Regulated retail
Alcohol and age-restricted goods at self-checkout and staffed tills.
retail gateRegulated access
Age verification
Eligibility checks for regulated retail, social platforms, and hospitality with zero-knowledge paths and no standing profile at the verifier. AffixIO returns ML-DSA-65 signed allow or deny. Underlying records stay in systems that already own them. Auditors review proof metadata, not document images.
AGE GATESZK PROOFZERO PIIML-DSA-65RETAILPLATFORMS
At a glance
- Product
- Privacy-preserving yes or no age eligibility verification
- Scope
- Retail, hospitality, social platforms, gaming
- Method
- Noir zero-knowledge circuits prove age predicates
- Retention
- Zero PII at verifier by default
- Signatures
- ML-DSA-65 post-quantum
- Regulation
- Architectural alignment with GDPR Article 25
Privacy-preserving age verification returns a signed allow or deny that a user meets an age predicate without uploading identity documents to every vendor database. AffixIO proves the rule was satisfied without revealing date of birth or document images at the boundary.
The challenge
Why age checks create privacy risk
Age checks often require uploading identity documents to yet another vendor database. That creates privacy risk and regulatory scope expansion.
Document hoarding
Each retailer and platform builds a copy of ID images. Breach surface multiplies.
Regulatory scope
Storing age verification data triggers GDPR duties beyond the original check.
Platform liability
Social platforms need defensible evidence of age gating without retaining minors' documents.
False positives
Manual review queues are slow and still store sensitive images.
Use cases
Age verification scenarios
Any context that needs a binary over-18 or over-16 outcome without a standing identity file.
Social platforms
Account creation and content access gates with minimal data.
platform APIHospitality
Bar and venue entry without copying passport images.
venue scanGaming and gambling
Jurisdiction-specific age rules as circuit predicates.
jurisdictionDelivery apps
Courier handoff verification without ID photo retention.
deliveryParental consent
Verify guardian authority without exporting family records.
consent ZKProof pipeline
How verification works
- 01
Issue
Policy authority defines a Noir circuit for the rule set. Witness inputs come from systems that already own the records.
- 02
Bind
Proof is bound to event context: programme ID, expiry, geography, and anti-replay nonce. ML-DSA-65 signature applied at issue.
- 03
Present
User, agent, or device presents the credential via API call or secure QR at the service boundary.
- 04
Verify
Verifier receives allow or deny plus Merkle reference. No personal data retained at the verifier by default.
Stack
Technical foundation
ML-DSA-65Post-quantum signatures
NoirZero-knowledge circuits
MerkleAudit anchoring
RESTOpenAPI 1.4.2
SDK@affix-io/sdk
QROffline spent-proof
Test health_age and yesno circuits in the sandbox. Read the privacy-preserving age verification whitepaper.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does AffixIO store identity documents?
No. AffixIO returns allow or deny with signed proof. Documents stay with the issuer or user wallet.
How is date of birth protected?
Zero-knowledge circuits prove age predicates without revealing the underlying date of birth value.
Which regulations apply?
Architectural alignment with UK GDPR, EU GDPR Article 25, and Online Safety Act age-gate patterns. Not a certification claim.
Can verification work offline?
QR-based credentials can verify at the boundary without live API calls.
What circuits are available?
See the circuit catalogue for health_age and custom predicate circuits.
How do platforms integrate?
REST API, Node.js SDK, or secure QR presentation at the access gate.
Get started
Validate age verification on the live sandbox, then scope a pilot with engineering.