Age Verification API - Minors Protection Under Regulations
Tags: ageveriication, ageverificationsolution, verifyage, ai
Published: 2021-07-06 06:49:37

[Age Verification](https://www.shuftipro.com/age-verification) has been in the mainstream long ago, a more relative hike of the e-commerce industry. It gained more spotlight when the US Food and Drug Administration approved it as essential for businesses. It was done to help in the prevention of underage drugs sales online. No doubt, e-commerce has given countless benefits to the masses. They can get all their desired products by staying at home. It does not require a visit or any other contact with the shopkeeper. Instead, it just requires customers to pick products, drop them in the card, choose a payment method and get the delivery. Payment options COD (Cash on Delivery) and online transfer give customers are also well- appreciated by customers.

Late deliveries and failed transactions are not the issues with e-commerce only. Access to age-restricted products by minors is also a rising one. With time, the product range and customer access widens, which seems to be good but not completely. Now almost everyone can access e-commerce websites. Kids use digital services more often, they can get access to age-restricted products and services easily. Thus, e-commerce should have some appropriate age limits set for the sale of products. 

#Age Verification API - How the Solution is Integrated

Not all products are for kids, as discussed earlier, drugs and some electronic items can harm kids’ mental and physical health if used inappropriately. Minors are not mature enough to decide what’s good for them, they can order a drill machine from an online store. It might look like a toy, but it can have serious outcomes if not used properly. Placing an order on e-stores is much easier and lack of proper age verification can raise unbearable outcomes. 

Age verification is no more just a requirement but a regulation now, businesses that are obliged to do so can get penalized if they lack age verification. Later we will discuss the regulations of some countries in more detail. 

#COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act)

It was legislated by the US in 1998 but became functional in 2000. It pushes organizations on children’s privacy and requires FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to enforce this regulation, which can also issue notices for non-compliance. Rather than FTC, COPPA also gives authority to the federal and state agencies to implement privacy regulations within the jurisdiction of the US. 

It obligates businesses to inform parents over the use of their information and demand a VPC (Verifiable Parental Consent). It mandates them to collect minimum data, ensure its confidentiality and privacy. The integrity of kids should not be compromised in any case.

The primary motive of COPPA is to inform parents over the age of 13 on the use of their kids' data. If businesses operating in the US do not comply with the COPPA protocols, they can be fined by the FTC. 

The [Age Verification Solution](https://www.shuftipro.com/age-verification) is integrated into web or mobile applications’ modules using restful APIs. It does not alter the processing of the applications. During the sign-up process,  users’ identity is confirmed using cutting-edge KYC technology. Users are required to upload the images of their ID documents. These documents must be issued by some government authority and have a facial photo on them such as Passports, ID Cards, or Driving licenses. 

Upon uploading images of IDs, the users also have to click selfies in real-time that are later used for facial recognition.  The software checks the similarity between photo ID and selfie, and if they appear to be of the same individual, the facial recognition is marked verified. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) makes the document PC editable so that the data can be cross-matched. The DOB gives the exact age of the user and the age limit set by the business is confirmed.

#Wrapping it Up

The verification is done in real-time using AI-powered KYC software. Businesses can have a better position among common users by using an age verification solution. Also, they can have a higher revenue because they do not have to pay fines.