Data Card
UK facial age estimation plan faces renewed accuracy and bias scrutiny
Reporting on UK Home Office facial age estimation trials found the technology overestimated the ages of minors, with disparities concentrated among some demographic groups. The Home Office is testing during 2026 ahead of a planned 2027 rollout.
2026-07-31CC-BY-4.0age-estimationdemographic-biasasylumhome-office
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Key Facts
- On lower-quality border imagery the system classified more than two-thirds of 16-year-olds as adults.
- More than half of West African 16-year-olds were estimated at 18 or older, against fewer than a quarter of Eastern European 16-year-olds.
- Cognitec is named as subcontractor for the age-estimation technology under a £322,000 contract to Akhter Computers; officers retain final decisions.
Card Text
Age estimation in immigration decisions carries different consequences from age gating on a website, because a misclassified minor loses safeguarding protections. Directional error matters as much as overall accuracy when the errors run consistently one way.