About the AgeChecked Age Assurance Service
This page explains how the AgeChecked age assurance service works, how we use your information, and your rights. Please read it before continuing.
1. Who We Are
AgeChecked Limited provides age assurance services that help retailers meet their legal obligations in relation to age-restricted goods and services.
You are seeing this page because the retailer you are purchasing from has asked AgeChecked to help confirm that you meet the minimum age requirement for the product or service you wish to buy. AgeChecked carries out the check; the retailer decides whether your purchase can proceed.
2. What We Do
Our role is to establish whether you meet the age threshold set by the retailer. We only ask for the information needed to do this. Where possible, we use methods that minimise the amount of personal information you need to provide.
The method used will depend on the retailer’s configuration and on the information available. You may be asked to:
- confirm personal details such as your name, date of birth, and address;
- have your details checked against data sources we access for this purpose, which may include credit reference agencies;
- scan a government-issued identity document;
- provide a selfie so that your likeness can be compared against your identity document;
- complete a facial age estimation; or
- confirm possession of a payment method or other recognised credential.
Not every method will be used in every transaction. If one approach does not produce a result, we may offer an alternative. You will be told which method is being used before you provide any information.
3. Accuracy of Information
Please ensure that any information you provide is accurate, complete, and relates to you. Providing inaccurate or misleading information may prevent us from completing the age assurance process and may result in the retailer being unable to complete your purchase.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information you provide solely to carry out the age assurance service requested by the retailer. Once the check is complete, we return a result to the retailer confirming whether you meet the required age threshold. The retailer then decides whether your purchase may proceed.
We do not retain your personal information after the check is complete. Your data is used only for the purpose of the age assurance check and is not used for any other purpose, including marketing, profiling, or credit assessment.
To carry out the check, we may share your information with specialist third-party providers. These may include, depending on the method used:
- credit reference agencies, to check your details against data they hold;
- identity document verification providers, to authenticate a scanned document; and
- biometric processing providers, operating in the UK or European Economic Area, to carry out facial age estimation or to compare a selfie against an identity document.
Further information about how we handle your personal data is set out in our Privacy Notice.
5. Biometric Processing
Some age assurance methods involve biometric processing. This may include:
- Facial age estimation — an automated analysis of a selfie to estimate whether you are likely to meet the required age threshold; or
- Document-to-selfie comparison — a comparison of your selfie against the photograph on a government-issued identity document, to confirm that the document belongs to you.
Biometric data is special category personal data under UK data protection law and is subject to additional protections.
We process biometric data only with your explicit consent, which you give when you choose to proceed with a biometric method. You are not required to use a biometric method if an alternative is available.
Biometric data is processed solely for the purpose of the age assurance check and is not retained once the check is complete. It is not used for any other purpose.
6. Credit Reference Agencies
As part of the age assurance process, we may check your details against information held by credit reference agencies (CRAs). This section applies to all users, as you may not be informed of the specific data sources used in your check.
Where your details are checked against CRA data, we will supply your personal information to one or more CRAs. The CRAs will use it to verify your identity by checking it against the information they hold. The CRAs will record that a search has been made.
This type of search is a soft search. It will not affect your credit score or your ability to obtain credit.
The information we may supply to CRAs includes:
- your full name;
- your current address and any previous addresses; and
- your date of birth.
The CRAs may use this information to:
- verify your identity; and
- assist in the prevention of fraud and money laundering.
Your data will not be used by the CRAs for credit assessment purposes as a result of this check.
The CRAs we may use are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each CRA publishes its own privacy notice — the Credit Reference Agency Information Notice (CRAIN) — which explains in detail how it uses and retains personal data:
- Equifax: www.equifax.co.uk/crain
- Experian: www.experian.co.uk/crain
- TransUnion: www.transunion.co.uk/crain
We recommend you read the CRAIN for any CRA that may be used in your check.
7. Your Privacy and Your Rights
We process your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For standard identity checks, we process your data on the basis of our legitimate interest in enabling retailers to meet their legal age assurance obligations, balanced against your interests and rights.
For biometric processing, we rely on your explicit consent, as described in section 5.
Our Privacy Notice sets out:
- the categories of personal data we collect;
- the lawful bases on which we process it;
- how long we retain data (or confirm that we do not);
- who we share it with and on what basis; and
- your rights, including the right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data, and the right to withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.
8. Age Assurance Results
Age assurance is based on the information available at the time the check is carried out. While we take reasonable steps to provide an accurate result, no age assurance process can be guaranteed to succeed in every case.
An unsuccessful or inconclusive result does not mean you are under the required age. It means we were unable to establish sufficient confidence using the information or method available. Where an alternative method exists, you will be offered the opportunity to try it.
9. Availability of the Service
We aim to provide a reliable service at all times. Occasional interruptions may occur due to maintenance, technical issues, or the temporary unavailability of a third-party provider.
10. Scope of This Notice
This notice covers only your use of the AgeChecked age assurance service. It does not apply to:
- your purchase from the retailer;
- the retailer’s website, terms of service, or privacy policy;
- the products or services being purchased; or
- any agreement between you and the retailer.
Questions about your order, delivery, or returns should be directed to the retailer.
11. Updates to This Notice
We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes to our service, the methods we use, or our legal obligations. The version displayed when you use the service applies to that interaction.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this notice or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us using the details provided in our Privacy Notice.
AgeChecked Limited · Registered in England and Wales