Rick Song, co-founder and CEO of Persona, said on March 3 that ‘the right framework is one that splits knowledge to prevent abuse’ as part of a broader discussion about privacy tradeoffs in identity verification technologies. The statement was made in an X post addressing challenges and solutions for age verification technologies. The post responds to public discussions sparked by recent platform decisions regarding identity verification partners and rollout plans, according to Song’s post on X.
The topic has gained importance as digital platforms face increasing scrutiny over how they verify user identities while protecting personal data. Governments and regulators are prioritizing privacy-preserving methods for age checks, especially as concerns grow about data exposure and the risks of identity fraud.
Song said, ‘Keeping kids from inappropriate content is a household-level problem. Stopping adults from impersonating kids is a platform-level problem. The more I work on this and the more I hear from all of you the more I believe that if some privacy must be lost some privacy should be gained elsewhere in return. No single organization should know both who you are and what you are doing.’
According to reports on European regulations, governments in the EU have prioritized privacy-preserving age verification methods with initiatives such as the EU Digital Identity Wallet required by the end of 2026 for member states. Italy’s AGCOM regulation requires a double anonymity approach for age checks on adult content where providers only receive confirmation of age without personal details. These developments reflect growing emphasis on minimizing data exposure in identity verification across the region, according to ShuftiPro.
The identity verification market is projected to grow from $14.1 billion in 2026 to $42.8 billion by 2036, reflecting a 13.1% compound annual growth rate as demand rises for secure, compliant digital identity solutions, according to Future Market Insights. Identity verification and authentication services grew to $15.65 billion in 2025 and are expected to reach $18.14 billion in 2026, driven by rising identity fraud and expansion of digital services, with strong demand in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions, according to The Business Research Company.
Song serves as co-founder and CEO of Persona, a verified identity platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco. The company raised 200 million dollars in a Series D funding round in 2025 bringing its valuation to 2 billion dollars with participation from investors including Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital. Persona supports identity verification in over 200 countries and territories across more than 20 languages, according to Persona.
