Articles

An image of a young girl using a laptop. The accompanying text next to the image reads “Children's Online Privacy Protection Act - United States”.

An overview of the COPPA updates (and what it means for your business)

The United States Federal Trade Commission has released its updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. It aims to strengthen key privacy protections for children online and better reflect the challenges faced in the modern digital age. The updates introduce stricter requirements for the collection, use and sharing of children’s data. However, it’s worth noting that the rule doesn’t include an explicit exception for the use of children’s personal information solely for age verification. This complicates compliance for platforms that wish to implement more robust age checking than self-declaration.  Yoti is ready to assist companies with

13 min read
woman buying knife online

Age assurance for online knife sales

At the end of January, the UK Government announced they will introduce stricter age checks for online knife sales. Buyers will need to submit a copy of their photo ID, such as a driving licence, as well as proof of address, such as a utility bill. The same person who bought the knife will have to show ID again on delivery, and no knife packages can be left on the doorstep. These measures are part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, expected to be introduced in Parliament this Spring. While knife crime is a key focus of the

7 min read
Illustration of email based age estimation to determine if user is over 18

Verifying age with email address age estimation

As legislation increasingly serves to protect children online, businesses and platform operators require efficient and privacy-conscious methods to verify user ages. Email address verification is just one of these methods, leveraging email metadata to estimate a user’s age without collecting further personal information. This guide explores how email age estimation works, its reliability, regulatory compliance, and how it performs as a tool for businesses that wish to balance user experience and risk.   What is email address age verification? Email address age verification is a method of age assurance used by websites and online operators to determine

5 min read
An image of a woman who is looking at her driving licence. The accompanying text next to the image reads “Tobacco and Vapes Bill - United Kingdom”.

Understanding age assurance in the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill

In a significant move towards tightening regulations on tobacco and vaping products, the UK has introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Originally introduced by the previous Conservative government, the Bill has now been reintroduced by the new Labour government, signalling bipartisan support. The Bill aims to create a “smoke-free generation” by gradually raising the age of sale for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products every year until they are completely phased out across the UK.   What is the main aim of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill? The Tobacco and Vapes Bill seeks to tighten the regulatory framework around tobacco,

7 min read

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 UK’s plan to introduce government-issued digital IDs, his predictions for the UK’s digital ID market, tackling the problem of deepfake porn and online age verification for knife sales.   Initial thoughts about the UK’s rollout of government-issued digital IDs Game-changing news from the UK Government clearly shows that it’s very serious about a digital Britain and reusable digital ID. The positive ramifications for

8 min read
An image of a Yoti showable card. The card is data minimised, displaying only the user's name, image and an "over 18" age credential.

Physical IDs vs. Digital IDs: What are the key differences?

Key differences between physical IDs and digital IDs include: Format of the ID Ability to protect personal data (through minimising the data shared) When the ID can be used Differing use cases Who issues the ID Security features and vulnerabilities Regulatory and legal acceptance     Last year, multiple countries made big strides towards accepting digital IDs. Recognising that we live in an increasingly online world, and that fewer people are carrying wallets, more businesses, governments and organisations are choosing to accept digital IDs as a form of identification. Digital IDs and physical IDs serve the same fundamental

9 min read