Persona: Difference between revisions
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|Website=https://withpersona.com/ | |Website=https://withpersona.com/ | ||
|Description=Identity Verification | |Description=Identity Verification | ||
|Industry=Software|Founded=October 2018|CompanyAlias=Persona Identities Inc.}} | |Industry=Software|Founded=October 2018|CompanyAlias=Persona Identities Inc. | ||
}} | |||
Persona is an Identity Verification company, founded in 2018 by Rick Song and Charles Yeh. It is funded by Founders Fund<ref>{{Cite web |title=Persona |url=https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228040423/https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |archive-date=2026-02-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref> which is an adventure capitalist firm co-founded by Peter Theil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Thiel |url=https://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528193728/http://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |archive-date=2016-05-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacto |date=2026-02-16 |title=Discord Tested Age Verification Vendor Persona: What Users Should Know |url=https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PAWXp |archive-date=2026-02-26 |website=redact.dev}}</ref> <!-- This is awkward, but archive.org says they don't host this anymore: https://web.archive.org/web/20260224122954/https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment ....so archive.today has been put as the archive URL --> | Persona is an Identity Verification company, founded in 2018 by Rick Song and Charles Yeh. It is funded by Founders Fund<ref>{{Cite web |title=Persona |url=https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228040423/https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |archive-date=2026-02-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref> which is an adventure capitalist firm co-founded by Peter Theil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Thiel |url=https://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528193728/http://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |archive-date=2016-05-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacto |date=2026-02-16 |title=Discord Tested Age Verification Vendor Persona: What Users Should Know |url=https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PAWXp |archive-date=2026-02-26 |website=redact.dev}}</ref> <!-- This is awkward, but archive.org says they don't host this anymore: https://web.archive.org/web/20260224122954/https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment ....so archive.today has been put as the archive URL --> | ||
From the 14th July 2025 they started working with [[Reddit]] to perform ID checks on its UK site, as part of the UK's Online Safety Act.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-14 |title=Reddit starts verifying ages of users in the UK |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225142635/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=BBC News}}</ref> | From the 14th July 2025 they started working with [[Reddit]] to perform ID checks on its UK site, as part of the UK's Online Safety Act.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jordan |first=Dearbail |date=2025-07-14 |title=Reddit starts verifying ages of users in the UK |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225142635/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=BBC News}}</ref> | ||
In February 2026 [[Discord]] announced they would be experimenting with Persona to perform ID checks worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bubbles |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to Complete Age Assurance on Discord |url=https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |url-status= | In February 2026 [[Discord]] announced they would be experimenting with Persona to perform ID checks worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bubbles |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to Complete Age Assurance on Discord |url=https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260212201755/https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |archive-date=2026-02-12 |website=Discord}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-02-09 |title=Discord is rolling out facial scanning and ID checks globally in March for users who don't want to be locked into a 'teen-appropriate experience' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214175605/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref> | ||
==Consumer-impact summary== | ==Consumer-impact summary== | ||
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===AI-Powered Ages Verification leads to inaccurate age verification on Roblox ''(Jan 2026)''=== | ===AI-Powered Ages Verification leads to inaccurate age verification on Roblox ''(Jan 2026)''=== | ||
Children were being identified as adults and vice versa on [[Roblox]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=2026-01-13 |title=Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification Is a Complete Mess |url=https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |url-status= | Children were being identified as adults and vice versa on [[Roblox]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=2026-01-13 |title=Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification Is a Complete Mess |url=https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226005411/https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |archive-date=2026-02-26 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Wired}}</ref> The age verification restricted who the users could talk to. This implementation was criticized as not helping to address safety concerns, and harming the user experience.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-09 |title=Age Check to Chat Update & Fast Follow Roadmap |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203031742/https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026 |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=devforum.roblox.com}}</ref> | ||
===User tracking and ties with the US government=== | ===User tracking and ties with the US government=== | ||
On the 16th of February, 2026, a security researcher known as Celeste published an article showing that Persona was building profiles on users and sharing said profiles with the US government, even having a flagging system to flag users that seem suspicious. A code to track crypto-addresses has also been found.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-16 |title=the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221231714/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |archive-date=2026-02-21 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-24 |title=the watchers, pt. 2: the correspondence |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225233304/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref> <!-- <- I can't understand the technicals of the part 2 source, but it's a part 2, so I assume it's related -raster -->Alongside that, it was also discovered that 269 different checks were used for verification, which included things like phone carrier queries and death record matching. With their privacy policy hiding these checks under vague terms like "public government documents".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-04 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy-roblox |url-status=live |archive-url= | On the 16th of February, 2026, a security researcher known as Celeste published an article showing that Persona was building profiles on users and sharing said profiles with the US government, even having a flagging system to flag users that seem suspicious. A code to track crypto-addresses has also been found.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-16 |title=the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221231714/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |archive-date=2026-02-21 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-24 |title=the watchers, pt. 2: the correspondence |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225233304/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref> <!-- <- I can't understand the technicals of the part 2 source, but it's a part 2, so I assume it's related -raster -->Alongside that, it was also discovered that 269 different checks were used for verification, which included things like phone carrier queries and death record matching. With their privacy policy hiding these checks under vague terms like "public government documents".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-04 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy-roblox |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260613045534/https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy-roblox |archive-date=2026-06-13 |website=Persona}}</ref> | ||
==Products== | ==Products== | ||
*Identity Verification (2021) | *Identity Verification (2021) | ||
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|[[Anthropic]] ([[Claude]]) | |[[Anthropic]] ([[Claude]]) | ||
|Identity Verification | |Identity Verification | ||
|Since April 2026, Anthropic implemented identity verification to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" when there are no current legislations in any country that mandates AI companies to introduce ID verification. <ref>https:// | |Since April 2026, Anthropic implemented identity verification to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" when there are no current legislations in any country that mandates AI companies to introduce ID verification. <ref>https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref> | ||
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|[[VRChat]] | |||
|Age Verification | |||
|Users need to be signed up to the "VRC+" subscription service in order to verify their age. After a user is age verified, they do not need an ongoing subscription in order to stay age verified.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-28 |title=VRChat Age Verification |url=https://hello.vrchat.com/blog/age-verification |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129114821/https://hello.vrchat.com/blog/age-verification |archive-date=2025-01-29 |access-date=2026-06-29}}</ref> | |||
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|Wealthsimple | |Wealthsimple | ||
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==Third Parties== | ==Third Parties== | ||
These are third parties that can receive and use the data provided by Persona:<ref>{{Cite web |author= | These are third parties that can receive and use the data provided by Persona:<ref>{{Cite web |author= |date=16 Feb 2026 |title=I Verified My LinkedIn Identity. Here's What I Actually Handed Over. |url=https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260514074900/https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/ |archive-date=14 May 2026 |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=The Local Stack}}</ref> | ||
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|Data used to train AI models | |Data used to train AI models | ||
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|OpenAI | |[[OpenAI]] | ||
|Data Extraction and Analysis | |Data Extraction and Analysis | ||
|Data used to train AI models | |Data used to train AI models | ||