OCR Studio Joins the AVPA to Advance Privacy-First Age Assurance

OCR Studio, a developer of identity verification solutions, has joined the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) – the global trade body representing independent providers of privacy-protecting, standards-based age assurance technologies. The membership reflects OCR Studio’s commitment to helping online platforms meet growing age assurance requirements while minimizing personal data exposure during age-restricted access checks.

As governments and regulators introduce stricter online safety rules, including the UK Online Safety Act, EU Digital Services Act, and US state-level age verification laws, platforms are moving beyond simple age gates and self-declaration forms. The conversation is also gaining momentum in regions such as the UAE, where policymakers and industry stakeholders are increasingly discussing restrictions on under-16 access to social media. Social media services, adult content platforms, online gaming providers, marketplaces, fintech companies, and other digital services increasingly need reliable ways to confirm whether a user meets a required age threshold without turning age checks into full identity verification procedures. This shift makes privacy-preserving age assurance a critical part of online access infrastructure.

“Age assurance is becoming one of the key trust layers of the modern Internet, and regulators are increasingly clear that confirming age should not require exposing full identity data. AVPA plays a key role in shaping this approach by promoting standards-based, privacy-preserving age assurance that focuses on verifying eligibility rather than identity. As more jurisdictions adopt stricter requirements, the industry needs solutions that can deliver reliable age decisions while minimizing data collection and reducing risks for both platforms and users”, – Konstantin Bulatov, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of OCR Studio.

OCR Studio delivers this model through client-side age verification technology running directly in the browser via WebAssembly. The system captures ID documents using the device camera, extracts the date of birth locally, and determines whether the required age threshold is met, with optional selfie-to-ID matching to mitigate borrowed document fraud.

OCR Studio’s age verification workflow is designed to keep sensitive identity data on the user’s device. Document images, selfies, and extracted personal data do not need to be transmitted to external servers or stored by the platform, helping businesses reduce data protection risks while supporting compliance with modern privacy and online safety requirements.

About the AVPA

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) is the global trade body for independent providers of privacy-protecting, standards-based age assurance technologies. Founded in 2018, the non-profit association works to make the Internet age-aware by informing the public, industry, and media about age verification and age estimation solutions, promoting privacy-preserving age assurance, and representing the sector before regulators and lawmakers to advance best practice.