Articles
Articles
Sep 28, 2020
Celebrating International Identity Day 2020
Today marks International Identity Day. It falls on September 16th in recognition of Sustainable Development Goal 16.9 , which commits the international community to providing a means of identity to all by 2030. As we celebrate today, it’s worth reminding ourselves what it means to not be able to prove who you are. In the developed world, we’re used to providing identification even for routine transactions such as opening a mobile phone account at a local store. We can readily produce a combination of photo ID, proof of bank details and a utility bill to confirm our
Articles
Sep 03, 2020
The UK government's digital identity consultation response
We’re pleased to see the publication of the UK government’s Digital Identity: Consultation Response. We and others, like techUK, have been calling on the government to reveal its plans for digital identity and this response is a step in the right direction. There are three things that we particularly like. Principles-based approach First, the need for a principles-based approach, spanning privacy, transparency, inclusivity, interoperability, proportionality and good governance. Yoti was founded on core business principles, which have enabled us to develop a suite of digital identity products with the user’s interests at their core. It’s good to
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Aug 05, 2020
#MarginalizedAadhaar: Is Aadhaar a Tech Solution for a Socio-Economic Problem?
This is the fourth field diary entry from Subhashish, one of our Digital Identity Fellows. His year-long research project is focused on the challenges and opportunities within marginalised groups most affected by Aadhaar, India’s national digital ID system. *** “You cannot fix using the law what you have broken using technology” says Indian cybersecurity expert Anand Venkatanarayanan, quoting Professor Sunil Abraham at the Kenyan High Court. Venkatanarayanan was appearing as a witness for the Nubians, a discriminated community for whom the Kenyan biometric database National Integrated Identity Management Scheme (NIIMS, also known as Huduma Namba) would create further exclusions
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Aug 05, 2020
New JMLSG guidance recognises the power of digital identity
On 1 June 2020, the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) published its revised guidance for what is expected of regulated financial services entities in relation to the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing. The new guidance recognises the central role that digital identity and robust biometric technologies can play in ensuring regulated entities meet their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter terrorist financing (CTF) obligations. What is the JMLSG? The JMLSG is a private sector organisation that produces guidance to help the financial services sector meet its legal obligations in relation to AML and CTF. Its guidance isn’t
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Jul 31, 2020
Strong support in the House of Lords for digital age verification
On Monday 20th July, several members of Lords gave strong support for digital age verification, including Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Lord Clement-Jones, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, Lord Holmes. It’s fair to say that all concerned want effective digital age verification, even those that were opposed to the development of digital age verification during the Lords debate such as Baroness Pickering and Baroness Williams. But for it to be effective, it needs to be standards based and meet the requirements of industry stakeholders and the public. What was NOT clear on the floor of the
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Jul 30, 2020
Identity theft in the Western Cape
This is the fourth field diary entry from Tshepo, one of our Yoti Digital Identity Fellows. His year-long research project is looking at the digital identity landscape in South Africa, with a specific focus on the national smart ID identity programme from a human rights perspective. ***** Identity theft is rising in South Africa, with fraudsters costing the economy more than R1 billion every year. While each province has its own story to tell in terms of statistics and impact, the problem is truly a national one. My research has continued in the Western Cape, the official COVID-19 epicentre
