Onfido buys Airside Mobile, plans digital ID service expansion

Biometric ID verification provider Onfido has bought Airside Mobile, which sells user-controlled digital identity services for the airline industry.

Terms of the deal were not revealed.

The two companies say they will provide one-time biometric verification. The “verify once, share anywhere” model enable users to verify and manage digital identity using a phone without having to reverify for new services. The firms cited use cases in travel, financial services and e-commerce, promising reduced costs, risk and regulatory tangles for businesses.

“As the demand for digital identity grows with more mDLs and eIDs becoming available, so does the need for robust, efficient and user-controlled mechanisms,” wrote Adam Tsao, acting CEO of Airside Mobile, in a blog post. Tsao will stay on as general manager of Airside.

Mike Tuchen, the CEO of Onfido, said, “We plan to take Airside’s proven approach to the airline industry and apply it to other sectors requiring high customer assurance, such as financial services.”

Tuchen said he envisions someone using their ID to expedite airport security and then being able “to reuse the same digital ID to access a rental car or hotel room without waiting in line.”

Airside Mobile’s customers include airlines wanting to streamline travel experiences. The firm produces the mobile passport app accepted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, as part of the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) program. Airside Mobile’s digital ID is compliant with U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63-3 rev Class of Approval at Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), FIDO2 (Fast Identity Online), and Kantara Initiative’s trust mark status list.

Onfido plans to offer services incorporating Airside’s technology by the end of 2023.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  Airside Mobile  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  identity verification  |  Onfido