Yoti blog
Stories and insights from the world of digital identity
Digital IDs soon to be accepted as proof of age for buying alcohol
It’s the news we’ve been waiting for. People will soon be able to use digital IDs to prove their age when buying alcohol. The Government has shared an update, confirming the change will come in next year. Digital IDs will give people an easier, safer and more secure way to prove their age when buying alcohol in high street pubs, supermarkets, convenience stores, nightclubs, pubs and bars. This is a significant step forward and demonstrates the growing importance and demand for reusable Digital IDs. In the UK, over five million people have already downloaded our Digital ID apps. These
Articles
Dec 19, 2024
Stop identity thieves from stealing your Christmas
The festive period is a time for giving, celebrating and spending quality time with loved ones. Unfortunately, it’s also prime season for fraudsters looking to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers. Instances of identity fraud skyrocket around Christmas, with someone in the UK scammed every 12 seconds. To help you stay one step ahead, here’s some practical steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft. Keep your devices secure In the UK, more than 4 in 5 of us do our shopping online. But as more of us shop from the comfort of our sofas, we still
Articles
Dec 18, 2024
Thoughts from our CEO
In this blog series, our CEO Robin Tombs will be sharing his experience, whilst focusing on major themes, news and issues in the world of identity verification and age assurance. This month, Robin chats about using digital ID for buying alcohol, the safetytech that can prevent intimate image abuse, and privacy-preserving age checks. Using digital ID to prove age when buying alcohol in pubs, restaurants and shops Ever since launching the Yoti ID app back in November 2016, users have told us they want to prove their age on their phone to buy alcohol at hundreds of thousands
Articles
Dec 17, 2024
A look back on 2024
It’s been another busy year for the age and identity industry. A raft of new online safety legislation has been introduced around the world, digital IDs gained momentum, and the accuracy of facial age estimation continued to improve. It’s also been a really positive year for Yoti. We were named by Deloitte as one of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies, recertified as a B Corp, and announced some exciting new product features. Here’s a look back on what’s been going on over the last 12 months. Digital IDs gained momentum It’s been great to see the new Data
Articles
Dec 12, 2024
Yoti announces participation in the Australian Age Assurance Trial
On 28th November 2024, the Australian Government passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024. This legislation will prevent anyone aged under 16 from accessing social media platforms. It aims to protect young users from harmful content and interactions. Set to begin in early 2025, the Age Assurance Technology Trial will test the effectiveness of age assurance technologies – spanning verification, estimation and inference. By testing various methods, the Australian Government hopes to identify robust and scalable solutions to enforce minimum age limits across platforms. Initial insight will be made available from April 2025 with a
Case studies
Dec 11, 2024
How Yubo pioneered 100% user age estimation to drive safety and trust among Gen Z
“Our team is grateful for the opportunity to work with partners like Yoti to continually break ground in online safety innovation and provide young people with the level of safety they are entitled to online.” Sacha Lazimi Yubo co-founder and CEO Yubo is a live social discovery platform that allows Gen Z to make new friends and hang out online with people from all over the world through group livestreaming, messaging, and an intuitive swipe feature. Founded in France in 2015, Yubo has been downloaded by over 80 million users and is used across more than 140 countries.
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Articles
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