“The difficulty arises when you start buying age-restricted products. Now no one has yet been able to introduce an alternative to humans,” the expert explained.

Citizens who have submitted data to the Unified Biometric System (UBS) will have the opportunity to confirm their age in a store using a facial impression, Povolotsky clarified. Even simplified biometrics will do (to get it, you just need to take a selfie in the “Government Services Biometrics” application and have a verified account on the state portal). In addition, to access the service you will need a verified “Digital Profile”.

“We are interested in identifying buyers using a digital passport and consider this method the most promising today in terms of age verification,” the Magnit press service said.

The parent company of the Perekrestok and Pyaterochka chains, X5 Group, plans to implement age verification technology at self-service checkouts, company vice-president Stanislav Bogdanov told Izvestia. However, the final decision will depend on the final parameters of connecting the network to the UBS, the cost of age verification operations, as well as the format of interaction with consents to the processing of personal data.

Mass implementation of the service will require time to set up terminals and self-service cash desks, as well as integrate information systems, the press service of the Central Bank explained to Izvestia. However, a significant portion of retail outlets are already equipped with devices that allow payment and age verification using facial recognition.