Yoti chosen by Scottish government to provide privacy-protecting digital identity platform

Yoti has been awarded a tender by The Improvement Service to provide Scottish residents with digital identification for proof of age and entitlement with the Yoti app, rather than using ID documents like a passport or driver’s license.

The Alpha phase of the project and potential future phases will enable Scottish residents to show proof of whatever identity information they need to businesses or public services, without sharing additional information. It could also be used to confirm the identity of people met online, log into websites without passwords, or access online public services securely through Yoti myaccount.

“We anticipate smartphone ownership will continue to grow and as technology evolves and mobile usage increases, we’re committed to maximise the use of secure mobile and digital technology to deliver information and services to citizens,” comments Sarah Gadsden, the Improvement Service’s interim CEO. “Yoti will help us and our partners in the drive to transform essential public services and improve outcomes, meet our own and wider aspirations to deliver more information online, and give individuals a safer and more convenient way to prove their age and entitlement to access services. We selected Yoti due to their innovative, user-centric, secure and privacy-by-design approach.”

The Yoti app is free for Apple and Android devices, and takes less than 5 minutes to set up, including matching a selfie to the image included on a scanned ID document, the company says.

“We’re delighted to partner with The Improvement Service to give individuals a simpler and safer way of proving their age and entitlement, both in person and online,” says Yoti Co-founder and CEO Robin Tombs. “Verified digital identities will help transform local and national services in Scotland as businesses and public bodies have confidence individuals are who they say they are; creating more trust and transparency in the details shared. The Improvement Service’s choice of Yoti’s digital identity system for this exciting pathfinder will help individuals and businesses to get things done in a fast, simple and secure way, whilst protecting their valuable personal information.”

The self-governing dependency of Jersey chose Yoti earlier this year to provide digital identity under the UK’s eGov initiative, and it has since announced the launch of a digital ID card for youths in the UK to prove identity information, including age, in partnership with CitizenCard.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  privacy  |  Yoti