FTC schedules workshop on age verification technologies for January 2026

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Andrew N. Ferguson Chairman | Federal Trade Commission

FTC schedules workshop on age verification technologies for January 2026

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it will host a workshop on January 28, 2026, focusing on age verification and estimation technologies. These tools are used by companies to determine the age of individuals accessing websites and other online services.

The event aims to gather a diverse group of participants, including researchers, academics, industry professionals, consumer advocates, and government regulators. Discussion topics will include the importance of age verification, available tools for verifying or estimating age, regulatory challenges in this area, strategies for broader implementation of these technologies, and how these systems interact with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule.

The workshop is scheduled to take place both virtually and in person at the FTC’s Constitution Center located at 400 7th St SW in Washington, DC. The agency plans to provide further details about the event and webcast access on its official event page in the coming weeks.

According to the FTC: "The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts."

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