London, UK – 16th April 2026 – Digital identity company Yoti has today announced that its CEO and co-founder, Robin Tombs, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Age Assurance at the Global Age Summit, recognising the significant contribution he has made to building privacy-preserving age assurance into a global industry standard.
At a time when many in the industry prioritised data collection and convenience, Robin founded Yoti in 2014 and championed a different approach: data minimisation, giving users control over their data and independent accountability. More than a decade on, Yoti’s approach has become the benchmark for responsible, modern age assurance regulation and technology.
Under Robin’s leadership, Yoti has completed over one billion age checks globally, with its technology now deployed across social media, gaming, retail, adult content and government services. Its consumer Digital ID app is used by millions, supported by a comprehensive suite of privacy-first methods including facial age estimation, document verification and reusable age credentials.
Robin has played an important role in how the regulatory framework around the industry has taken shape. Yoti’s participation in the 2022 Home Office supermarket sandbox trials (delivering over 98,000 age checks with no underage sales passed) contributed to the evidence base informing proposed changes to the UK’s Mandatory Licensing Conditions. Its technology uses age assurance approaches that Ofcom considers capable of being ‘highly effective’ under the Online Safety Act. Its facial age estimation has been independently evaluated by NIST, ranking first globally for accuracy on 13–16 year olds. The company also recently became the first in the world to conform to iBeta’s Level 3 testing under ISO/IEC 30107-3, their highest level for liveness checks.
Commenting on the award win, Robin said: “From day one, we believed there was a better way to prove age and identity, one that protects privacy rather than compromises it. This recognition reflects the work of an extraordinary team and the progress the industry has made together. There is still more to do, but it’s encouraging to see privacy-preserving approaches now firmly at the centre of how age assurance is delivered globally.”
Yoti client Yubo was also recognised in the Best Implementation of Age Assurance in a Digital Platform category for its early and ongoing adoption of privacy-preserving age assurance technology.
In 2022, the social discovery platform introduced facial age estimation to strengthen its age-gating systems and ensure users are placed into age-appropriate communities. By September of that year, three months ahead of schedule, Yubo became the first major social platform to age verify 100% of its users, setting a new industry standard for online safety.
Its implementation combines real-time facial age estimation with additional verification pathways where needed, enabling a privacy-first approach that helps limit interaction between teens and adults whilst maintaining a smooth and inclusive onboarding experience for users who don’t have access to identity documents.
