Prawne

Age Assurance Information (UK Online Safety Act)

27 November 2025

Introduction

This page explains how our service (“we”, “us”, “the platform”) applies Age Assurance measures required under the UK Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) and Ofcom’s Age Assurance Guidance

Our responsibility is to ensure that children are not normally able to encounter adult (18+) content or adult-only live video interactions when accessing our platform from the United Kingdom.

This document provides:

  • an overview of our Age Assurance methods,
  • how each method works,
  • what data we process,
  • our privacy and data minimisation practices,
  • how long information is retained,
  • accuracy & effectiveness standards,
  • how to challenge an incorrect result.

We use the least intrusive and most privacy-preserving methods possible, while still meeting the OSA requirement for "highly effective" age assurance.

Why Age Assurance Is Required

Under the UK Online Safety Act, platforms that provide access to adult content must:

  • confirm that users accessing 18+ features are adults,
  • use Age Assurance measures that are "highly effective",
  • provide clear and accessible information explaining how the process works.

Because our platform contains 18+ live video interactions and other adult-only content, we must verify that users are 18 or older before granting access to these features.

Types of Age Verification Methods

One or more of the following may be offered.

We use two internal age-verification methods. Both are processed entirely on our own systems, without any third-party applications or external verification providers.

1. Facial Age Estimation (Highly Effective Age Assurance)

This is our primary method.

How it works

  • The user is asked to briefly show their face on the webcam.
  • Our internal system analyzes facial geometry to estimate whether the user is 18+.
  • The image is processed ephemerally and is not stored.
  • We receive only a simple outcome: "18+ confirmed" or "Not confirmed."

What it does NOT do

  • does not identify the user,
  • does not match the face to a database,
  • does not use third-party apps or providers.

Why is it accepted

Ofcom’s Age Assurance Guidance lists facial age estimation as a method capable of being “highly effective” when accuracy and bias controls are applied.

We use this method because it is:

  • fast,
  • privacy-preserving,
  • minimally intrusive,
  • suitable for real-time video environments.

Accuracy and fairness

We regularly review the performance of our facial age estimation system to ensure:

  • appropriate accuracy levels,
  • absence of discriminatory bias,
  • consistent results across age groups.

Performance is monitored and updated in accordance with industry standards.

2. Document-Based Age Verification (Selfie Video + Passport)

A secondary, stronger option available when:

  • additional assurance is required, or
  • the user cannot complete facial age estimation.

How it works

  • The user uploads a short selfie video holding their passport.
  • Our internal system confirms:
    • the passport's date of birth indicates adulthood, and
    • that the live selfie video matches the document holder.

What it does NOT do

  • We do not store the passport image after verification, unless temporary short-term storage is required for fraud prevention and security.
  • No external verification provider is used.

Why is it accepted

Document-based age verification is considered highly effective by Ofcom because:

  • passports contain verified dates of birth,
  • live selfie checks prevent impersonation or fraud.

3. No Third-Party Providers

All Age Assurance operations are performed entirely on our internal systems:

  • No external vendors
  • No third-party apps
  • No external identity services
  • No external biometric engines

This ensures:

  • full control over data processing,
  • minimal data exposure,
  • consistent application of privacy and security policies.

All images and videos used for age verification are processed temporarily and deleted immediately after the result is produced.

4. Repeat Age Checks

To maintain accuracy and reliability:

  • After successful verification, users may continue using adult features for a defined period (e.g., 30 days) without re-verifying.
  • After this period, the user may be asked to perform a new facial age estimation.
  • We may also request re-verification if:
    • the user switches devices,
    • suspicious or unusual behaviour is detected,
    • required by updated OSA regulations.

This ensures that Age Assurance remains accurate over time.

5. Contesting an Incorrect Age Result

If you believe your age result is incorrect:

1. You may retry the check.

2. You may switch to the document-based verification method.

3. If the issue persists, you may contact our support team:

Email: support@coomeet.com

We review all requests, but because we receive only a binary age outcome (pass/fail), we cannot access internal scoring or reasoning to explain why a check failed.

6. Privacy & Data Protection

Our Age Assurance processes comply with:

  • UK GDPR,
  • Online Safety Act 2023,
  • Ofcom Age Assurance Guidance,
  • principles of privacy-preserving biometric processing.