Overview
The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) has established a Relying Party Advisory Board (RPAB) to provide structured input from organisations that rely on age assurance technologies in their services, platforms or retail environments.
Relying parties include online platforms, retailers, payment providers, publishers and other regulated businesses that implement age assurance to comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
The RPAB enables practical dialogue between technology providers and service operators while preserving the AVPA’s independence, neutrality and governance integrity.
Purpose
The Board exists to:
• provide operational and implementation feedback on age assurance deployment
• identify practical challenges faced by regulated services using age assurance
• inform interoperability and usability discussions from a relying party perspective
• support understanding of real-world compliance environments across sectors
• encourage adoption of privacy-preserving, standards-based age assurance
The Board is advisory only. It does not determine AVPA policy, standards positions or advocacy priorities.
Status within the AVPA
The Board is separate from AVPA membership and governance.
Participation in the Board:
• does not constitute membership of the AVPA
• does not confer voting rights
• does not provide governance or decision-making authority
• does not grant influence over AVPA policy positions or public submissions
• does not permit use of AVPA member branding
All AVPA policy work, standards engagement and public advocacy are conducted exclusively by AVPA members.
Scope of Activity
Board discussions focus on implementation and operational matters, including:
• deployment experiences and user journeys
• regulatory compliance challenges
• interoperability and integration considerations
• cross-sector adoption trends
• merchant and platform perspectives on age assurance
The Board does not participate in:
• policy drafting or lobbying activity
• standards development decision-making
• regulatory advocacy strategy
• governance or Council deliberations
Governance Safeguards
To preserve independence and public trust, the RPAB operates under clear safeguards:
• advisory status only, with no binding authority
• separation from AVPA Council and working groups responsible for policy or standards
• AVPA retains full discretion regarding whether and how advisory input is used
• transparency regarding the RPAB’s purpose and structure
• compliance with relevant international governance expectations, including principles reflected in WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3 concerning protection of public policy from vested interests
Participation
Participation in the Boardis open to organisations that rely on age assurance systems as part of their services or compliance obligations.
Participants may include:
• online platforms and publishers
• retailers of age-restricted goods or services
• payment processors and compliance intermediaries
• marketplace operators
• regulated digital service providers
Participation is by invitation or application and subject to AVPA approval to ensure alignment with the RPAB’s advisory purpose.
There is a fee for membership to support the cost of running of the Association.
Benefits
The Board provides:
• a structured channel for relying parties to share operational insight
• improved understanding between technology providers and service operators
• practical feedback supporting proportionate and effective implementation
• a transparent engagement model that protects AVPA independence
Relationship to AVPA Mission
The AVPA remains a technology provider association dedicated to promoting interoperable, privacy-preserving and standards-based age assurance.
The Board complements this mission by ensuring that implementation realities are understood without compromising the independence of AVPA governance or policy development.
Contact
Organisations interested in participating in the Relying Party Advisory Board should use the contact form.