Stripe launches selfie biometrics to join active identity verification market

Stripe is joining the market for remote biometric identity verification, just as Idemia, TruNarrative and Yoti have signed up new partners, and Accura Scan and Pass have launched new technologies. ID.me continues to receive criticism, meanwhile, for slow processing of identity verification for benefits claims.

Stripe Identity launches

Stripe is getting into the market for ID document and selfie biometrics for identity verification, with a beta launch for businesses in 30 countries to help them comply with age restrictions and know your customer (KYC) rules.

The new Stripe Identity self-service tool returns results in 15 seconds or more, and the company says it can be implemented with no code in “a few minutes.” Stripe receives the encrypted data to perform the biometric verification, freeing businesses from managing the data. Stripe says the architecture was developed over the years for its own use.

The company’s announcement refers to “a live selfie,” and between that and the explicit mention of KYC, biometric liveness detection is presumably included.

Early customers include Discord, Peerspace and Shippo, according to the announcement.

“We know from experience how much work it takes to build a rigorous and secure system for global identity verification,” states Delia Pawelke, head of Global Risk Strategy and Onboarding Policy at Stripe. “With Stripe Identity, we’re making our advanced compliance infrastructure available to all of our users. For an online business, verifying someone’s identity is now as easy as accepting a payment.”

Stripe acquired mobile biometric software vendor Touchtech Payments in 2019, ostensibly to provide support for PSD2.

The company will reveal more details at its developer conference this week.

Idemia, TruNarrative, Yoti customer wins

Idemia has partnered with Reed Screening to move identity verification processes for employers online so they can comply with the UK’s ‘right-to-work’ requirements.

The Home Office rules were suspended during the pandemic, but are about to go into effect, requiring all employees have their identities verified and their eligibility to work in the country confirmed. The rules stipulate a face-to-face meeting, with identity documents inspected and other checks performed.

Reed Screening provides pre-employment screening, and the partnership with Idemia enables it to offer an identity verification service remotely through the user’s smartphone.

TruNarrative’s biometric regtech platform has been selected by Dutch state-owned casino operator Holland Casino to help it onboard customers with automated KYC and anti money-laundering (AML) journeys.

The company provides biometric verification, affordability assessments, transaction and behavior monitoring through its API.

Holland Casino is among the first operators in the country to be granted a remote gaming license.

BitcoinPoint has adopted Yoti’s selfie biometrics for KYC checks for easy access to cryptocurrency services through its app

The cryptocurrency company allows people to buy and sell Bitcoin online or in-person at one of 27,000 point of sale locations with low service fees. Yoti’s pre-existing users can pass KYC checks with their pre-verified identity in seconds, according to the announcement.

“We were looking for the best provider in the market and Yoti had an ideal end-to-end solution,” states BitcoinPoint Co-founder and CEO Benoit Marzouk. “We were also very impressed by Yoti’s existing network, which includes Post Office and supermarket ePOS leaders NCR.”

Yoti’s biometrics will be implemented in BitcoinPoint’s app by the end of June.

Accura Scan launches forgery detection, Pass launches mobile app

Accura Scan has announced the launch of an ID forgery detection technology to perform real-time document verification.

The new ID Forgery software can be integrated be Accura Scan customers into their existing systems to upgrade their security and data protection. The company offers the new capability along with its selfie biometrics, liveness, and digital KYC solutions.

The tool is available through SDKs for Android, iOS and web.

The new myPassID mobile app from Pass is now available in the Apple App Store and is coming soon to Google Play to give users verified credentials. Sign-up requires only a phone number, but full functionality is unlocked with a driver’s license scan and biometric selfie.

myPassID provides QR codes which can be read by hardware from Pass partner Certify.

Slow claims prompt calls for less fraud protection

Fight for the Future is running a national petition campaign to call on states to stop using face biometrics in their unemployment benefits onboarding process, and specifically targeting ID.me, which provides its identity verification to many state governments.

ID.me Founder and CEO Blake Hall told the outlet that his company has cut off tens of millions of dollars a week in fraudulent payments. A State Representative acknowledged that fraud is a serious problem, but said ID.me has not stopped all of it, and argued that too many people are being denied benefits. Another representative suggested the ability to prosecute people for fraud after the fact was sufficient, considering the importance of getting the payments to people in need. The latter said he has received “a couple hundred emails” on the issue in only a couple of days.

For some people, processing claims is taking weeks, or even months, according to an ABC Action News report.

“ID.me is a trusted partner of the state and federal government to help mitigate the unprecedented spread of Reemployment Assistance fraud across the country,” said Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in a statement to the ABC affiliate. “ID.me’s services have been crucial in protecting the identities of Floridians, and we are excited to learn they will be adding additional staff here in Florida to help combat fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.”

Fight for the Future plans to send its petition, which had collected 6,000 signatures in its first three weeks, to state legislators later this summer.

Article Topics

Accura Scan  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  facial verification  |  fraud prevention  |  ID.me  |  IDEMIA  |  identity verification  |  KYC  |  Pass  |  remote authentication  |  selfie biometrics  |  TruNarrative  |  Yoti