Identity verification platform Persona and ConnectID, Australia’s bank-backed digital identity exchange, has announced that their integrated solution delivers age assurance for the Australian market, designed to help businesses comply with Australia’s legislation setting a minimum age for social media access.
Under the integrated approach, users confirm their age through their existing financial institution rather than submitting identity documents directly to a social media platform. During a verification transaction, the user selects their bank from a list of participating institutions that includes CommBank, NAB, ANZ Plus, and Westpac. Authentication takes place inside the bank’s own app interface. Only an age confirmation, either Over 16 or Over 18, is transmitted to the requesting business. No name, date of birth, or other personal data leaves the bank, and neither Persona nor ConnectID stores sensitive personal information from the transaction. The solution aligns with the ISO/IEC 27566 framework for age assurance systems.
ConnectID is the first non-government identity exchange accredited by the Australian Government and is owned by Australian Payments Plus (AP+). The exchange previously demonstrated production readiness through ConnectID’s rollout with Telstra for mobile service verification in early 2025. ConnectID’s accredited status sits within Australia’s national digital ID framework and social media age requirements, which the government established in late 2024.
Both companies participated in Australia’s 2025 Age Assurance Technology Trial, where they were assessed at among the highest technology readiness levels available, signaling deployment readiness. The partnership is a direct commercial response to Australia’s under-16 social media ban legislation, which was proposed in November 2024 and subsequently enacted.
Rick Iversen, Head of ConnectID, said the priority is to protect young people online without creating new privacy risks. Daniel Lee, Product Manager at Persona, said the company is focused on supporting organizations navigating complex age assurance rollouts globally. Persona was founded in 2018, is headquartered in San Francisco, and serves clients across more than 200 countries and territories.
The ISO/IEC 27566 compliance and the government trial results give the solution a regulatory foundation that Persona and ConnectID say distinguishes it from approaches that require users to submit documents directly to the platform requesting verification. The government trial assessed solutions against criteria including privacy protection, accuracy, and technical readiness.
The announcement was distributed via PR Newswire on April 20, 2026.
Sources: PR Newswire
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
