Credential Manager integrates Zero-Knowledge Proof technology for age verification. This cryptographic method enables visitors today to prove they are over 18, without revealing any additional information, including who they are.
Looking ahead, it offers the promise to adapt to more age sources and specific age bands, including for those under 18, contingent on further work to define standards and specify appropriate protections. We urge age assurance providers and app and web developers to build on this secure infrastructure for Android devices.
Taking responsibility for age assurance
Other companies have proposed different approaches. One proposal would require device operating systems to take care of age verification on behalf of websites — reengineering the protocols that have defined the decentralized web in ways that are hard to fully predict.
Another would require mobile app stores to verify visitors’ ages on behalf of mobile apps. Billed as “simple” by its backers, including Meta, this proposal fails to cover desktop computers or other devices that are commonly shared within families. It also could be ineffective against pre-installed apps, as Meta’s often are.
Even more worryingly, it would require the sharing of granular age band data with millions of developers who don’t need it. We have strong concerns about the risks this “solution” would pose to children.
Looking ahead
The online landscape is ever-evolving. Tools like Credential Manager show how protections for children can evolve with it. We look forward to supporting cooperation among experts, regulators, and families to refine age assurance and expand the offerings that make it possible.
