On-device Biometric Age Verification: Redefining Digital Security

Published Date : 9/30/2025 

Explore how Trust Stamp, Privately, and TruSources are revolutionizing age verification with on-device biometric solutions, addressing the shortcomings of current systems and ensuring robust security and privacy. 

Trust Stamp, a leading biometric technology firm based in Atlanta, is not mincing words about the rollout of age verification laws around the world, particularly in the UK. According to Trust Stamp, these laws, while well-intentioned, are failing under real-world pressure. The company's President, Andrew Gowasack, states, “We are witnessing a systemic failure in real-time. Well-intentioned laws are being rendered useless overnight because they are built on a fundamentally broken premise. You cannot verify a device or an IP address and pretend you have verified a person. The entire framework is a house of cards, and the surge in VPN use is the gust of wind that’s knocking it down.”

Trust Stamp believes that a combination of biometric bound credentials and zero knowledge proofs (ZKPs) is the solution to reverse the “catastrophic failure of the current approach.” Their proprietary biometric binding technology, TrustedAge, generates a biometric key that, after a one-time verification, is permanently cryptographically locked to one user. “A live biometric capture confirms the rightful owner is present for every session, making the credential worthless to anyone else,” explains Gowasack.

Trust Stamp entered TrustedAge into the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT) for on-device processing. The company reports that testing found the technology to be suitable for deployment in the Challenge 25 policy area, with a Mean Predicted Age of 18.2 against the Mean Actual Age of 17.81. Gowasack warns that the U.S. is in danger of following the same path as the UK, where rampant VPN use has rendered age verification laws unenforceable. “A wholesale rejection of the system’s viability, proving a critical flaw: verification without biometric binding is merely security theater,” he emphasizes.

“What we’re seeing in the UK is a preview of the chaos coming to America,” Gowasack adds. “A tidal wave of similar, flawed legislation is hitting two dozen U.S. states right now. Companies are scrambling for a solution, facing a compliance nightmare with fines up to $10,000 per incident. They are about to learn the hard way that their current systems are flawed.”

Trust Stamp’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Norman Poh, notes that legacy systems relying on simply unlocking a device are no longer sufficient. The ZKP-based approach “authenticates the user directly, instead of relying on the device as an authenticator,” he explains.

Switzerland is among the nations debating age verification, and Privately, a Lausanne-headquartered firm, is positioned to support age checks with privacy-preserving, fully anonymous facial age estimation (FAE). Privately already provides age estimation for retail stores across the UK, U.S., and France, preventing up to eight underage sales per store each day. Deepak Tewari, CEO of Privately, states that AI-based facial age estimation technology has matured faster than most regulators realize. “Recent regulatory announcements in the UK, Australia, and U.S. have shown an overwhelming acceptance of age estimation technology as a means of highly effective age assurance,” Tewari says. “Switzerland has its own legislation coming shortly, and we’ve shown it is possible to protect children online and in physical settings, in a way that protects privacy and avoids the need for an intrusive ID check.”

Tewari believes most users will choose facial age estimation over an ID check. “It is quicker, smarter, and a more practical solution for most use cases,” he adds. “As lawmakers introduce new rules, they must fully understand the solutions already available.” Privately also highlights its product’s evaluation in the Australian Government’s recent Age Assurance Technology Trial. “Privately was the only provider offering fully on-device processing, ensuring no image or biometric data of the consumer ever leaves their devices, offering the highest data privacy guarantees in the industry,” Tewari notes.

Building on its device-based age tools, Privately is currently testing technology for age-gating ads and promotions in stores across Switzerland. Tewari says the tailored ads tool “opens up the possibility of compliant promotions across digital, in-store, and retail media channels.”

Fresh startup TruSources hopes on-device age verification can address some of the privacy and security concerns surrounding age check technology. An article in TechCrunch reports that the company has developed a deepfake detection app and a KYC app, which can verify a user’s liveness on-device in a few seconds. TruSources’ founder and CTO, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, who previously worked on the core encryption engine at WhatsApp, explains that TruSources’ technology relies on a custom machine learning model baked into its apps. This model “detects patterns from an existing dataset that the company developed to spot deepfakes and false identity cards.”

The tool can be integrated with apps, websites, and corporate single sign-on devices, and can also produce a QR code for use in physical situations. A case study on its website describes an integration with Okta, a leading identity and access management provider. TruSources aims to provide a robust, privacy-preserving solution to the growing need for secure age verification in the digital age. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is biometric age estimation (FAE)?

A: Biometric age estimation (FAE) is a technology that uses facial recognition to estimate a person's age. It is designed to be privacy-preserving and can be used to verify age without requiring an ID check.

Q: How does Trust Stamp's TrustedAge technology work?

A: TrustedAge is a biometric binding technology that generates a biometric key which is permanently cryptographically locked to one user. A live biometric capture confirms the rightful owner is present for every session, making the credential worthless to anyone else.

Q: What is the main issue with current age verification laws?

A: Current age verification laws often rely on verifying devices or IP addresses rather than the actual person. This approach is vulnerable to bypassing through methods like VPNs, making the laws largely ineffective.

Q: What is the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT)?

A: The AATT is a trial conducted by the Australian government to evaluate various age verification technologies. It aims to identify effective and privacy-preserving solutions for age assurance.

Q: How does TruSources' technology differ from other age verification methods?

A: TruSources' technology uses a custom machine learning model to detect deepfakes and false identity cards. It provides on-device processing, ensuring that no biometric data leaves the user's device, thus offering high data privacy. 

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