EU Pilots Privacy-Preserving Digital Age Verification System in Five Member States

The European Commission has selected Greece, France, Spain, Italy, and Denmark to pilot a new digital age verification system designed to protect minors online while maintaining user privacy. The initiative centers on a privacy-preserving “mini-wallet” blueprint, which serves as a technical forerunner to the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) planned for full rollout by the end of 2026.

The pilot project is being developed under a contract awarded on February 11, 2025, to the T-Scy consortium, led by Deutsche Telekom’s T-Systems and Swedish digital identity firm Scytáles AB. The European Commission announced the selection on Safer Internet Day, emphasizing the system’s potential to enhance child safety and support legal compliance for digital platforms across the EU.

The new system allows users to download a national age verification app that can securely link to existing identity documents, such as national eIDs, passports, or ID cards. When individuals attempt to access online services that require age checks, the app generates cryptographic proofs confirming only the necessary information, such as whether the user is over 18, without disclosing personal identity data. This prevents platforms from collecting or tracking sensitive details about users.

The blueprint’s privacy architecture separates the processes of credential issuance and presentation, ensuring that service providers cannot trace individual users across multiple online services. Once verification is complete, the link between the user and the proof provider is broken, safeguarding anonymity. Technical specifications and MIT-licensed source code for the system are publicly available through the project’s official site at ageverification.dev, enabling member states and private companies to build localized solutions while maintaining privacy protections.

“Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk,” said Henna Virkkunen, a Member of the European Parliament and lead rapporteur on key digital policy files, underscoring the urgency of robust age verification tools. The pilot supports Article 28(1) of the Digital Services Act, which obliges digital platforms to ensure high levels of privacy, security, and safety for minors using their services.

The Commission has issued detailed guidance for online child protection, addressing risks such as addictive platform designs, cyberbullying, and algorithmic content recommendations. The age verification system is intended to help platforms comply with these guidelines without resorting to invasive data collection or age estimation technologies that could compromise privacy.

Participating member states can tailor the service to national requirements by integrating it into existing digital government apps or launching it as a standalone solution. Future roadmap updates for the pilot include adding more proof-of-age methods and incorporating advanced zero-knowledge proof technologies to further strengthen privacy safeguards.

The project builds on existing EU digital identity frameworks and signals a significant step toward a unified, privacy-focused digital identity ecosystem. The European Commission plans to extend the service to additional member states in coordination with national authorities and Digital Services Coordinators as part of its broader digital strategy.

Sources: To Vima, Mobile World Live

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By Cass Kennedy