Sources
Every source is listed in full, with fetch status, inside the three research files. This index points to the primary anchors the build will link from pages. Verified 6 September 2026.
Per service: what each row rests on
One row per method and per listed source. Only "primary" rows may carry a retention quotation. Adult entries show their URLs as text.
Apple devices (iOS 26.4 UK age check)
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card via Apple | gizmodo.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Apple | gizmodo.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Gizmodo press | gizmodo.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Bluesky
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card via Epic Kids Web Services | bsky.social | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Epic Kids Web Services | bsky.social | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Epic Kids Web Services (Yoti) | biometricupdate.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Bluesky blog service policy | bsky.social | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Persona | help.openai.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Persona | help.openai.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Silicon Republic press | siliconrepublic.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Discord
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via k-ID (retention quotation) | discord.com · retention: k-id.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Veratad | alternativeto.net | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Discord blog 24 Feb 2026 service policy | discord.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| EFF press | eff.org | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Grindr
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Grindr in-house with FaceTec liveness (retention quotation) | grindr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Grindr in-house | grindr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Grindr blog service policy | grindr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
Kick (streaming)
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via k-ID | help.kick.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via k-ID | help.kick.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Kick age assurance FAQ (403 on fetch) service help | help.kick.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
OnlyFans
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo ID via Ondato | ondato.com https://ondato.com/case-studies/onlyfans-case-study/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Yoti (reported) | oursaferschools.co.uk https://oursaferschools.co.uk/2025/08/19/what-is-yoti | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom fine ofcom | ofcom.org.uk https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/ofcom-fines-provider-of-onlyfans-1.05-million | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom fine, 27 March 2025 | ofcom.org.uk https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/ofcom-fines-provider-of-onlyfans-1.05-million | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
PlayStation
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile operator check via Yoti | playstation.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Yoti (retention quotation) | playstation.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Yoti | playstation.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| PlayStation age verification FAQ service help | playstation.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube (Aylo)
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email-based estimation via Aylo in-house and third parties (retention quotation) | aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Credit card via Aylo | aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Mobile operator check via Aylo | aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Open banking via Aylo | aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Other method via Apple device check (iOS only) | biometricupdate.com https://www.biometricupdate.com/202605/pornhub-returns-to-uk-but-only-for-ios-users | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Aylo newsroom service policy | aylo.com https://www.aylo.com/newsroom/aylo-upgrades-age-assurance-methods-in-united-kingdom/ | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| CNN press | cnn.com https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/uk/uk-pornography-restricted-access-intl | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Persona (retention quotation) | help.withpersona.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Persona (retention quotation) | help.withpersona.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Persona help: Reddit vendor page | help.withpersona.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Biometric Update press | biometricupdate.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| ICO fine, 24 February 2026 | biometricupdate.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Roblox
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Persona (retention quotation) | about.roblox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Persona | about.roblox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Roblox newsroom service policy | about.roblox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom statement or letter, 12 March 2026 | lewissilkin.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Snapchat
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap OSA FAQ service help | help.snapchat.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom statement or letter, 12 March 2026 | lewissilkin.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Spotify
