EUROPE LAUNCHES PRIVACY‑FIRST AGE VERIFICATION APP TO PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE ONLINE

THE PRESS CENTER | THE MORSE CODE | TECHNOLOGY

APR 19 2026 AT 1:53 PM

New York —

Europe is done listening to tech platforms explain why they “can’t” verify users’ ages.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled a new EU-wide age‑verification app designed to give people a secure digital proof of age — without forcing them to hand over personal data to every website they visit.

The rollout comes amid mounting global pressure on tech companies to better safeguard minors online. Many platforms have argued that age checks require collecting sensitive information, raising both privacy and logistical concerns.

The EU’s new system aims to eliminate those barriers entirely.

“Online platforms can easily rely on our age verification app. So there are no more excuses,” von der Leyen and EU Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said in a joint statement. “Europe offers a free and easy-to-use solution that can shield our children from harmful and illegal content.”

To use the app, individuals upload a government-issued ID, such as a passport or national identity card. Platforms can then query the app to confirm whether a user meets a required age threshold — for example, 16 or 18, depending on local laws — without ever seeing the person’s birthdate or other identifying details.

Von der Leyen emphasized in a LinkedIn post that the tool will meet what she described as the “highest privacy standards in the world.”

SOURCE CREDIT: CNN.COM