Yoti, Post Office digital ID service first certified by UK for employee vetting

Britain-based Yoti has announced it and partner Post Office are the first digital identity service providers (IDSPs) in the UK to be certified by the government to perform identity checks for employment.

The two partnered companies will have their combined biometric ID verification service made available for employment vetting through a web-based identity verification, an app-based reusable digital identity, and in-person verification in Post Office branches. These checks are performed by Document Validation Technology (IDVT) provided by an IDSP that verifies the Right to Work for British and Irish citizens who hold a valid passport.

The two digital ID providers are certified as IDSPs to meet the needs for Right to Work, Right to Rent and DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) schemes implemented by the UK government. The Right to Work scheme looks to prevent illegal working by having employers check to ensure their permanent, full or part time, contract, zero hours, and work experience students and interns have the right to work in the UK. The schemes follow in line with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework.

Yoti’s digital ID apps secured with biometrics and Post Office’s EasyID are also said to be viable for Right to Work by sending a verified image of the individuals’ passport to be stored and verified by an employer to meet Home Office requirements for ‘statutory excuse.’

“Being one of the first IDSPs to be certified shows our commitment to the market and is a testament to the quality of our digital identity technology,” says John Abbott, chief commercial officer of Yoti. Abbott notes the maximum fine of hiring illegal workers at £20,000 (approximately US$25,072) per worker. “Certification under the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework represents the gold standard of Digital Identity service provision with security and privacy prioritised, meaning clients have no concerns about GDPR,” he says.

Companies that will be using the Yoti and Post Office IDVT include HireRight, People Check, and Atlantic Data, among many more. Over three million people are said to have joined the Yoti and Post Office digital ID network.

Elinor Hull, identity services director at Post Office, says, “At a time when the hospitality and retail sectors in particular are struggling to recruit and get staff onto the shop floor, having the ability to digitally check candidates’ Right to Work speeds up the recruitment process, is more secure and could enable them to start sooner than if the candidate has to travel and then have their documents photocopied and physically checked.”

Yoti also announced a partnership with First Advantage in February for Right to Work and DBS to integrate its selfie biometrics into First Advantage’s platform.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  certification  |  digital ID  |  Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)  |  identity verification  |  IDSP  |  research and development  |  selfie biometrics  |  standards  |  trust framework  |  UK  |  Yoti