A bold leap forward in age assurance with the first open standard for truly privacy-preserving, reusable age credential for the internet
OpenAge, an initiative led by k-ID, debuted today at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) Annual Conference. OpenAge brings together global policy & safety experts, leading platforms and providers of trusted age signals, to establish a user-centric, privacy-first framework for age assurance globally. The OpenAge Initiative is solving what has long been viewed as the internet’s insurmountable challenge: how to at the scale of the internet and in a privacy preserving manner, have trusted and frictionless age assurance to fulfil the societal need of protecting children while preserving freedoms and anonymity for all.
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How to create an AgeKey?
The OpenAge Initiative was launched to reflect the industry need for a common interoperable framework. The thought leaders and organizations that have been at the forefront of addressing these issues have been invited to form the Advisory Board of OpenAge to ensure it abides by the highest standards of online safety, privacy, child rights, and interoperability. To this end, OpenAge will receive expert input from the founding members of its independent Advisory Board:
- Baroness Joanna Shields - Chair (Founder of WeProtect)
- Stephen Balkam (CEO of FOSI)
- David Wright CBE (CEO of SWGfL)
- Natascha Gerlach (Director of Privacy of CIPL)
At the centre of OpenAge is AgeKey, a reusable digital age signal built on the FIDO Alliance and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, under the WebAuthn and FIDO2 specifications. Passkeys are natively supported across all major operating systems and browsers. The innovation of using this method for an age signal allows users to verify their age once, store that verification as an AgeKey on their own device, and then reuse it securely across multiple services, reducing friction while protecting personal data. In addition, leveraging k-ID universal AgeKit API that is updated monthly across 200+ jurisdictions, each age signal returns the categorisation of an age adapted to regulation in each jurisdiction as either a Child, a Digital Youth or an Adult.
To solve the challenge of age assurance globally and launch OpenAge, k-ID acquired the French company Opale.io, original developer of AgeKey. Opale has built its patent-pending solution grounded in the double-blind anonymity design framework established by French regulator ARCOM. This ensures there is no trackability or traceability as to where an AgeKey is initially created or used. The AgeKey only ever returns if a user has passed the applicable threshold age. Websites or apps can filter what AgeKeys they accept based on method, provider and recency of the underlying age signal contained within the AgeKey.
AgeKey will accept government-issued identity credentials from native wallets such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet. This provides the highest evidence of proof-of-age without having to repeatedly share more information than required via their government IDs. Once the proof becomes an AgeKey, then its privacy properties including site-specific passkey identifiers plus the double-blind architecture ensure there is no issuer–verifier or verifier–verifier correlation. In 2026, ~130 million US Citizens will have access to Digital IDs and through OpenAge collaboration with SpruceID they can elect to use their credentials to create an AgeKey dedicated for simple, fast, privacy-preserving age assurance. This will apply also for emerging EU Digital Identity Wallets and other standards-based credentials worldwide. Wallet credentials are one convenient option among many for creating an AgeKey, alongside certified and trusted selfie/face checks, ID scans, or bank-grade credentials such as ConnectID® in Australia: expanding choice, accessibility, and privacy so we protect children without drifting into a checkpoint society.
AgeKeys have been extensively tested over the last few months and have been used some 5 million times across a number of sites. This first phase of deployment has collectively saved users over 100,000 hours (some 95% reduction in time) compared to traditional age-assurance methods, and minimized the privacy risks associated with repeated biometric uploads for multiple verifications.
AgeKey is already live within k-ID’s core technology stack, with rollouts underway across a number of leading platforms, mostly launching in December this year to meet the upcoming regulatory requirements in Australia, followed by Brazil. Designed for universal adoption, as of today any website, app or verification provider can integrate AgeKey through lightweight APIs. For users, AgeKey will always be free, private, and optional. For sites and apps offering AgeKeys, there is a transparent framework where AgeKey usage contributes just fractions of a cent to sustain the initiative.
AgeKey has been evaluated by ESRB Privacy Certified as part of its certification of k-ID’s COPPA-compliant parental consent flow. The technology, based on approved verifiable parental consent methods recognized under COPPA, preserves privacy and enhances security by eliminating the need for repeated ID checks while maintaining compliance with the FTC’s requirements.
Users can create their own AgeKey today at agekey.org and find out more information regarding the OpenAge Initiative at OpenAgeInitiative.org or email contact@openageinitiative.org if interested to integrate this market ready solution.
Quotes:
Baroness Joanna Shields, OpenAge Advisory Board Chair & Founder of WeProtect
“Having worked at the forefront of technology and government, I’ve seen the power of innovation and the responsibility it brings. The OpenAge initiative proves that safety and privacy can move forward together. For the first time, we have a standard for age assurance that is simple, reusable, and privacy-first. It’s proof we can build a digital world grounded in trust, dignity, and protection for the next generation.”
Julian Corbett, Head of OpenAge at k-ID
“We realized early on at k-ID that no single company could solve online age assurance alone. What the world needs is a shared standard, one that works seamlessly across platforms, jurisdictions, and technologies; and importantly one that guarantees absolute privacy and can be adopted at the scale of the internet. OpenAge is that collective solution."
Stephen Balkam, CEO, Family Online Safety Institute
“OpenAge has the potential to be transformational. It represents a significant jump forward in age assurance technology that offers improved accuracy, privacy, affordability and interoperability for companies, and efficiency and choice for users.”
David Wright, CEO, SWGfL
“Age assurance has rapidly become a significant technology with global relevance, and this new initiative has the potential to support wider adoption. I am delighted to share our perspective and experience as part of this esteemed advisory board.”
Bojana Bellamy, President, Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL)
“The protection of children online while enabling their access to beneficial resources requires an innovative approach - doubling down on organisational accountability, investing in privacy-preserving technologies and risk-based measures and tools that are proportionate to both potential harms and benefits of online experiences. We must all urgently engage in creating solutions that enable twin goals of reliability and trust.”
Organisations and platforms interested in participating in OpenAge can learn more at OpenAgeInitiative.org
About AgeKey
AgeKey is a reusable, FIDO-based age-verification credential developed by OpenAge. It lets individuals or parents verify their age once, using approved methods such as Facial Age Estimation, credit-card or government-ID checks, and reuse that token securely across services without revealing personal information.
Because AgeKey is built on the global FIDO2 standard, developed by the FIDO Alliance and W3C, it stores only the user’s age signal and no personal information. By leveraging passkey technology, it delivers a seamless, instant experience: it takes just about 3 seconds to verify age.
About k-ID
k-ID enables any user, regardless of age or location, to have an age-appropriate and locally compliant online experience. Through its suite of tools for developers, publishers, and platforms, k-ID solves the complex issue of privacy and online safety for young audiences on a global scale. Clients include Discord, Twitch, Hasbro, Another Axiom, Supercell, and many more. For more information, visit OpenAgeInitiative.org
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251110709762/en/
New industry initiative on age verification, OpenAge, launches today. Led by k-ID, OpenAge brings together global policy & safety experts, leading platforms and providers of trusted age signals, to establish a user-centric, privacy-first framework for age.