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Yoti (retention quotation) | spotify.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Yoti | spotify.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Spotify UK age assurance service policy | spotify.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
Steam
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card via Valve (in-house) | gamedeveloper.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Game Developer press | gamedeveloper.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Telegram
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Telegram in-house (official bot) | durovscode.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Durov's Code press | durovscode.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
TikTok
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ofcom investigation ofcom | ofcom.org.uk | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom investigation opened, 16 July 2026 | ofcom.org.uk | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom statement or letter, 12 March 2026 | lewissilkin.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Tinder and Hinge (Match Group)
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Match Group in-house; FaceTec liveness | biometricupdate.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Biometric Update press | biometricupdate.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Tumblr
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via k-ID (retention quotation) | changes.tumblr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via k-ID (retention quotation) | changes.tumblr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Open banking via k-ID (ConnectID) | changes.tumblr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Tumblr changes post service policy | changes.tumblr.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
Twitch
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via k-ID (retention quotation) | k-id.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| k-ID: Twitch vendor page | k-id.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Esports News UK press | esports-news.co.uk | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Wikipedia
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikimedia UK service policy | wikimedia.org.uk | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
X (Twitter) and Grok
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Persona | ppc.land | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Photo ID via Persona | ppc.land | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Email-based estimation via not named | ppc.land | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| ppc.land press | ppc.land | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom investigation opened, 12 January 2026 | ofcom.org.uk | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
Xbox
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo ID via Yoti (retention quotation) | news.xbox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Yoti | news.xbox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Mobile operator check via Yoti | news.xbox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Credit card via Yoti | news.xbox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Xbox Wire service policy | news.xbox.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
YouTube and Google Account
| What | Source | Tier | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo ID via Google (retention quotation) | support.google.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Credit card via Google (retention quotation) | support.google.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Facial age estimation (face scan) via Google (Private ID selfie) (retention quotation) | support.google.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Email-based estimation via VerifyMy (retention quotation) | verifymy.io | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| YouTube help: age assurance countries service help | support.google.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Google Account verification service help | support.google.com | Primary source | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom statement or letter, 12 March 2026 | lewissilkin.com | Secondary source (press) | 6 September 2026 |
Per vendor
k-ID
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | k-id.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: ACCS 0:2021 and ACCS 3:2021 (Age Appropriate Design), valid to 4 Apr 2027 | accscheme.com | 6 September 2026 |
| k-ID privacy policy | k-id.com | 6 September 2026 |
Persona
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | help.withpersona.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Incident, February 2026 | malwarebytes.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Persona help: Reddit deployment | help.withpersona.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Is Persona safe? (secondary) | allaboutcookies.org | 6 September 2026 |
Yoti
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | yoti.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type II, PAS 1296:2018 | comparitech.com | 6 September 2026 |
| ICO, May 2022 | ico.org.uk | 6 September 2026 |
| AEPD (Spain), 25 March 2026 | en.wikipedia.org | 6 September 2026 |
| Yoti FAE FAQ | yoti.com | 6 September 2026 |
| White paper July 2025 | yoti.com | 6 September 2026 |
Apple (device-level age check and Declared Age Range API)
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | biometricupdate.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom, March 2026 | biometricupdate.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Incident, April 2026 | piunikaweb.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Gizmodo on iOS 26.4 UK check | gizmodo.com | 6 September 2026 |
Epic Kids Web Services
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | kidswebservices.com | 6 September 2026 |
