Yoti blog
Stories and insights from the world of digital identity
White papers
Feb 13, 2025
Age verification report: defining age verification and age assurance
Age is becoming and increasingly important focus for governments globally, with legislation being enacted across multiple states and countries. This is the first in our series on reports on age verification. Our first report aims to explain the difference between age verification and age assurance, and how levels of assurance and proportionality are important to regulataors and businesses. Download
Articles
Feb 12, 2025
An overview of the COPPA updates (and what it means for your business)
The United States Federal Trade Commission has released its updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. It aims to strengthen key privacy protections for children online and better reflect the challenges faced in the modern digital age. The updates introduce stricter requirements for the collection, use and sharing of children’s data. However, it’s worth noting that the rule doesn’t include an explicit exception for the use of children’s personal information solely for age verification. This complicates compliance for platforms that wish to implement more robust age checking than self-declaration. Yoti is ready to assist companies with
Articles
Feb 10, 2025
Age assurance for online knife sales
At the end of January, the UK Government announced they will introduce stricter age checks for online knife sales. Buyers will need to submit a copy of their photo ID, such as a driving licence, as well as proof of address, such as a utility bill. The same person who bought the knife will have to show ID again on delivery, and no knife packages can be left on the doorstep. These measures are part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, expected to be introduced in Parliament this Spring. While knife crime is a key focus of the
Articles
Feb 07, 2025
Verifying age with email address age estimation
As legislation increasingly serves to protect children online, businesses and platform operators require efficient and privacy-conscious methods to verify user ages. Email address verification is just one of these methods, leveraging email metadata to estimate a user’s age without collecting further personal information. This guide explores how email age estimation works, its reliability, regulatory compliance, and how it performs as a tool for businesses that wish to balance user experience and risk. What is email address age verification? Email address age verification is a method of age assurance used by websites and online operators to determine
Case studies
Feb 06, 2025
From 2 minutes to 10 seconds: how Diebold Nixdorf and Yoti are transforming and speeding up age verification at self-checkouts
“AI-powered age estimation technology has proved to have a hugely positive impact on the time taken at checkout and the levels of frustration felt by consumers. It also has the knock-on effect that the efficiency of the checkout improves, transaction times drop and there are fewer queues in the store. Additionally, it also frees up staff to better serve customers who need their help.” Matt Redwood Vice president, Diebold Nixdorf Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD), Incorporated, automates, digitises and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions
Articles
Feb 05, 2025
Understanding age assurance in the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill
In a significant move towards tightening regulations on tobacco and vaping products, the UK has introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Originally introduced by the previous Conservative government, the Bill has now been reintroduced by the new Labour government, signalling bipartisan support. The Bill aims to create a “smoke-free generation” by gradually raising the age of sale for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products every year until they are completely phased out across the UK. What is the main aim of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill? The Tobacco and Vapes Bill seeks to tighten the regulatory framework around tobacco,
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Aug 29, 2024
Protecting your heart and wallet: understanding romance scams
It is said that love makes the world go round. But as genuine daters are looking for love, there’s a growing risk of falling into a scammer’s trap. In this blog we explore the impact of romance fraud, common tactics used by fraudsters and how daters can protect themselves in their search for love. What is romance fraud? Romance fraud occurs when a scammer uses a fake profile and false identity to trick unsuspecting people on dating sites. They usually do this for fraudulent reasons and financial gain. The fraudster will often go to great lengths, convincing
Articles
May 28, 2024
The importance of transparency for facial age estimation
To protect young people online, businesses need to provide age-appropriate experiences for their users. This could apply to online marketplaces, social media networks, content sharing platforms and gaming sites. But to put the correct measures in place, businesses need to know the ages of their customers. It was previously thought that the only way to confidently establish a user’s age was with an identity document, like a passport or driving licence, or checks to third-party databases such as credit reference agencies or mobile network operators. However, regulators are now recognising facial age estimation as an effective alternative. As with
Articles
May 14, 2024
Making age checks inclusive
In today’s world, we can access a range of goods, services and experiences online. As a result, regulations are being passed across the globe to ensure that young people safely navigate the digital world. From the UK’s Online Safety Act to age verification laws in the US, platforms are being required to check the ages of their users. To do this effectively, the age assurance methods offered must be inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible. Why can’t businesses just use ID documents? Most people tend to think of age assurance as checking a person’s age