ROC has joined the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), the global trade body dedicated to advancing privacy-preserving, standards-based age assurance technology. Our membership supports a shared goal: protecting young people online while respecting user privacy.

A Commitment to Standards, Ethics & Privacy

As global digital safety regulations rapidly expand, protecting young people online while safeguarding user privacy has become one of the tech sector’s most urgent priorities. From the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s Online Safety Act to U.S. age-assurance legislation, digital platforms face a growing imperative: assess age accurately while protecting personal identity and minimizing friction for users.

The AVPA brings together independent providers, auditors, and industry experts representing the age assurance sector. Members of the AVPA commit to its Code of Conduct, which sets out principles for fairness and transparency, appropriate verification methods, privacy and security by design, accuracy, and independence. These principles promote age assurance that protects minors while limiting the use and retention of personal data.

Our membership in the AVPA aligns directly with our core values: building trusted, ethical Vision AI that respects individual privacy. It also gives ROC a forum to engage directly with international policymakers, regulatory bodies, and industry peers on practical policies and technical standards for global age assurance.

“Joining the AVPA strengthens ROC’s role in advancing secure, privacy-conscious age assurance. As global age-gating requirements continue to expand, businesses face the challenge of protecting minors and meeting regulatory obligations without compromising privacy or creating unnecessary friction. The AVPA provides an important forum for ROC to engage with industry leaders, policymakers, and regulators as the market evolves.”

Blake Moore
Blake Moore
Chief Operating Officer, ROC

#1 Global NIST Age Estimation

ROC’s membership in the AVPA follows our #1 global ranking in age estimation accuracy in the NIST FATE AEV evaluations. As of September 2026, ROC-003 ranked first in Mean Absolute Error (MAE) on the Visa, Application, and Mugshot datasets for adults ages 18–30. In the Child Online Safety benchmark for ages 13–16, ROC-002 ranked #1 globally, while ROC-003 ranked #2. Lower MAE means a more accurate age estimate.

NIST benchmarks provide an independent measure of age estimation accuracy across different datasets and age groups. ROC’s technology estimates age from a facial image without requiring users to submit identity documents.

“We first noticed ROC through strong performance in NIST evaluations of their facial age estimation technology, which is an important, inclusive, and convenient option in the rapidly expanding and innovative sector we represent. We appreciate their decision to support our work promoting privacy-preserving, standards-based age assurance around the world.”

Iain Corby
Executive Director, AVPA

Expanding Access via the ROC Age Estimation API

To help developers, digital platforms, and enterprise businesses meet fast evolving age-gating requirements, ROC recently launched the self-service Age Estimation API, marking its first SaaS offering. Designed for quick integration into existing digital workflows, the API is available to eligible U.S. businesses and allows organizations to:

  • Estimate Age From A Selfie: Deliver real-time facial age estimates using single-frame passive age estimation technology.
  • Protect User Privacy: Process facial images without retaining them, storing biometric templates, or collecting personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Reduce Friction: Reduce the reliance on physical ID scans or manual verification steps where an age estimate provides sufficient assurance.
  • Support Regulatory Compliance: Provide an age signal organizations can use within workflows designed to meet applicable age assurance requirements, such as COPPA, CCPA/CPRA, as well as proposed legislation such as KOSA. Organizations remain responsible for determining and meeting their legal obligations.

Age estimates can be especially useful near thresholds such as 13, 16, and 18, where policy, platform, and safety decisions become more sensitive. ROC’s emphasis on Child Online Safety is especially important because those thresholds map closely to the real decision boundaries organizations increasingly need to manage.

Supporting Digital Commerce & Online Safety

Whether supporting age checks in digital commerce, helping social media networks protect young users, or enabling age-appropriate and compliant access to online platforms, ROC remains committed to setting the standard for advancing sovereign, high-accuracy Vision AI. By combining our NIST-ranked age estimation technology with active leadership inside organizations such as the AVPA, ROC is helping shape an internet that is both safer for minors and more respectful of user privacy.

Read the official press release

About the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA)

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) is the global, not-for-profit trade body representing organizations that provide, support, or audit age verification, age estimation, and age-assurance technologies. Formed in 2018, the AVPA promotes privacy-preserving, standards-based solutions that help businesses and digital platforms protect children online while respecting adult privacy. AVPA members commit to strict ethical principles centered on fairness, transparency, security-by-design, accuracy, and data minimization. For more information, visit avpassociation.com.