Yoti blog
Stories and insights from the world of digital identity
Articles
Nov 29, 2019
Compliance at Yoti and why it matters to you
Updated 29th November 2019 to reflect change of SOC 2 classification from SOC 2 Type 1 to SOC 2 Type II. We do things differently to most tech companies. We’re proud of the fact that we always put compliance and our community first and we like to shout about it. The way we handle security and compliance is key to protecting your data. If we didn’t get that right, how could we expect anyone to trust us? And without trust, why would anyone use our app? So, with that in mind, here’s a run-through of the three main compliance accreditations we hold and why you should care. (Don’t worry, we know this stuff can be quite dry so we’ve kept it short). ISO 27001 What is it? It’s an international standard for information security management. Quick fact: although ISO 27001 is now best practice for security around the world, it was originally published in 1995 right here in the UK. What does it mean for you? ISO 27001 is about protecting all kinds of data. Not just personal data. So that’s everything from how we monitor who enters our offices to how we pick any suppliers or partners we work with. It basically means we’ve been proven to take security seriously in all areas of the business. SOC 2 Type II What is it? SOC2 (Service Organisation Controls) is all about companies being able to trust each other when providing and outsourcing services. There are five different criteria that an organisation can be examined on: security (which we have), confidentiality, processing integrity, availability and privacy. Our independent auditors examined the operation of our security controls over a continuous, six-month period and found no exceptions. What does it mean for you? SOC 2 is one of the most respected and rigorous auditing standards for security in the business world. It’s considered the gold standard and is adhered to by governments, major banks and the biggest tech companies. And receiving a flawless report is almost unheard of. So when we say that security and privacy are our priority, you know we really mean it. PAS 1296 What is it? It’s a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for Online Age Checking. It sets out regulatory best practice for the sale of age restricted goods or access to age restricted services. We have done a self assessment against PAS 1296 and had this reviewed by a third party. What does it mean for you? It’s all about trust. Trust that an age check performed using Yoti is reliable. For example, if you’re a parent whose child uses Yoti for proof of age accessing child-only forums or online games, you can be confident that environment is only accessed by others their age.
Fighting financial crime with Yoti and Synectics Solutions
Our advanced identity verification technology is set to enhance the onboarding experience for financial services and help tackle identity fraud. Our partnership with Synectics Solutions is set to deliver simple, private and secure eKYC checks when people apply for financial services products. Synectics Solutions For over 27 years Synectics Solutions has been at the forefront of developing leading-edge, data driven solutions for its clients, to help them create effective risk management systems and reduce their losses to fraud and other financial crime. Synectics’ clients have saved over £4.8 billion collectively through the use of these market leading link analysis, fraud prevention and predictive analysis solutions – National SIRA, Orion and Precision. Yoti identity verification Synectics Solutions have integrated our state-of-the-art identity verification solution to enable their customers to digitally verify their identity from anywhere in the world. The product integrates seamlessly into existing business flows so that customers can easily verify themselves on a website, app or in terminals. End customers simply take a photo of their official ID document and perform a liveness test to prove they’re a real person, and Yoti does the rest. Using a combination of expert AI and our team of super recognisers, Yoti checks their ID is authentic and matches it to their biometric template created during the liveness test. What does this mean for regulated financial services? Yoti’s partnership with Synectics Solutions offers regulated financial services institutions the ability to: Verify the identity of customers from over 175 nationalities to a high level of assurance through government-approved photographic ID documents. Allow customers to prove who they are remotely and securely from anywhere in the world. Digitally transform the approach to customer onboarding and customer due diligence. Reduce onboarding friction in order to deliver products and services faster than before. Enhance regulatory compliance through best-in-class technology. Russell Mackintosh, Head of Partnerships at Synectics Solutions said: “We’re delighted to announce this partnership with Yoti as it further demonstrates our recognition that improving methods of authenticating and identifying genuine customers lies at the heart of addressing issues of fraud and financial crime for our clients. “As a company we’re committed to continually investing in the services we offer and Yoti’s [service] provides access to the leading edge ID&V technology to help our clients improve their ability to authenticate genuine customers faster and more effectively.” Gareth Narinesingh, Commercial Director at Yoti said: “Our partnership with Synectics Solutions is a key proposition for UK-regulated financial services. Verified identities delivered through our platform compliments best-in-class data services provided by Synectics Solutions. “Financial services clients now have an end-to-end solution for onboarding new and remediating existing customers. This will lead to better and quicker customer outcomes for good actors, whilst employing much tighter controls around keeping out bad actors. This will be good news for both compliance officers and heads of retail banking and consumer finance businesses.” Get in touch If you work in financial services and are interested in optimising your business with Yoti’s identity verification services, please get in touch with Gareth Narinesingh here and you can also read further on identity verification for financial services.