| KWS verification methods | dev.epicgames.com | 6 September 2026 |
Google (age inference and Google Account verification)
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | support.google.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: ACCS certificate of conformity for facial age estimation, 18 Dec 2023 (EAL3… | biometricupdate.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Ofcom, 15 July 2026 | ofcom.org.uk | 6 September 2026 |
| Google Account age verification | support.google.com | 6 September 2026 |
Ondato
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | ondato.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: ACCS IEEE 2089.1-2024 Effective (to 11 Feb 2028) and Highly Effective (to 8 Apr… | accscheme.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Ondato OnAge | ondato.com | 6 September 2026 |
Veratad
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | veratad.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: ACCS 1:2025 / ISO/IEC 27566-1:2025, VX platform v2.4, issued 14 Apr 2026, valid… | accscheme.com | 6 September 2026 |
| Veratad age verification | veratad.com | 6 September 2026 |
VerifyMy
| What | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Retention wording | verifymy.io | 6 September 2026 |
| Certification: IEEE 2089.1-2024 (Age Estimation API, to 21 Sep 2027); ACCS 1:2025/ISO 27566-1… | accscheme.com | 6 September 2026 |
| VerifyMy Google privacy policy | verifymy.io | 6 September 2026 |
OneID
Regulator (primary)
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Ofcom: Report on the use of age assurance, 15 Jul 2026 | ofcom.org.uk · PDF: ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: age-assurance enforcement programme (register of investigations and fines, updated 4 Sep 2026) | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: guidance on highly effective age assurance and Part 5 duties, 16 Jan 2025 (para 4.60) | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: age checks to protect children online (consumer page) | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom–ICO joint statement on age assurance, 25 Mar 2026 | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/ (PDF linked from research/02, B15) |
| Ofcom: TikTok section 12 investigation | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: X / Grok investigation, 12 Jan 2026 | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: OnlyFans provider fine, 27 Mar 2025 | ofcom.org.uk |
| Ofcom: 4chan fine, 19 Mar 2026 | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/ (see research/02, B5) |
| Ofcom: Kick Online Entertainment fine, 11 Feb 2026 | https://www.ofcom.org.uk/ (see research/02, B10) |
| Ofcom: Novi (joi.com) investigation closed 31 Jul 2026 | ofcom.org.uk |
| ICO: Reddit fine, 24 Feb 2026 (ICO page 403; law-firm summaries) | osborneclarke.com · https://www.hunton.com/ (research/02, B11) |
| Government: under-16 ban announcement, 15 Jun 2026 | gov.uk |
| Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 s.70 | legislation.gov.uk |
| Defamation Act 2013 ss.1–3 | legislation.gov.uk · /section/3 |
| UK GDPR Art. 4 | legislation.gov.uk |
| ACCS registry (age assurance) | accscheme.com |
| Gambling Commission KYC rule, 7 May 2019 | gamblingcommission.gov.uk |
Services (primary pages used in seed records)
| Service | URL |
|---|---|
| Reddit (Persona help) | help.withpersona.com |
| Discord blog, 24 Feb 2026 | discord.com |
| Discord UK help (403 on fetch) | support.discord.com |
| X age assurance (403 on fetch) | help.x.com |
| Bluesky blog, 10 Jul 2025 | bsky.social |
| YouTube age assurance countries | support.google.com |
| Google Account verification | support.google.com |
| Tumblr changes, 6 May 2026 | changes.tumblr.com |
| Twitch via k-ID | k-id.com |
| Kick FAQ (403 on fetch) | help.kick.com |
| Xbox Wire, 28 Jul 2025 | news.xbox.com |
| PlayStation FAQ, updated 1 Jun 2026 | playstation.com |
| Roblox newsroom, 7 Jan 2026 | about.roblox.com |
| Roblox help (Persona 30 days) | en.help.roblox.com |
| Spotify UK age assurance | spotify.com |
| Grindr blog, updated 31 Aug 2026 | grindr.com |
| Aylo newsroom | aylo.com |
| Ondato / OnlyFans case study | ondato.com |
| OpenAI help (403 on fetch) | help.openai.com |
| Snap OSA FAQ | help.snapchat.com |
| Wikimedia UK, Jan 2026 | wikimedia.org.uk |
| Bumble OSA page (403 on fetch) | support.bumble.com |
Vendors (primary)
| Vendor | URL |
|---|---|
| Yoti white paper, Jul 2025 | yoti.com |
| Yoti FAE FAQ | yoti.com |
| k-ID privacy policy, eff. 10 Jul 2026 | k-id.com |
| k-ID ACCS certificate | accscheme.com |
| Veratad ACCS certificate | accscheme.com |
| VerifyMy Google privacy policy | verifymy.io |
| VerifyMy ACCS | accscheme.com |
| OneID | oneid.uk · oneid.uk |
| Ondato OnAge | ondato.com · ACCS: accscheme.com |
| Epic KWS methods | dev.epicgames.com |
| Incode ACCS | accscheme.com |
| AgeChecked ACCS | accscheme.com |
| Luciditi | luciditi.co.uk |
| Jumio privacy notice, eff. 4 Aug 2026 | jumio.com |
| Meta AI age assurance, 5 May 2026 | about.fb.com |
| Persona exposure (Malwarebytes) | malwarebytes.com |
| Yoti AEPD fine (secondary) | adguard-vpn.com |
Pages that blocked automated reading
These returned an error to our fetcher and were read from search snippets or press mirrors. They are the first candidates for the "still being verified" boxes and are re-read by hand: Discord UK help, Kick help, OpenAI help, Bumble OSA page, X help, ICO Reddit press page, ICO open letter 12 Mar 2026, Yoti age-verification privacy policy, Persona privacy policy, TransUnion product pages, Hansard 15 Sep and 4 Dec 2025, HCWS160, Reddit help, Cybernews and vpnoverview articles, NordVPN affiliate page.
57 regulator, service and vendor sources indexed, plus the per-record rows above. Links are citations, not endorsements, and carry no tracking. Hosts of VPN vendors are never linked; where a research source was one, the page says so.