Persona integrates with ConnectID for age checks through Australian payments network

Persona has announced an integration with ConnectID, the Australian digital identity exchange created by the country’s payments industry, Australian Payments Plus.

A release says the integration aims to help businesses navigate regulations and compliance around online safety legislation and associated age assurance requirements, while maintaining user privacy. Users select their preferred bank from a list of participating providers, including CommBank, NAB, ANZ Plus, and Westpac, and complete age assurance within the familiar bank interface.

In short, it’s age verification that relies on data a financial institution has already collected from a user. It does not give either Persona or ConnectID access to any sensitive personal info, and adheres to data minimization principles by sharing only the necessary age proof with the relying party (for example, “over 16” or “over 18”).

Persona has already landed some big-ticket age assurance contracts. However, one of them recently ended up on the wrong side of the headlines, when a bit of language in the privacy policy of messaging service Discord caught the eye of the wrong Redditor, leading to outcry over potential privacy violations by the biometrics and identity firm. Operating since 2018, Persona suddenly had the world’s (negative) attention.

In that, it bears a certain weight for the whole industry, which is grappling with user trust as regulations roll out at speed globally.

The integration with ConnectID adds the gravitas of banking and financial institutions to Persona’s offerings, which should help restore the company’s position as a reliable, widely used provider.

Per the release, “Australia’s under-16 social media legislation requires adherence to strict regulatory guidelines, reinforcing the importance of digital safety and making privacy-by-design a key element of age assurance. Persona’s ConnectID integration allows users to verify their age through existing enrollment information from trusted financial institutions with the need to share sensitive identification documents like passports or driver’s licenses with the requesting social media platform.” The user’s data never leaves the bank.

Daniel Lee, product manager at Persona, says the team is “excited to continue supporting industry leaders in the navigation of complex age assurance rollouts globally.”

“By integrating ConnectID into the Persona platform, we are empowering our partners to meet rigorous local standards with privacy-first methods.”

The company also notes the benefits of offering different age assurance options in a blog post.

Head of ConnectID Rick Iversen says the company’s goal is to protect young people online without creating new privacy risks. “By acting as a secure bridge between banks and online platforms, we’re enabling organizations to responsibly meet new obligations under the social media legislation, while keeping sensitive personal data entirely out of the process.”

Both Persona and ConnectID participated in the 2025 Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT). Both were assessed at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9, the highest assigned by the trial.

Early in 2026, Persona also joined the OpenAge initiatives, the project spearheaded by Singapore-headquartered compliance facilitator k-ID, which enables providers to use passkey-based AgeKeys for reusable age checks.

ConnectID has also had success in a regulated Australia, where Snapchat has tapped it to provide age assurance.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Australia  |  Australia age verification  |  connectID  |  Persona