Yoti reports progress in age verification without ID document

Yoti has announced a breakthrough in its anonymous age verification, which enables age checks without referring to an identity document. The company has also announced that its digital ID verification solution with identity document checks and selfie biometrics has been selected by online gaming platform, MrQ.com, with the goal of enhancing customer experience while also fighting identity fraud.

According to Yoti, work on the age check solution started in 2017 and since then, there have been “impressive advancements” in the development of its technology as a recent algorithm test result shows that it is capable of checking a person’s age anonymously.

Traditionally age checking is done using its app which allows anyone to convert their government-issued ID document into an encrypted digital ID, with which they can share their age details without disclosing their full date of birth, Yoti said.

The project has since moved on to research with machine learning to build a system that can recognize the age of a face without comparing it to an identity document, added Yoti. It said positive results have so far been achieved, with high accuracy rates in the age estimation process.

Yoti has hosted a series of public events in order to get input from various sectors including the civil society on how to train the system for better and more accurate results.

The company said it has trained the system with an image, gender and year of birth, and is now able to judge age within a couple of years. For 16 to 25-year olds, it can usually estimate the age within 1 to 2 years.

Online gaming provider choses Yoti biometrics

The solution from Yoti being integrated by MrQ.com is an advanced identity verification technology for checks compliant with know your customer (KYC) regulations, and allows for a simple, private and secure identity verification process for MrQ.com’s online games on the web, mobile and tablet.

According to Yoti’s announcement, its technology will enable the gaming platform to verify end-users to a high assurance level using identity documents such as government-issued passports, driving licences and national cards from over 185 countries, with the company’s selfie biometrics. Users can verify their identity from any location across the world in a secure, seamless and cost-effective manner.

The move will see Yoti’s technology integrated into the MrQ.com website to deliver Know-Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering checks in a process that ensures compliance and boosts efficiency of onboarding for whoever wants to access MrQ’s games.

“We are proud to have Yoti integrated into an already complicated KYC ecosystem. This allows us to move manual verifications and partner with a progressive supplier that knows how to utilize the power of technology. We know from experience that when we team up with a supplier who is like-minded on the technology side, only good things can come from it…,” said MrQ Managing Director Savvas Fellas.

Yoti Chief Business Officer John Abbott praised the partnership, saying they are delighted to help people prove their identity for MrQ games and in so doing, improving their gaming experience.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometrics  |  biometrics research  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  fraud prevention  |  identity verification  |  KYC  |  Yoti