacy first, verifiable claims about themselves, rooted in trusted organizations, such as government IDs, or trusted data like biometrics, with minimal exposure of personal data.”

“Blockchains now are not just about currency. They are trust layers that allow us to make verifiable claims, such as the claim of age based on a passport, in a way that is tamper-resistant and verifiable without storing that actual data on-chain. You can think of a blockchain as write once, never erase, but you can update.”

“In the context of regulation, that’s really powerful because you can comply with laws and emerging regulations such as those in the UK and EU in a way that also respects the privacy and consent of users.”

Check out the full episode for more from Billions Network’s Evin McMullen.

Listen now: Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Podbean

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Article Topics

age verification  |  Billions Network  |  Biometric Update Podcast  |  biometrics  |  blockchain  |  data privacy  |  digital identity  |  Privado ID