Articles
Nov 27, 2019
Yoti joins the world’s most innovative companies in the REGTECH100 2020
We are very proud to announce that Yoti has been selected as a REGTECH100 company. RegTech The REGTECH100 is an annual list that recognises the world’s most innovative technology solution providers who are addressing the challenges of delivering regulatory requirements within financial services. The regulatory technology industry has seen huge growth in recent years as it strives to meet the needs of financial institutions as they navigate unrelenting regulatory challenges. The key players The REGTECH100 list was born to help senior management and compliance professionals navigate and evaluate which solutions are most likely to have a lasting impact on the industry. In their own words, this list is comprised of the companies every financial institution needs to know about as they consider and develop their mission critical RegTech and digital transformation strategies. We are really proud that Yoti has been selected as one of the world’s top 100 companies that are shaping the future of the compliance, risk management and cybersecurity in 2020. Yoti driving innovation with digital identities Yoti’s identity verification solutions are making strides in financial services. Our recent partnerships with Synectics Solutions and Kompli-Global create a digital KYC journey that fuses electronic identity verification with best-in-class data services for enhanced financial crime and anti-fraud prevention. The cyprotcurreny platform Crix has also recently innovated their onboarding process with eKYC checks with our Yoti Doc Scan product. Whether it’s buying crypto-currency, authorising a payment through multi-factor authentication or verifying your identity for a bank, our innovative technology provides financial institutions with the ability to: Verify the identity of customers from over 175 nationalities to a high level of assurance through government-approved photographic ID documents. Allow customers to prove who they are remotely and securely from anywhere in the world. Digitally transform the approach to customer onboarding and customer due diligence. Reduce onboarding friction in order to deliver products and services faster than before. Enhance regulatory compliance through best-in-class technology. Mission critical In the words of Mariyan Dimitrov, head of research at RegTech Analyst, “Employing RegTech solutions to modernise the compliance function is now mission-critical for financial institutions globally.” If you work in regulatory financial services and are keen to learn more about Yoti’s identity verification services, please get in touch with our Commercial Director for Financial Services, Gareth Narinesingh.
Articles
Nov 27, 2019
Digital ID, smart ID and identity in South Africa
This is the first 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. *** South African SmartID Cards play a crucial role in identifying and eliminating digital identity fraud in South Africa. Future developments here will likely have repercussions for the entire African continent, given that South Africa is the most developed country in the region. My Fellowship will examine South Africa’s national digital identity programme from a human rights perspective, and will propose safeguards and policy recommendations for those involved: public officials, lawmakers, representatives from judicial and human rights institutions, technologists, officers of development institutions, and members of the private sector. National Digital ID programs Countries all over the world are increasingly focusing on issues related to digital identity, and these are now at the center of many policy discussions. As a consequence, increasing numbers of governments have either proposed or are implementing programs relating to digital identity on a national level. These programs are directly administered by the government or implemented through government support and aim to provide a single identity to all residents, which in some cases is limited to national citizens and excludes expatriates. Biometrics are often the focal point of these national ID programs, as establishing the identity of a person involves gathering, storing and processing biometric data. Advocates vs critics Advocates of these programs say that national-level initiatives such as these provide several benefits. They allow the national government to provide services seamlessly and efficiently to its citizens and residents. They also believe that national ID programs are crucial for state welfare, poverty alleviation drives, fraud elimination and higher inclusivity. These programs are also the foundation of national security efforts. Critics, however, believe differently. They argue that these programs do not guarantee more benefits, better government services, or enhanced administration for the public. Instead they create serious issues because of the way they are planned and implemented. There are grave concerns, in particular, in areas relating to cybersecurity, data protection and privacy. There is also the risk of social exclusion, something my colleagues on the Yoti Fellowship Programme are researching. Multiple forms of ID To make it possible for these national ID drives to achieve their goals, several critical issues must be addressed. Governments must design a framework that takes technical, legal, and social factors into account. This framework should accommodate anonymity, informed consent and choice for its users. Centralised national ID schemes also focus on providing just one form of ID for each person and do not allow for multiple ID forms that could be better in many respects. Multiple ID forms can increase competition and lead to the provision of better services for users. Multiple IDs also have the potential to empower the cardholders by giving them a choice of which identity method they use in differing circumstances. My Fellowship will focus on schemes that allow only one ID card per person, and will investigate the effects and consequences of this approach for its users. Digital Identity in South Africa The population of the Republic of South Africa is around 51 million people. South Africa shares its borders with six other countries, and it has an extremely ethnically diverse population. A green ID book is mandated for citizens as well as permanent residents over the age of 16. This bar-coded ID serves as proof of user identity for several important situations such as opening a bank account, applying for a driver’s license, a passport application, voting registration, and more. Unfortunately, the green ID book has proved to be highly vulnerable to theft and fraud, creating security problems which affect both the people and the government. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) launched the SmartID card system in part to address these concerns, and in part as an investment drive to update and modernize technology in the country. On 18th July 2013, the DHA commenced the replacement of green ID books with these new SmartID Cards. Since the new cards have a host of advanced security features they are resistant to tampering and forging. Despite these features, the cards are not foolproof, and several fraudulent marriages and other digital identity scams have been exposed by local media. The government of South Africa claim that the new cards are durable and secure thanks to the choice of high-quality polycarbonate material. Other physical features including laser engraving, holograms and personal information are also designed to make fraud more difficult. It is expected that these cards will dramatically reduce the incidence of identity theft and fraud in South Africa. Research questions My research will seek answers to the following questions to help determine the performance of these cards in relation to ID fraud prevention: Have ID-related frauds declined in South Africa, following the introduction of the new SmartID cards? What new technological developments might be available to further boost the security of these cards? How can these cards be used to improve government services to the public? Fellowship goals The following are the goals for my fellowship: Assessing the effects of national identity programs on human rights. Suggesting policy recommendations and safeguards to key stakeholders like cardholders, government officials, lawmakers, judicial bodies and human rights organizations. Identifying and analyzing fraud cases. Examining trends concerning the old green books and new SmartID cards to evaluate the consequences of the ID program. Next steps The research carried out during my Fellowship is the first of its kind, and is aimed at determining whether the promise of SmartID cards has been met. If you have a question for Tshepo or are interested in his research, you can reach him here. To follow his whole research project, you can find an archive of his monthly field diary entries here.
Articles
Nov 22, 2019
How we built privacy into the Yoti app
Just as the right to identity is a fundamental human right, we believe privacy is too. Yoti was built to give everybody a simple and secure way of proving and protecting their identity, online and in person. With the free Yoti app, you can create a digital ID that allows you to prove who you are in the most privacy-friendly way. It is built with data minimisation at the core and allows you to share less data to prove your identity or age. You’re in control to show only the details you need, to the businesses and people you trust. First things first We don’t have your ID document details unless you have chosen to add them to your account. This is totally your choice. If you don’t add your ID document, you can use other features on the app such as our password manager or get an estimated age, but you do not have a digital ID. We make sure it’s really you When registering your account, we ask you to take a quick video to prove you’re a real human being. If you want to create a digital ID, you can upload a government-issued ID document. This is either checked automatically or sent to our team of identity verification specialists. They check your document is real and that the photo matches up with the image from your video and the information taken from your document. This is called a liveness test and is where we ask you to move your face according to instructions on the screen. If this test fails, you may be asked to say a few words so we can confirm you’re a real person. We double check that you’re the one calling the shots From your liveness test, we create a digital map of your face and encrypt it. When we need extra confirmation that it’s you, we ask you to take a seflie, which we compare to this original image. We let you share less data Unlike a physical ID document, we store your personal information as individual pieces of data. We call these attributes – individual pieces of information that identify you as you, such as your name, date of birth etc. By storing these attributes separately, you can share just the information required for a transaction, rather than revealing your whole identity. If you need to prove your age, you can share the fact that you’re over 18 and nothing else. Only you hold the key When you unlock your app, you activate your master encryption key. This master key is stored on your phone and is the only way of pulling together your attributes and turning them into readable text. Yoti also encrypts your master key for extra security. We use advanced biometric technology to keep you safe We use biometric (and non-biometric) technologies to carry out anti-spoofing, fraud prevention and security checks. This is the most effective way of verifying that you are a real person and that you’re setting up a genuine digital identity. It allows us to keep our users safe and make sure that only genuine identities are on our platform. We’re clear and transparent We tell you what we’re doing and why in the app, in our privacy policy and in FAQs. Our customer support team are also incredibly friendly and super speedy at replying so you can get in touch at any point if you need any help. You can always opt out Our research and development (R&D) team use some user data to develop, test and improve our age estimation technology and our anti-spoofing, fraud prevention and security checks. We do this to keep our community safe but if you are not comfortable with this, you have the option to opt out in the app. Go ID-free We’ve also built age estimation technology so you don’t even need an ID document to have an estimated age on your account. This technology can be used to allow anonymous proof of age in situations such as buying age-restricted goods at self-checkouts or proving you are over a certain age to access age-restricted content online. For all the technical bits, take a read of our whitepaper.
