Yoti blog
Stories and insights from the world of digital identity
Articles
Jul 03, 2025
How accurate can facial age estimation get?
Facial age estimation using machine learning has advanced significantly in recent years. But, a common and fair question still arises: How accurate can it really be? Can a system look at your face and accurately guess your age, especially when humans often get it wrong? The short answer is that it’s very accurate – but not perfect. We explain why. The myth of 100% accuracy It’s important to set realistic expectations. No facial age estimation model can achieve 100% accuracy across all ages. Human aging is highly individual and shaped by many external factors, especially as we get
Articles
Jul 02, 2025
What is synthetic identity fraud? How it works and how to prevent it
What is synthetic identity fraud? Synthetic identities are fake identities, built by combining real and made-up information, earning them the nickname “Frankenstein IDs” due to their pieced-together nature. Synthetic identity fraud is different to traditional identity fraud as it doesn’t involve an obvious, immediate consumer victim. These fake profiles are designed to mimic real customers, often slipping past traditional fraud detection systems because they don’t raise typical red flags. As a result, the primary victims of synthetic identity fraud are businesses and lenders, who bear the financial losses. How synthetic identities are created and used Fraudsters combine
Articles
Jun 30, 2025
Thoughts from our CEO
The BritCard debate heats up as digital ID adoption grows Just a few months after the UK Government introduced a voluntary digital ID wallet, some influential voices within Labour are already pushing to make it mandatory. They’ve also suggested rebranding it as the ‘BritCard app’ or ‘BritCard digital ID wallet’. In the 2 years between late 2025 and late 2027, I believe many (potentially a majority) of the UK’s 57 million adults will get a UK Government digital ID wallet. From late 2025, users will be able to access their mobile driving licence details. By the end of
Articles
Jun 27, 2025
The Supreme Court rules in favour of age verification
The question of whether states can require age checks on adult websites has reached a turning point in the US courts. In Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the case challenged Texas’s H.B. 1181 law, which required commercial websites that publish sexually explicit content to verify the ages of their visitors to prevent minors from accessing pornography. One of the big discussion points has been whether, in 2025, it is still too burdensome for US adults to prove age privately compared to 20 years ago – especially when privacy-preserving age verification tools have advanced significantly. The Supreme Court has upheld
Articles
Jun 25, 2025
Ireland’s Online Safety Code: what it means for online platforms and how to comply
What you need to know: Ireland’s Online Safety Code will hold video-sharing platforms accountable for keeping their users, especially children, safe online. Platforms with adult content, including pornographic or extremely violent content, must use age assurance to prevent children from accessing the content. These age assurance requirements come into force in July 2025. Platforms that don’t comply can face strong penalties – up to €20 million or 10% of annual turnover. From July 2025, video-sharing platforms in Ireland with pornography or extremely violent content will need to introduce age assurance to protect children from accessing their content.
Articles
Jun 20, 2025
Understanding the UK’s new Data Act
The Data (Use and Access) Act, now known more simply as the “Data Act”, is a landmark piece of UK legislation that aims to reshape how individuals and businesses interact with digital data. It introduces provisions for a national digital identity trust framework, helping to foster trust in digital identities by ensuring that businesses adhere to strict standards during digital transactions. This blog gives an overview of the Data Act and what this means for digital identities in the UK. Why has the Government introduced the Data Act? The Government has said that the Act will “unlock the
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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