United States of America: Issued FTC decision rejecting application for approval of "Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation" mechanism for obtaining parental consent under COPPA

On 29 March 2024, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rejected the application by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, Yoti, and SuperAwesome for approval of a new mechanism for obtaining parental consent under the Children Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule). The technology of "Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation" is designed to verify an adult's identity by analysing facial geometry. After receiving over 350 comments, the FTC voted 4-0 to reject the application without prejudice to the applicants filing in the future. The FTC anticipates that additional information will be available to assist both the FTC and the public in better understanding age verification technologies and their application.