Articles
Nov 21, 2019
A look at our biometric technology
As our everyday lives become more digital, traditional IDs lag behind. They reveal more information than necessary, don’t make it easy to prove your identity remotely, and are easily lost and expensive to replace. That’s why we built Yoti app – to give everyone access to a digital ID built for a digital world. It makes the everyday easier and enables you to share less data and securely store your personal details in a privacy-centric way. We use biometric technology because it’s currently the most secure way of proving that you are who you say you are and that your ID documents belongs to you. Today, our Data Protection Officer Emma Butler explains everything you need to know about how we use biometric technology at Yoti. Why biometrics? To be a trusted identity platform, we have to make sure that individuals can’t create fake identities. We have to take steps to check it’s really you and to make sure you can’t upload someone else’s document. This is where the biometrics comes in: fraud prevention, security, safety. If we explained in minute detail exactly how everything works, people would be able to game the system, get round our checks and create fake identities. So we are as transparent as possible without compromising anyone’s security. So what are the biometrics then? This is where it gets complicated. Biometrics is defined in different laws in different countries, but not always in the same way. Also, regardless of what the law says, people have their own ideas about what it is. Most experts agree that biometrics is the measurement and analysis of your unique physical characteristics and behaviour. Some identify you, some authenticate you, some just distinguish person A from person B, and some estimate things about you, like your age, gender or mood. People typically think about biometrics as being your face, your fingerprint, your voice, the way you walk, the way you use your phone and so on. Legally, the common factor in most laws is that you are identified (it is determined who you are) or authenticated (you are who you say you are) through your unique physical characteristics or behaviour. Biometrics at Yoti Not all Yoti uses of your ‘biometric’ data identify or authenticate you. However, to make things easier to understand for our users, we have called all the physical characteristics and behaviour data ‘biometrics’. After all, we’re an app. A mobile phone screen is all the space we have. We can’t get into the legal and technical weeds on a small screen, and user testing has shown that users don’t read screens containing lots of information. So we simplify where we can, we provide the right information at the right time, and we always direct you to longer, more detailed information in our privacy notice for those who want it. We also have FAQs and a friendly, responsive user support team. Are you real? When you set up your account, we check you’re a real person. We also check you are not impersonating anyone else, such as wearing a mask or holding up a photo. We call this ‘liveness’. These security checks are known as ‘anti-spoofing’ and we work hard to stay one step ahead of the fraudsters who look for devious ways to pretend to be someone else. The anti-spoofing technologies analyse your face and your movements, but they don’t identify or authenticate you. We have two possible liveness tests. One is automated and one relies on a human being in our security centre to carry out the check. If the automated one isn’t sure enough that you are human, we ask you to do the other test. Biometric template During liveness we take a scan of your face and create a ‘biometric template’. This is just a string of ones and zeros. This is held securely and not shared with anyone. We check against this template when we need to check it’s really you and that it’s your ID document. Is that your ID? We carry out checks to make sure your document is real, is valid and belongs to you. Most of these checks are on the document. We use facial verification technology to match the face in the ID document photo to the biometric template from the liveness check. This technology authenticates you by determining if the two images are the same person. This is often called one-to-one (1:1) authentication. If the technology isn’t sure enough, a human being in our security centre checks the two images and decides. We currently use Cognitec technology for this. Cognitec are a leading provider of this technology and approved by NIST. Is that really you? When you want to take certain actions in the app, we ask you to do a liveness test again or take a photo. We use the same facial verification technology and processes described above to compare your image to the biometric template to make sure it’s really you. Some organisations who use Yoti with their customers may also want this extra level of security. For example, a bank may want more security if you want to move a lot of money to another account. When they set up with Yoti they can request this and it works in exactly the same way. When you just take a photo we call this ‘selfie authentication’. Research and development (R&D) None of these technologies exist by magic. They all have to be researched, developed, tested and improved. This is where the R&D team come in. They develop, test and improve new and existing security-related technologies. They also have to make sure the technologies are trained on a diverse and representative dataset so that they work for everyone. Face detection: this is a simple technology that works as described – it detects faces – human faces to be precise. The technology is trained on what a human face consists of and what it looks like in general terms. This technology is an integral part of any face-based technology to make sure that the technology only activates when a human face is presented. Face match or facial verification: this is what we use to check it’s really you and check it’s your ID document. Essentially the technology is presented with an image which it compares to the image and biometric template attached to your account. It determines if