The internet has an identity problem.
To access age-restricted content, you’re forced to hand over your passport, upload your driver’s license, or share your birth date with every platform you visit. Your most sensitive information—scattered across dozens of databases, ripe for breaches, sold to data brokers, tracked across your digital life.
There’s always been a better way. Today, that way is gaining institutional recognition.
Through our Privado ID entity, Billions Network has been selected for the European Blockchain Sandbox’s third cohort—an official EU program where regulators and innovators co-develop the next generation of trusted blockchain use cases.
This isn’t just another pilot program. It’s proof that Billions is institution-ready - our privacy-first identity verification works at scale, and it’s gaining recognition at the highest levels.
Compliance Without Surveillance
Together with Privately SA and built on the Privado ID tech stack, we’re piloting something Europe has never seen: AI-powered, zero-knowledge age verification for Web3 platforms—adult content sites, gambling platforms, and gaming services that need to prove you’re 18+ without ever knowing _who you are_.
Here’s how it works:
- On-device AI facial estimation determines your age range—your face never leaves your device
- Zero-knowledge proofs verify you meet age requirements without revealing your birth date
- Verifiable credentials stored in your identity wallet let you prove your age once, reuse it everywhere
- No personal data is ever collected, stored, or shared with third parties
The system is fully GDPR-aligned, compliant with eIDAS 2.0, and meets EU AI Act transparency requirements. It’s what the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office praised as “fundamentally privacy-preserving and aligned with child safety principles.”
And it’s exactly what the EU just asked for.
Why Europe. Why Now.
On October 10, 2025, the European Commission released the second version of their age verification blueprint—and for the first time, it includes provisions for using zero-knowledge proofs.
The timing isn’t coincidental. Europe faces a regulatory reckoning:
- The Digital Services Act (Article 28) demands effective age gating for platforms
- Multiple member states are implementing age verification requirements for adult content
- Singapore, Australia, and US states are enacting similar laws, forcing platforms to restrict access entirely rather than compromise user privacy
Traditional solutions force users to choose between access and privacy. We’re proving there’s a third option.
From Sandbox to Standard
Over the next months, Billions and Privately SA are meeting directly with EU regulators to discuss the legal framework around zero-knowledge proofs and AI for age verification.
We can’t name the specific regulators due to confidentiality restrictions. But the conversations happening right now could shape how Europe—and by extension, much of the world—approaches digital identity verification for the next decade.
The pilot involves four key stakeholders:
- Users creating identity wallets to store age verification credentials
- Privado ID providing the platform technology and coordinating the pilot
- Content sites integrating wallet-based verification across selected EU countries
- Privately SA issuing age credentials using patented on-device AI estimation
- Government and industry observers providing feedback on real-world implementation
Success here means a standardized, privacy-preserving approach to age verification that works across borders, platforms, and use cases—from banking to social media to Web3.
The Infrastructure Behind the Innovation
This isn’t Billions Network’s first effort with institutions.
The Privado ID tech stack that powers our verification system has been:
- Audited and tested by HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Citi, and Sony Bank
- Implemented by the Indian government, serving hundreds of thousands of users
- Deployed across 9,000+ zero-knowledge and identity projects globally
- Built by the team that created Circom, Hermez, and Polygon ID—foundational infrastructure in the ZK ecosystem
In July 2024, we brought together leaders from the European Commission, GLEIF, major financial institutions, and the identity ecosystem to discuss why decentralized identity infrastructure is now ready to onboard millions of users. The conversations from that event—about privacy-preserving verification, regulatory alignment, and institutional trust—are now becoming reality.
But here’s what makes this moment different: Europe is choosing decentralization.
While other regions flirt with centralized digital ID systems—where governments control your identity and track your every verification—Europe is piloting a future where you control your credentials, verification happens locally on your device, and privacy is the default.
What This Means for Billions
The EU Blockchain Sandbox isn’t just validation. It’s a blueprint.
For Billions Network, this pilot demonstrates:
- Institutional readiness – Our technology meets the scrutiny of European regulators
- Real-world adoption – Privacy-first identity verification works beyond crypto-native use cases
- Regulatory alignment – We’re not building _against_ regulation, we’re helping define it
- Global scalability – Solutions that work in Europe’s complex regulatory environment can work anywhere
We’re proud to make this our first major announcement to show we’re ready for institutions - and more collaborations with governments, enterprises, and regulatory bodies are coming.
The Future of Digital Trust
Imagine a world where:
- You verify your age _once_, on your device, with your camera
- That verification works across every platform—no more uploading IDs to sketchy websites
- Platforms can verify you’re over 18 without learning your birth date, name, or address
- Regulators can enforce age restrictions without surveillance infrastructure
- Your identity credentials travel with you, under your control, across borders and blockchains
That’s not a distant dream. That’s what we’re building in the European Blockchain Sandbox right now.
Privacy and compliance were never meant to be opposing forces. With zero-knowledge proofs, on-device AI, and verifiable credentials, they’re complementary tools for building the trusted digital infrastructure humanity deserves.
About Billions Network
Billions Network is the first global Human and AI Network, providing privacy-first identity verification infrastructure for Web3 and beyond. Built on the Privado ID tech stack by the creators of Circom, Hermez, and Polygon ID, Billions enables users to prove who they are without sacrificing privacy—verified by institutions, controlled by individuals.
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Billions Network. The Human and AI Network. Privacy-first. Institution-ready.
