London, UK, 5th July 2019 – Local businesses in Jersey, including The Channel Islands Co-operative Society and Alliance Supermarket are fighting underage sales and the rise of fake IDs by using Yoti’s digital identity app to verify the age of customers for age-restricted goods and services.
Individuals can now use the free Yoti app to prove their age instead of carrying important photo ID documents such as their driving licence or passport – documents which the government and the police advise people to leave safe at home. Jersey is one of the first countries to employ the technology.
Yoti has recently been recognised by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) as a digital ID for age-restricted purchases in the UK, with the new ID solution also rolling out in England now. Individuals in Jersey will be able to use Yoti to purchase age-restricted items including energy drinks, alcohol, lottery tickets and tobacco products.
Concerned parents and retailers see Yoti as a welcome solution to the rising quality and accessibility of fake IDs, which are making age checks harder. Yoti is a convenient and private way for customers to prove their age – with customers sharing less personal data than a traditional ID, only disclosing that they are old enough to buy the item, not even having to share their name.
Kenny McDonald, Head of Retail Operations at The Channel Islands Co-operative Society, said: “As a community retailer the Society is committed to making our members’ shopping experience as efficient and safe as possible. The increasing quality of fake IDs makes it very challenging for retailers but the Yoti app provides a great, modern solution to this age-old problem. It’s fantastic that this technology will allow individuals to prove their age in a secure way on their phones, without the need to carry their ID on them. We are delighted to be among the first retailers in the Channel Islands adopting this method.”
Sergeant Paul Kemp, The States of Jersey Police Licensing Unit said: “We welcome the use of Yoti in our local convenience stores and hope this will help to tackle fake IDs, and prevent under-age drinking and the associated harm that it can cause. As well as preventing the swapping and lending of ID by young people it also offers the ability to prove your age without having to take valuable documents, such as passports and driving licences, every time you go out.”
Robin Tombs, CEO and Co-Founder of Yoti explained: “We’re delighted that local businesses in Jersey are using Yoti to give their customers a safer, more convenient way to prove their age. Rather than showing valuable ID documents, which can easily be lost, stolen or misplaced, islanders and international visitors can use the free Yoti app to prove their age in seconds. Yoti is a simple, robust and free solution for newsagents and convenience stores that helps tackle fake IDs; ensuring underage individuals can’t purchase age-restricted goods.”
10% of the adult population of Jersey have already downloaded the Yoti app, a percentage expected to climb rapidly over the next year.
For the second year running, Yoti will be at Out There and Weekender Festival to help tackle fake IDs and give young people a safer way to prove their age. Yoti was selected by the Government of Jersey in 2018 to provide islanders with a secure digital identity, giving them an easier and safer way to prove their age and identity.
Individuals will need to download the free Yoti app on their smartphone and set up their account to purchase age-restricted goods using the app.
About Yoti
Founded in 2014, Yoti is a global technology company on a mission to become the world’s trusted identity platform. Our free digital identity app, with over 4.4 million downloads, is the new, safer way to prove your age online, check out faster with age restricted items at supermarkets and save time and money proving your identity to businesses. It brings safer connections with the people you meet online as well as enabling secure website login with your biometrics instead of remembering passwords. All personal details are secured with 256-bit encryption and Yoti promotes a data minimisation approach. For more information, visit www.yoti.com.
Notes to editors
- Here’s how individuals use Yoti to prove their age:
- The shopkeeper presents a scannable Yoti QR code to the customer.
- The customer scans the QR code with the Yoti app, which confirms that they’ll be sharing their photo and ‘Over 16’ or ‘Over 18’ attribute with the retailer.
- As an additional security measure, the retailer can request the user takes a photo of themselves to prove they are the registered account holder.
- The customer’s age is securely retrieved from Yoti. The phone will display the age threshold confirmation (‘over 16’ or ‘over 18’) along with a current photo