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Kids Web Services
Age verification service in the UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kids Web Services (KWS) is an online age verification service operated by a subsidiary of Epic Games.
The KWS software was developed as a parental consent management toolkit by London-based start-up company SuperAwesome, which in 2020 received indirect financial backing from Microsoft.[1] SuperAwesome was acquired by Epic Games later that year.[2] When SuperAwesome was demerged in a management buyout in January 2024, KWS was retained by Epic Games.[3]
In July 2025, social media company Bluesky began requiring users in the UK to register with KWS in order to access certain features, in response to the Online Safety Act 2023.[4][5][6]
Reviewers including Rupert Goodwins of The Register and Simon McGarr of The Gist have criticised the service for the amount of personal data gathered, and for the fact that such data could be acquired by an as-yet unknown third party if ever the business is sold.[4][7]
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