these are the same person. If the technology isn’t sure enough, a human being in our security centre compares the two images and makes the decision. Anti-spoofing: these technologies check you are a real human, and check you are not trying to impersonate someone else, such as by holding a photo in front of your face or wearing a mask. Our liveness step when you create an account in the app is a key part of this. As explained above, these technologies analyse a face and its movements. They don’t identify you or authenticate you. We can’t provide too much detail about exactly how these technologies work or people would be able to devise ways to get round the checks. Age estimation: this technology analyses a face and estimates its age. It doesn’t identify you or authenticate you. This allows you to have an estimated age on your Yoti account so you don’t need to add an ID document to prove your age. It also means we can offer this privacy-friendly technology to other organisations who need to check their customers’ age. Usually organisations who need to check your age ask you for lots of personal information or credit card details. They also sometimes check that information against third parties, such as credit reference agencies. Our technology means organisations can offer anonymous age checks. This is particularly important to people where they need to prove their age to access age-restricted or age-specific content online. Or where they want to buy age-restricted goods without having to hand over an ID document. It also helps retail staff who have to check ID documents and may not have the training to spot fakes, or who may receive abuse for checking in the first place. How do I opt out of R&D? If you don’t want your data used in our R&D you can opt out in the app settings. It’s that simple. Opting out means no further data is sent to R&D and existing data that R&D had available to them is also deleted. If you decide to delete your account, this also deletes the R&D data. It’s important to know that if your data has already been used in a project to train software, it is impossible to undo that activity. Developing biometrics the right way To make sure we develop our biometric technology in the right way, we have internal governance measures such as an internal Ethics and Trust Committee and are advised by our Guardian Council of expert professionals in data privacy, human rights and last mile tech. The accuracy and bias mitigation of our age estimation algorithm has been reviewed by Dr Alison Gardner from Keele University and IEE and our approach has been shared with regulators and civil society bodies in roundtable sessions. You can find its current accuracy levels in our regularly-updated Yoti Age Scan white paper. Further reading We think this poster on facial recognition by the Future of Privacy Forum is brilliant for an overview on biometric technology. You can also find some great materials on the Biometrics Institute and Gemalto.
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Articles
Mar 01, 2023
Announcing the start of B Corp Month
We’re really proud to be one of the UK’s founding B Corps, and every March, purposeful businesses come together to celebrate B Corp month. It’s a time for B Corps to raise awareness of just how important it is to move away from the outdated “business as usual” approach, and instead demonstrate how business, if done right, can be a force for good. But what is a B Corp? Certified B Corporations, also known as B Corps, are companies that are said to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. There are now over 6,000 B Corps in 89 countries, across 159 industries. By being part of the B Corp movement, we recognise that the most challenging global problems cannot be solved by governments and NGOs alone. By harnessing the power of business, we know that as B Corps we have the ability to commit positively to impact all stakeholders. How does a company become a B Corp? Qualifying to be a B Corp is a comprehensive and rigorous journey, where aspiring B Corps must have their processes verified by the B Lab, who oversee certification. B Corporation believes that businesses should exist to deliver impact above and beyond just profit. As such, businesses are assessed in five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers. On top of these, if a company has what is known as an Impact Business Model (IBM), they can gain extra points. An IBM refers to the way that a business is designed to create a specific positive outcome for one of its stakeholders. An IBM may be based on a product, a particular process or activity, or the structure of the business. Where do we fit in? Our Governance One area of being a B Corp that we think we excel in is our governance. Yoti is proud to be one of the UK’s founding B Corps, having received its first certification back in August 2015, the same year that B Corp launched in the UK. Before we’d even thought about how to turn a profit, we knew that as a company, we wanted to do business in the right way. We were well aware that in this industry, we would come up against complex ethical questions, simply because of the nature of what we do. So we had to find a way of ensuring that we had a robust framework to work against. In response to this, we came up with our seven founding principles, which have remained unchanged since the day we adopted them. That’s not to say that we won’t change them if we think they could be improved, but we think they’ve stood the test of time, and still hold strong as our foundations. Alongside these, we also have a comprehensive Code of Ethics, which we must abide by in every decision we make. This covers how we treat our employees, customers, business partners, and all remaining stakeholders. To demonstrate our commitment to being a B Corp, we have also made changes to our governing documents. We have made changes to our company’s Articles of Association, meaning that our business is held legally accountable to a broader purpose and is committed to considering the interests of all stakeholders. We also are held to account by our Guardian Council which consists