Yoti Misuse Policy
Version 2.0, November 2024
1. Purpose
This Misuse Policy establishes guidelines for acceptable use of Yoti services and the integrity of our digital ecosystem. These guidelines will be followed when assessing any claims of misuse of our Yoti services, wherever they originate.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all users of Yoti services, including individuals, businesses, and organisation accessing our platform through any interface or method.
This policy is intended to support our efforts to ensure Yoti services are used appropriately. However, use of Yoti services does not guarantee that any user is in any way vetted or trusted by Yoti or any associated businesses.
This policy is subject to periodic review and modification. Such review will take place at least annually. Users are responsible for staying current with the latest guidelines.
3. Prohibited Activities
We expect all users to use the Yoti services responsibly and ethically. This section sets out a non-comprehensive list of examples of what may be deemed misuse.
3.1 Illegal Activities
- False representation of the user or who they represent
- Using our services for any illegal purposes
- Engaging in fraud, identity theft, or financial crimes
- Distributing illegal content or materials
- Attempting to access systems or data without authorisation
3.2. Technical Misconduct
- Engage in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to compromise system security
- Introduce malware or viruses
- Scrape or extract data without authorisation
- Use automated tools to access services beyond permitted rates
- Circumvent access controls or authentication mechanisms
3.3. Account Misuse
- Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
- Selling or transferring account credentials
- Using accounts for unauthorised commercial purposes
- Impersonating other individuals or organisations
- Breaching Yoti’s App consumer terms and conditions
3.3. Data and Privacy Misuse
- Failure to comply with all data protection regulations
- Misusing or inappropriately sharing personal information
4. Enforcement
4.1. Violation Detection
We employ the following methods to detect misuse:
- Yoti checks and reviews (subject always to our Privacy Notices)
- Third Party Reporting, which may include Police or Fraud monitoring agencies
- User reporting
- Yoti proactive reporting
- Official Body reporting
4.2. Consequences
When we are made aware of misuse we will take into account all evidence available to us to reach a fair decision depending on the type and level of misuse. Violations may result in:
- Immediate account suspension
- Permanent account termination
- Legal action for significant breaches
- Reporting to relevant authorities by us or as a recommendation to a user who states they are a victim of the action
4.3. Appeal Process
Users may submit a written appeal to contest enforcement actions, which will be reviewed by our Complaints team. To be a valid appeal, we require from Users to provide:
- A full legal name
- An email or postal address that enables Yoti to contact the user
- A statement confirming that the information and allegations contained in the appeal are full and accurate
- A signature or other method of evidencing the appeal is coming from the named legal person
Where a user disagrees with the decision of the complaints team the only form of resolution available to our users, if they choose to follow it is through an out of court arbitration scheme based in London, UK.
5. Ongoing Suspension List Review
Yoti records the number of accounts that have been suspended and reports those numbers to its Guardian Council and to its senior management team quarterly through its Global Operations Manager. Where there are specific circumstances around a suspension that the Global Operations Manager believes requires input from one or both of these bodies, that will be raised during these reviews.
We may choose to undertake an internal review of any suspended account based on receiving evidence of innocence from a user or third party outside of the appeal process. This and any action, is solely at Yoti’s discretion.
6. Disclaimer
Yoti reserves the right to interpret and enforce this policy at its sole discretion, with final decisions resting with our legal team.