My Blockchain Infrastructure (MBI) Sdn Bhd announced Monday its endorsement of a privacy-preserving age verification solution developed on the Zetrix platform, designed to help social media and messaging services comply with age-related access requirements while minimizing the handling of users’ personal data, as part of the Malaysia Blockchain Infrastructure initiative.
In a joint statement, MBI stated that the endorsed solution provides a practical and scalable option for platforms aiming to enhance age verification without requiring users to repeatedly submit identity documents or sensitive personal information to social media and messaging platforms.
It is noted that lately, several countries have proposed or implemented policies to restrict social media access for users under certain ages, citing concerns around online safety, mental health, and exposure to harmful content.
These developments have increased pressure on platform operators to verify users’ ages more reliably, while also addressing growing public concern over excessive data collection and privacy risks.
In Malaysia, discussions around online harms, child safety, and the responsible use of social media have intensified, alongside broader efforts to strengthen digital governance and user protection.
As announced by Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, an industry sandbox was launched on January 1, 2026 to assess solutions in age assurance to introduce a minimum threshold of 16 years old for social media usage.
Under the MBI solution, a user verifies their identity once through government-recognized national identity issuers and verification providers such as MyDigital ID or the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe).
This process confirms the user’s age through official sources, similar to existing digital identity checks used for government or regulated services.
Following this verification, the user receives a secure digital proof of age. This proof does not contain full identity records, copies of identity cards, or biometric data.
Instead, it confirms only what is necessary – for example, whether the user meets a required age threshold. When the user signs up for or accesses a social media or messaging platform, they can present this proof of age to the platform.
The platform is then able to confirm whether the user is eligible, such as being ‘16 and above’, without receiving unnecessary personal details like full name, address, or identity document images.
The platform records only a simple verification result to support age-based access controls and safety settings, reducing the amount of sensitive data it needs to store and protect.
MBI said the solution is designed to balance online safety with strong privacy protections.
It is noted that records created during the verification process are kept to the minimum required for assurance and audit purposes and are protected by strict access controls.
Sensitive materials used during identity checks, such as raw electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) data, are not retained indefinitely.
These materials are securely deleted on a regular schedule or within an agreed timeframe, significantly reducing the risk of data misuse or breaches.
Where required by law, the solution can support legitimate regulatory or legal processes through authorised and clearly governed channels.
Any linking of verification records back to an individual is tightly controlled and subject to due process, ensuring accountability without routine exposure of personal data.
“Across the world, policymakers are looking for ways to better protect young users online, and age verification must therefore be implemented responsibly,
“MBI is endorsing this age verification capability as a privacy-first, practical approach that helps platform operators meet safety and regulatory expectations while minimising unnecessary handling of personal data,” said Azhar Abu Talib, Chief Executive Officer of MBI.
Meanwhile, TS Wong, Group Managing Director of Zetrix AI Berhad, said the firm will work with MBI to enable trusted verification that is easy for platforms to adopt and straightforward for users to complete while keeping privacy and data minimization at the core.