Articles

Image of a young person sitting down and using their smartphone.

Understanding verification requirements in the new Digital Services Act

The EU’s new Digital Services Act (DSA) will apply from the 17th February this year. Originally only applicable to ‘very large online platforms’ (VLOPs) and ‘very large online search engines’ (VLOSEs) with over 45 million monthly users, it will eventually be expanded to cover all online intermediaries and platforms that offer their services to users based in the EU. These include online marketplaces, social networks, adult content companies, content sharing platforms, app stores, and online travel and accommodation platforms.  To comply with certain parts of the Act, platforms will need to have effective verification of business users and support age-appropriate

9 min read

Safer Internet Day 2024: Creating age-appropriate experiences with Kids Web Services 

Every year, Safer Internet Day raises awareness of the importance of a safer and better internet for all. Starting as an initiative of the EU in 2004, Safer Internet Day is now recognised in over 190 countries and territories around the world. The theme this year, ‘Inspiring Change’ brings to light an important question: how can we inspire change which improves online safety for young people? One of the ways Yoti is helping to change the internet for the better, is through our work with Kids Web Services (KWS), the leading parent verification and consent management toolset. KWS offers

3 min read

A chat with Emily Hyett, Yoti’s Group Product Manager

With so much going on in the digital identity space, we caught up with Emily Hyett, our Group Product Manager. She chats through the latest trends in the identity industry, why data privacy is so important, and what her typical day at Yoti looks like.   Can you share your personal journey and the path that led you to Yoti? I studied Astrophysics at university, and then my first role was working in a tech consultancy. We worked with the UK government to help them digitise the biometrics they used across policing. So I went to about 30 different police

6 min read
Woman considering a bottle of wine in a shop with the UK "Challenge 25" logo overlayed

Challenge 25: Enhancing age checks with facial age estimation and Digital IDs

‘Challenge 25’ is a scheme used by retailers who sell age-restricted products. It requires shoppers who are over 18 but look under 25 to show ID. But why was Challenge 25 introduced and how can age estimation technology and Digital IDs strengthen age checks in today’s world?   The history of Challenge 25 In 2005, test purchases revealed that some retailers were selling age-restricted items to underage customers. This testing was part of the Government’s Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC). Research commissioned at the time explored why these underage sales were taking place. The key finding showed that retail staff

6 min read
An illustration of a passport. The accompanying text says "Exploring social purpose: Identity verification".

Addressing social challenges: How identity verification can help solve everyday problems

At Yoti, we consider our social purpose alongside everything we do. Through every step of the design process, we think about the everyday challenges that our solutions can solve. This series looks at how our products can benefit individual users and wider society. This article focuses on how identity verification could help with some common issues.   Why do we need to verify our identity online? As technology evolves, more services are moving online. Companies need to ensure that the right people can access the right services for them. This has resulted in a growing need for people to prove

7 min read
An illustration depicting the job of a super recogniser to match faces with identity documents and photographs

Inside the unique role of Yoti's Super Recognisers

A Super Recogniser is a person with an innate ability to recognise faces. Only 1-2% of the global population who take the tests are classed as Super Recognisers. At Yoti, our Super Recognisers match faces 1:1. This means they can compare the photo on an identity document with a selfie and determine if it’s the same person. We do this if our automated check does not conclude this with high confidence, to help with trickier account creations, or when businesses want increased confidence about a person’s identity. Our highly skilled team of Super Recognisers also complete visual document verification checks

4 min read