AI-based Age Verification Technology: Our Safety Net in an Online Era

With more businesses shifting online, the world as we know it is transitioning. We’re in the 21st century and thanks to digital transformation, we can purchase any good or service online. From getting clothes or groceries delivered to your doorstep, to buying courses and pets online, the internet has us covered. But as we transition into a digital-first era, what happens to the businesses that sell age-restricted products? This is where identity and age verification solutions step in.

Proper age checks are gaining prominence for countless reasons worldwide. In fact, even the queen mentioned the importance of age checks in her speech back in 2016. Based on recent news, companies such as those that sell e-cigarettes are in hot waters because of selling harmful items to underage customers. In this blog, we will be looking at some industrial use cases of online age verification.

Responsibility lies with Businesses

As online age verification continues to gain some ground, numerous online businesses are beginning to realize their responsibility to equip themselves with advanced age verification methods. Where before simply asking “Are You Above 18?” might have sufficed, it is no longer adequate anymore. This is because minors can simply deceive the system and lie about their date of birth to gain access into a platform or buy age-restricted goods. For the businesses that are still dodging this responsibility, accusing parents for not keeping a check on children’s online activity is diminishing.

Weeding out end-users that do not meet the legal age requirements is imperative for businesses if they wish to stay on the right side of the law. To do this, they need to have adequate age check mechanisms in place. Any service that is adopted in this regard, must have an ability to monitor customers on an ongoing basis to ensure customers meet legal requirements.

Since technology and regulation both are advancing, novel methods of conducting age verification are being introduced. This means that businesses no longer have to rely on the tick-the-box technique and can instead adopt a much advanced approach. Third-party services are often utilized by age-restricted platforms, such as an online dating app, gaming website, gambling platform, casino, ammunition trading site, e-cigarette or tobacco sellers, etc.

Verifying Age: The “Age Verification Online” Method

Whether you sell alcohol online or own an online casino, regulatory authorities mandate you to carry business based on KYC regulations. Numerous age-restricted platforms face the difficulty of coming up with the best strategy to stay compliant while also maintaining profits and a strong customer base. However, the solution is quite simple.

Age verification online is a technique of weeding out minors through the use of an identity verification solution. These solutions collect customer data online during the initial stage of registration. Once the customer’s age has been verified, they can continue to register online and make the most of the products and services available online. Let’s take a look at the age verification process that takes place in case a minor attempts to purchase an adult-based product online.

5 Simple Steps for Online Age Verification

Here’s what happens when an underage user tries to enter an online platform:

1. The customer is asked to enter Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as their full name and date of birth
2. They are also required to submit an official ID document, such as an ID card
3. In some cases, customers are also required to display their face in the camera, so that biometric information can be extracted
4. The artificial intelligence-backed identity verification solution not only cross-matches the image on the ID card against the selfie, but also performs age verification simultaneously
5. If any discrepancy is found in the information provided, the minor is denied access to the platform

The Bottom Line

Providing tailored content to customers has now become an easy task, all thanks to the emergence of AI-powered technologies. Online businesses can swiftly perform age verification procedures, allowing them to onboard legitimate age appropriate users. Added benefits of using robust solutions for verifying customers are not confined to this, as they also add value through:

• Fraud detection
• Cost minimization
• KYC compliance
• Efficient risk management.