Yoti blog
Stories and insights from the world of digital identity
Articles
Apr 25, 2024
Preparing for the EU’s new AI Act
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our world at a speed that, just a decade ago, we never could’ve anticipated. As AI finds its way into our everyday lives, regulators are racing to catch up with its development. In response, last month, the EU voted to bring in the Artificial Intelligence Act, also known as the AI Act. The Act is expected to enter into force in May or June 2024. This blog looks at what the legislation means for businesses and how they can comply. Why is there an AI Act? In recent years, it seems as though AI
Articles
Apr 17, 2024
Catching up with Yoti Guardian: Gavin Starks
At Yoti, one of the ways we’re held accountable is by our external Guardian Council. Our Guardians are an independent board of advisors who ensure that our products, services and partnerships stay true to our core principles. As his time on the Council comes to an end, we caught up with Gavin Starks, Entrepreneur and CEO of Icebreaker One, about his experience as a Yoti Guardian. Why did you want to be a Yoti Guardian? Yoti is working at the forefront of digital identity and tackles many of the big challenges of privacy, protection, innovation and data rights head-on.
Articles
Apr 15, 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 why facial age estimation is not easy to spoof, the recently passed age verification law in Texas, and the importance of human fallback for identity verification. Texas age verification law The US state of Texas can continue with their new law requiring platforms with adult content to verify the age of all users. The government said this is part of their legitimate interest in
Articles
Apr 11, 2024
Yoti assessed in the NIST Face Analysis Technology Evaluation program
An increasing amount of legislation is being introduced globally demanding that organisations effectively check the age of their users. It’s important that these age checks are inclusive; people should have a choice in how they prove their age. Regulators are recognising that not everyone will feel comfortable or be able to use a method based on identity documents. Facial age estimation gives people a way to prove their age without sharing their name, date of birth and other personal information from identity documents. It can improve online safety and help companies to comply with legislation, without having to process or
Articles
Apr 09, 2024
US age verification laws for online platforms
From buying goods online to accessing crucial services, there are countless advantages to an increasingly digital world. But with this development comes the serious challenge of ensuring that users can safely navigate online environments. As young people are able to access the internet more easily than ever, it’s important to make sure that their online journeys are age-appropriate. According to a national survey, the average age at which children in the US first see pornography is 12, with 15% first seeing online pornography at age 10 or younger. In response to the evolving digital landscape, regulation is making strides to
Articles
Mar 28, 2024
Our Fifth Regulatory Roundtable: exploring age assurance methods
As regulators and companies consider new laws to protect children and give them age-appropriate experiences online, they are faced with the challenge of how to determine someone’s age. We explored this topic at our latest regulatory roundtable; a lively and healthy discussion, chaired by our Guardian Gavin Starks. We discussed different age assurance methods, and the progress and widespread adoption of facial age estimation. We shared key updates on our technology, how facial age estimation can be configured to work with safety buffers, and demonstrated some live use cases. The roundtable also looked at why there needs to be international
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Mar 25, 2025
Discover Yoti’s B Corp Impact Report
We’ve reached a full decade of being a B Corp! At Yoti, we believe technology has the power to create a safer, fairer and more trusted world. But as the world of technology evolves, we know we must remain mindful of how we do business. As part of our commitment to balancing profit and purpose, we’re thrilled to announce the release of our new B Corp Impact Report. It highlights our progress and impact in the areas that matter most to our stakeholders, our community and the planet. Highlights include: Improving the accessibility requirements of
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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