Why age verification is an AI cybersecurity issue

Age verification laws require users to submit sensitive identity information such as driver's licenses, birth certificates, passports, and even selfies to platforms or third parties, creating a data honeypot that hackers can attack. The European Commission's zero-knowledge proof age verification app was said by security consultant Paul Moore to be breakable in less than two minutes; a Discord third-party vendor leaked approximately 70,000 government-issued ID documents, and a dark web service this month listed 153 million scanned US and Canadian driver's licenses, allegedly traceable to IDScan.net. AI makes it easier for low-skilled attackers to succeed, with 71% of organizations experiencing at least one identity-related security incident last year, and a quarter of malicious intrusions being AI-driven.