Articles

Image of a woman using her smartphone to verify her identity with a driving licence. Small illustrations around her represent security, speed, seamlessness and accuracy.

Myth-busting identity verification

Identity verification is the process of confirming that a person is who they say they are. It typically involves validating an individual’s personal information, such as a name or date of birth, against identity documents or other official records and databases. Verifying a person’s identity is crucial for safe and trusted transactions. It helps you to protect your business from fraud, prevent deepfake attacks and comply with regulations.   Addressing misconceptions about identity verification There’s lots of conflicting information out there about how you can verify your customers’ identities. We’re here to dispel some commonly-held myths about identity verification.

7 min read
Companies house identity verification

An overview of changes to Companies House identity verification standard (and what it means for ACSPs)

As an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), you’ll be aware of the upcoming changes to the Companies House identity verification standard. In 2025, anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK, namely directors and persons with significant control (PSCs), will be required to verify their identity to prove who they are. These changes come as part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and aim to prevent anyone seeking to use Companies House for fraudulent activities. Failing to comply with mandatory identity verification requirements could result in fines and restrictions on company activities.

3 min read

The risks of using a VPN: Everything you should know

In 2025, cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever. Many businesses turn to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for online security and privacy. But are they always safe? Not all VPNs are created equally, and for businesses looking for a VPN provider, it can be easy to fall prey to fraudsters looking to exploit personal information for cash. In this blog we weigh up the red flags, risks and benefits of VPNs, helping you to decide if they’re right for your business.   What is a VPN? Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become an essential tool for businesses and individuals

6 min read

The Government announces identity checks for online knife sales

The UK Government is tightening regulations on online knife sales to prevent underage access and enhance public safety. As part of this, the Home Office has published an independent report by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). The report explores the current practices in the market and sets out some recommendations for how to strengthen online knife sales.  Here’s a snapshot of some of the proposed changes:  Report suspicious purchases: retailers will need to report suspicious purchases to the police. Increased penalties and jail sentences: penalties for selling knives to under-18s will increase from 6 months to up to

5 min read
An image of Robin with accompanying text that reads "Thoughts from our CEO, Robin Tombs, February 2025".

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 talks about the future of digital IDs in the UK, his hopes for our Digital ID network and thresholds for facial age estimation.   Visions for digital IDs in the UK Tony Blair recently stated in The Times that high adoption of reusable digital ID in the UK is inevitable. But that’s only half of the digital ID story. He says, “Digital ID is a personal

9 min read

Deepfake attacks: Rising fraud trends and our experience in preventing them

In 2024, we witnessed a significant increase in the number of deepfake attacks, or injection attacks during age and identity verification checks. The percentage of attacks increased from 1.6% to 3.9%. In absolute terms, this is a significant rise in the total number of attacks we have detected as we significantly expanded our services in 2024. We now perform over 5 million checks per week across all our services. With the introduction of various regulations globally, companies have been obliged to implement more robust age or identity checks for their users.  We have seen injection attacks across identity verification

2 min read