FTC Denies Approval for Biometric Age Estimation Tool

FTC Denies Approval for Biometric Age Estimation Tool

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has denied approval to three age verification companies that were seeking to implement a biometric solution to meet Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requirements.

The four FTC commissioners voted unanimously to reject the application jointly submitted last June by Yoti, the Entertainment Software Rating Board and SuperAwesome. 

The companies’ “Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation” system would “analyze the geometry of a user’s face to confirm the person is an adult and can access certain content,” tech law news site NextGov reported.

“The FTC confirmed that 354 comments raised concerns with the software’s data collection and storage capabilities, particularly in regards to generating deepfake content, along with other privacy violations.”

Yoti also submitted the same biometric model to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); that evaluation and report are forthcoming.

The FTC left open the possibility of revisiting the technology and the rejected application, stating that it expects that the NIST report “will materially assist the Commission, and the public, in better understanding age verification technologies.” 

Evan Greer, of digital rights group Fight for the Future, called the rejection of the AV companies’ application “another great move from the FTC.”

“A world where you get your face scanned to access a website is not a safer world,” Greer posted on X.com. “There is no ‘privacy protective’ way to scan people’s faces in order to estimate their age.”

A Yoti rep told XBIZ the company is disappointed that the FTC declined to either issue a substantive decision or delay further ruling on the application.

"The ESRB, Yoti, and Kids Web Services filed the application in June 2023, and the commission twice extended its decision on the application beyond the 120-day period set forth in the COPPA rule," the rep explained. "The commission’s letter indicates that it believes it would be helpful to be able to review, as part of its decision-making process, a report about facial age estimation models that is anticipated to be released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in April. Unfortunately, instead of accommodating our request to stay its decision for another 90 days to give the commission sufficient time for consideration of the NIST report, the FTC declined the application without prejudice."

In light of the FTC’s recent statements welcoming innovation in verifiable parental consent (VPC) methods, the rep added, Yoti "remains hopeful that facial age estimation and other innovative technologies will be considered COPPA-compliant when used to obtain verifiable parental consent in the near future."

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More