We’re really pleased to announce that we have won the Merit Award for Digital Innovation at the 2019 Global ICT Excellence Awards!
These prestigious awards are held by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), a leading consortium of ICT industry association members from 83 countries around the world. The aim of these global awards is to honour organisations that have demonstrated exceptional achievement using ICT to benefit societies, governments, individuals, organisations and the private sector. And we must say, it is truly an honour to have made the podium.
The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the World Congress on IT in Yerevan, Armenia (WCIT 2019) which took place from October 6 to 9 and included sessions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence, virtual reality, smart cities to cybersecurity, climate change, and more.
We’ve been recognised for our efforts in using smartphones and biometric technology to transform paper identity documents, such as passports and driving licences, into a free, modern digital ID. We have created a simple, fast and secure way to prove and protect your identity online and in person, which empowers individuals to understand the value of their personal data.
This award comes at a really exciting time for Yoti as we see our Age Check solution adopted in over 9,000 convenience stores in the UK, allowing you to purchase age-restricted goods, such as cigarettes or energy drinks, with your phone. This currently excludes alcohol, due to a piece of legislation passed in 2014, which forces retailers to ask for an ID with a hologram or UV feature if the person “appears” under 18. Up until now, that has referred to a physical ID but we’ve added a hologram to the Yoti app – so we’re heading in the right direction!
We’re also trialling our biometric technology with Heathrow for passportless flying and have partnered with NCR to trial our age estimation technology at self-checkouts. We’ve also positioned our age verification tech as a leading solution to the UK Digital Economy Act, which has stated plans to restrict access to online adult content to over 18s .
With so many aspects of our lives that could be drastically revolutionised with our identity verification technologies, we are very excited about the future of Yoti.