The European Commission is turning up the pressure on European Union capitals to deploy the age-verification app.
“After finalising the technical work on the European Age Verification Solution, it is now ready for Member States to customise and roll out,” Executive Vice-President of the EC, Henna Virkunen said yesterday.
The EC now says its blueprint for the app had been finalised and enabled users to prove they meet a required age threshold without revealing their exact age, identity or any other personal details.
“Today, we have adopted a Recommendation that sets out clear expectations for Member States. To accelerate the adoption of age verification tools, so that people across Europe can count on safe, secure, privacy-preserving solutions,” said Virkunen.
Not everyone is convinced. Critics across the tech sector warn the app risks eroding online anonymity, while others raise the spectre of large-scale data breaches.
The app is designed to go “hand in hand” with the enforcement of the EU’s Digital Services Act.
“Effective and privacy-preserving age verification is the next piece of the puzzle,” Virkkunen said, positioning it as part of a wider effort to make the internet safer for children.
She insisted the app is not about “restricting the rights of adults”.
Virkkunen is expected to carry that message directly to national governments in Cyprus today, as the EC tries to turn the app into a functioning reality across the bloc.
The EU age verification can be used as a standalone app or be customised and integrated into a so-called “digital identification wallet”, which member states are required to provide their citizens by the end of 2026
