What is Age Verification

Check the box to confirm you are 18 or over”

This is probably the most common pop-up when surfing through the internet, but also is the most ignored one.

Most online sellers use this pop-up to abide by the minimum law requirements of their respective country, not considering that for most minors this method is not a deterrent to access the site.

So, here come in play Age Verification, Age Verification Software and some very common questions.

What is Age Verification?

“How old are you”, is as common as “what is your name”. Age verification is one of the simplest and first forms of verification we all experience. It involves checking a person’s birth date to verify whether they were born before a certain point in time, in order to give them access to age-restricted content or services.

Why is it required by the law?

Quite simply, age verification is required by the law to protect both interacting parties – to protect the online seller by ensuring no products are sold to anybody underage, and to protect the customer by eliminating the chance of minors accessing content or products that are not appropriate.

There are already several laws and regulations worldwide that dictate what is permitted or not. For example, the licensing laws in the UK or the FD & C Act in the USA, regulate the accessibility of items such as alcohol, tobacco and porn.

What is Age Verification Software?

Age verification software is the technology that can confirm the age of a consumer in order to grant or deny access to products or content, that might be not appropriate for a certain age group.

AGEify (www.age-ify.com) is such an application, allowing websites offering age-sensitive content, products or services to ensure that their visitors and online customers are verified adults.

How is my age verified?

There are several methods that are used for age verification, but in general we can categorize them into Electronic Identity Verification, Document Verification and Biometric-Based Verification.

• Electronic Identity Verification
  In this type of method, buyers’ data such as date of birth, name, etc are checked against data sources to ensure legitimacy.
• Document Verification
  For document verification, a customer sends a photo of their ID card, or driver’s license, or passport and then it is compared to a selfie taken by them in real time. Another form of document verification is by using a credit card, as they are issued only to adults.
• Biometric-Based Verification
  When trying to assert a certain age of a person, the usage of physical characteristics can help the process. As such, face-based or fingerprint-based verification can act as a strong deterrent by promising greater accuracy, higher security, and ease of use.

AGEify, uses a combination of the above methods, in order to provide fast and clear age verification, while at the same time being easy to use.

What happens with the verification data?

We would not be able to verify your age without asking for some personal data. At the very minimum, this includes your selfie, but it can also include scans from some official document of yours.

AGEify uses this data during the age-proofing process, and we delete everything as soon as this process is over, regardless of if your age was proven or not. We then create an encrypted token that can be used in future age verification requests.

What if I fail the check?

Sometimes it is not possible to verify your age in the first instance, or certain sites may require extra identification steps. This is nothing to worry about.

AGEify offers different methods of age verification, in order to ensure both the correct check, but also to provide an extra layer of safety, according to what kind of information you are about to access.

What happens next? After being verified, you can start accessing the site of your interest, again and again. By using the AGEify application, you can unlock any age-sensible website that is protected by us.