Biometric Bound Credentials for Age Verification

Abstract: Age verification is increasingly critical for regulatory compliance, user trust, and the protection of minors online. Historically, solutions have struggled with poor accuracy, intrusiveness, and significant security risks. More recently, concerns have shifted toward privacy, surveillance, fairness, and the need for transparent, trustworthy systems. In this paper, we propose Biometric Bound Credentials (BBCreds) as a privacy-preserving approach that cryptographically binds age credentials to an individual's biometric features without storing biometric templates. This ensures only the legitimate, physically present user can access age-restricted services, prevents credential sharing, and addresses both legacy and emerging challenges in age verification. enhances privacy.