European Commission Seeks Tenders for Zero-Knowledge Age Verification Solution

The European Commission has issued a call for tenders to develop a privacy-preserving age verification solution, part of its ongoing efforts to protect minors online in line with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The tender is open from 15 October 2024 until 18 November 2024, with a budget of EUR 4 million, and is funded through an amendment to the Digital Europe Programme.

The solution aims to ensure that online platforms, particularly very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large search engines (VLOSEs), comply with the DSA’s requirements to enhance the security, safety, and privacy of minors, a key priority of the Commission’s Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy.

The tender calls for the development, consultancy, and support of a technical solution that verifies a user’s age while preserving their privacy. Specifically, the goal is to create a Zero-Knowledge Proof protocol, which allows for the confirmation of age (18 years or older) without revealing any additional personal information. This privacy-centric approach ensures that minors’ data is protected while providing a robust method of age verification.

The tender specifies that the solution should be developed with input from Member States and other stakeholders to meet diverse needs across the EU.

In addition to the age verification functionality, the Commission envisions a white-label application that Member States can adapt, localize, and publish through app stores. This application would be able to perform not only age checks but could also be expanded to handle other verification needs. The proposal emphasizes scalability and flexibility, ensuring that the solution can be reused in various contexts beyond age verification.

The Commission’s call for tenders responds to the increasing need for robust protections for vulnerable users, including minors, as digital services expand across the EU. The initiative aligns with key priorities identified in the Louvain-la-Neuve Declaration, which urged the integration of tools from the DSA and the European Digital Identity Wallet to enhance user protection.

The news comes as France grapples with its own regulations around age-gating access to pornographic websites, with a recent judicial ruling ordering Internet Service Providers to block access to non-EU adult websites that fail to implement robust age checks.

Source: European Commission

–

October 23, 2024 – by Cass Kennedy and Alex Perala