of external, independently appointed experts in relevant fields such as human rights, data privacy and last mile tech. Alongside the Council, we have an Internal Ethics and Trust Committee, which oversees the development and implementation of ethical approaches at Yoti. We have made public pledges by signing up to the Fair Tax Charter, Responsible 100, 5Rights and the Biometrics Institute, all of which guide us in ensuring that we build ethical technology. And that’s only some of what we do. Keep an eye out for our upcoming governance series, where we’ll delve a bit deeper into our governance practices and what they mean on a practical level. But we know we can still do better We’re committed to launching our Digital Identity Toolkit, which we hope will help demystify the world of digital identity. It is aimed at those who want to learn more about digital identity and how they might be relevant to people in their lives or their work. We hope that by making digital identity more accessible, readers will be able to make more informed decisions about whether they want to make a digital identity or integrate the technology into their organisations. If you want to know more… We’re currently in the process of recertifying for B Corp status (since companies must recertify every three years). You can check out our most recently available B Corp score and impact report if you’d like to know more, or you can get in touch. Otherwise, keep an eye out for our upcoming governance series, Digital Identity Toolkit and new B Corp report.
Articles
Aug 26, 2022
How Curio traders in Malawi could benefit from digital identity
As we go about our social purpose work we regularly get to speak to local, national and international non-profit organisations. Over the years, we’ve found that many struggle to understand the many ways digital identity solutions might help them in their work. As part of our wider efforts to help the sector make sense of the technology, today we’re publishing the last in a series of articles looking at the use of digital identities in six different humanitarian and environmental settings. Please note that, while the technology use case is real, the scenarios are hypothetical in nature, and the projects do not exist as stated. Location Malawi Scenario Security for Curio Traders Background Visitors to Malawi are spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting authentic curios and souvenirs to take home with them. Apart from locally produced paintings, baskets and batiks, there are countless beautiful wooden carvings that are made on site and sold to visitors. Malawi has always been known for its talented wood carvers who create a diversity of sculptures and plaques depicting mostly African scenery, people and animals. Carved pieces by Malawian artists can be found in Buckingham Palace and the Vatican Museum, as well as in several churches in western countries, where they decorate the walls. Wood carving is a traditional Malawian art form and a skill that is passed from fathers to sons. Selling the pieces to tourists is a way for many families to earn a living as the ornate detail and beauty of the indigenous hardwoods from which they are made, are prized by tourists. Curio vendors have been assisted by the Malawian government, building markets in which the vendors may display their wares and conduct business. This has resulted in improved sales as the vendors do not need to pack up their wares and take them away each evening or cease business during times of inclement weather. The government promotes wood carving as a potential earner of foreign exchange through exports and a generator of income for poor Malawians. Challenge Since early 2020, the curio vendors in Malawi have suffered serious financial setbacks. With the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, international borders have been closed and tourism has ground to a halt. Some vendors have given up and moved back to rural areas where they hope to cultivate enough food to stave off starvation. Others remain at the markets where they spend the days polishing dust off their carvings and hoping that someone will come along and purchase something that day. A group of struggling vendors have got together to explore the possibility of sending small consignments of carvings to neighbouring South Africa which has a much larger and more affluent population. They hope that there will be a market for their goods, despite the current travel restrictions. Unfortunately, none of the men have passports and they have reservations about trusting an unknown transporter who may cross the border with their carvings and never be seen again. Solution The curio vendors set up a network of trusted members using certain digital identifiers. Members include wood carvers and potential transporters with driving licences and vehicles. To become a member, an individual must produce two significant pieces of identity documentation. These could be a national ID card, bank card, birth certificate, marriage certificate, driver’s licence or personal testimony from a village head. The documentation is photographed and stored in a database which also includes a photograph of the face of each member. Thereafter, members can identify themselves as authentic, bona fide traders using their photographs. This system would allow a registered and known transporter to collect a consignment of high-quality curios from verified members of the group. The transporter may agree to pay a sum of money as a deposit before leaving for the border with the curios. Once the curios have been sold to retailers in South Africa, the customs fees and transporter’s costs can be deducted and the remainder of the income paid to the Malawian vendors before the next consignment is collected. Read our other scenarios on how digital identity might: be used to monitor food and cash rations be used to help make cross-border trading easier help protect endangered southern ground hornbills in Zimbabwe promote education in Angola improve maternity and childcare in Kenya
Articles
Jun 10, 2022
How could digital identity improve maternity and childcare in Kenya?
