TeleSign, the leading provider of customer identity and engagement solutions, today released Age Verify, a new digital identity signal that helps businesses automatically verify the age of end-users. Using mobile identity insights, Age Verify immediately confirms if a user is over the age of 18. Age Verify is currently available in the U.K.
In this short overview, we walk you through the main characteristics of the new digital signal and its application.
A big step towards a trustworthy online CX for the UK
The launch of Age Verify is timely, as the U.K.’s new Online Safety Bill will legally require certain sites to verify users’ age. Under the legislation, the U.K. government will be able to fine sites up to 10% of their global earnings or block them from being accessed by anyone in the U.K. The Online Safety Bill could also hold site owners criminally liable for failing to follow the legislation.
Any online business that offers age-restricted products or services is potentially subject to the legislation. Age verification is also valuable from a corporate responsibility standpoint. Businesses that sell age-restricted products can use Age Verify to show their commitment to public safety, such as decreasing underage consumption of alcohol.
“Age Verify enables online businesses to better serve the public interest, protect online experiences, and win continuous trust by easily setting up the age verification process on their apps and websites, said Joe Burton”, CEO at TeleSign.
Key use cases for Age Verify include:
- E-Commerce
Online retailers selling alcohol or tobacco are a high-risk because they have no face-to-face interaction with their customers. Implementing an age verification solution can quickly inform retailers if the consumer is old enough to be buying an age-restricted good. Typically, this age check is conducted at the point of sale before any purchase is made and goods dispatched.
- Online Gaming/Gambling Websites
Online gaming and gambling websites are under the strict scrutiny of the regulatory authorities. They need to run in-depth know your customer (KYC) processes and age verification is a necessary part of this requirement. Typically, age verification is the first touchpoint within the onboarding journey, as the gaming operator is regulated to ensure they do not allow any underage consumer the ability to gamble. Online age verification helps gaming operators to reduce the risk of non-compliance penalties. It also helps these businesses retain legitimate customers.
- Dating Apps
It’s often assumed the online dating world is strictly adults-only, but as it turns out this isn’t always the case. Because credit cards are normally age-restricted, paid dating services are effective at keeping out underage users. However, many dating sites and apps are free and don’t have such robust checks. More dating sites are now officially 18+, and as such require an age verification process to screen out underaged users.