Incode launches on-device age checks for platforms

Incode has launched an on-device age estimation product for online age checks, and Discord is testing the system.

The product runs age estimation and liveness detection on a user's phone, tablet, or laptop instead of sending facial data to external servers. No biometric data is transmitted or stored during the process, Incode said. Only the age estimate and metadata used to detect tampering are sent onward.

The launch comes as online platforms face tighter age assurance rules in several markets. Incode pointed to more than 30 age assurance laws now in force worldwide, including enforcement of the UK Online Safety Act's requirement for "highly effective" age checks and broader European efforts to strengthen protections for minors online.

Age estimation has become one of the main alternatives to checks based on official identity documents. It can be used without a government ID or a database search, making it relevant for users who do not have documents available when asked to prove their age.

The service combines age estimation with passive liveness detection designed to identify spoofing attempts and deepfakes. According to Incode, this includes checks for fake camera feeds and replayed video presented in place of a live user.

Privacy focus

Incode is positioning the product around privacy as regulators and platforms try to balance child safety rules with concerns about collecting sensitive personal data. Analysing the face on the device means neither Incode nor the platform requesting the age check can access a stored face image or biometric record from the session, the company said.

This is the first time Incode has made its facial age estimation models available fully on device, according to the company. It is also the company's first product to pair on-device age estimation with its anti-spoofing and deepfake defences.

For social media, gaming, and other consumer internet services, the debate over age checks has widened beyond technical accuracy to include user trust. ID upload systems have drawn criticism from some privacy campaigners and users reluctant to share passports, driving licences, or selfies with platforms and third-party verification providers.

Incode's launch reflects a wider push across the identity technology market to limit the amount of personal data exchanged during compliance checks. Companies in the sector are increasingly trying to show they can meet regulatory standards while reducing the storage and transfer of facial imagery and other sensitive information.

Ricardo Amper, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Incode, set out the company's position on the issue.

"We have always believed that privacy and fraud prevention are not a tradeoff, but part of the same problem - solved together or not at all," Amper said.

"Age checks are becoming law around the world. Our job is to do what we can so that proving your age asks as little of the user as possible," he said.

Market position

Incode operates in identity verification and fraud prevention, serving banks, telecoms groups, neobanks, and online marketplaces. Its systems have been trained on more than 7 billion trust checks and more than 400 million profiles worldwide, according to the company.

Its customer base includes eight of the top 10 US banks, eight of the top nine US telecoms companies, three of the top three global neobanks, and four of the top five global marketplaces, Incode said. The company describes itself as a global provider of identity and age verification tools, with a workforce of more than 600 people across more than 25 nationalities.

For platforms under pressure to show that minors are not accessing restricted services, an on-device model narrows the data trail created by the check itself. The result is a system in which the user proves their age while the face remains on the device, according to Incode.