As we go about our social purpose work we regularly get to speak to local, national and international non-profit organisations. Over the years, we’ve found that many struggle to understand the many ways digital identity solutions might help them in their work. As part of our wider efforts to help the sector make sense of the technology, today we’re publishing the fifth of six articles looking at the use of digital identities in six different humanitarian and environmental settings. Please note that, while the technology use-case is real, the scenarios are hypothetical in nature, and the projects do not exist as stated. Location Kenya Scenario Maternity and Childcare Clinic Background According to the World Health Organisation, 60% of mothers in sub-Saharan Africa give birth without ever consulting with a healthcare worker. This leads to an increase in the likelihood of complications that can cause maternal and child death. In Kenya, in particular, the mortality rate of mothers during pregnancy and childbirth is considered to be high and was given as 342 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019. The reason for this is that many women live in rural areas where there are no health care clinics and they can therefore not access antenatal guidance or the help of trained health professionals. Transport to clinics in larger towns is also costly and this adds to the likelihood that pregnant women in Kenya will be unable to consult a health care worker for assistance. UNICEF states that “The causes of maternal death are mostly preventable”, and links decreased maternal mortality with regular attendance at an antenatal or primary health care clinic. Historically, Kenyan women had to pay a fee to attend a maternity clinic and this added to the inaccessibility of these services to the average mother-to-be. In 2013, the Kenyan government implemented a Free Maternity Service policy which resulted in an increase in the number of women who attended maternity clinics. In addition, Kenya has made great progress in recent years in institutionalising community primary health services. Numerous small maternity clinics have been established in rural areas, usually with the help of NGOs, donors and other stakeholders such as UNICEF and USAID. Trained nurses and midwives at these clinics focus on educating mothers-to-be about nutrition, childbirth and hygiene, and on assisting and supporting during the birth of the baby. Challenge With maternity clinics and antenatal services more accessible to Kenyan women than ever before, there has been a significant increase in the number of women seeking to register at these facilities. However, many of the women have no documentation and are unable to identify themselves officially. In rural communities, children are mostly born at home and their births are not recorded in a hospital. This means that many people in these communities have no birth certificates. In Kenya, a birth certificate is needed in order to apply for a national identity card which is, in turn, required for a biometric identity number – known as a Huduma Namba, or “service number” in Swahili. Rural women may therefore remain undocumented, along with millions of others in the Kenyan population. Solution A maternity clinic could register pregnant women who wish to make use of the antenatal and health care services offered. Registration would involve recording a woman’s name, address details and any other relevant information, along with a scan of her fingerprint or face. This is the same technology currently used by the Kenyan government authorities in their drive to register every citizen with a digital identity and work number. The database could be stored at the clinic of the woman’s choice, with an undertaking that she must return to the same clinic where she registered for all subsequent check-ups and health issues. Each time a patient returns for a check-up, she would use her fingerprint to authenticate her identity. This would enable the clinic to monitor the progress of the woman’s pregnancy and ensure she attended antenatal classes regularly, to educate her on issues of nutrition, hygiene, breastfeeding and baby care. If she failed to attend one of the classes, the clinic staff would be alerted and may decide to visit her home to ascertain if problems had arisen. After childbirth, the baby’s immunisation schedule and growth could also be monitored and the data stored under the mother’s digital identity file. This data could also be accessed when the woman returned to the clinic for subsequent pregnancies. Read our other scenarios on how digital identity could: be used to monitor food and cash rations be used to help make cross-border trading easier help protect endangered southern ground hornbills in Zimbabwe promote education in Angola