Yoti, iProov and Blair Institute tell governments to increase digital ID support

UK Member of Parliament Peter Kyle, the new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, is getting a lot of mail. An open letter from Yoti CEO Robin Tombs calls on the new UK government to support digital ID and online safety measures like age assurance with legislation.

A letter on similar themes was addressed to Kyle by OIX yesterday, like Tombs suggesting there is an economic benefit that can be gained from a more mature digital ID ecosystem.

Tombs writes that the government should update licensing requirements for retailers so they can take advantage of age estimation and verification technologies. He cites Home Office sandbox trials from 2022, which showed 7 in 10 shoppers prefer digital age verification at self-checkouts. It should codify the proposed Digital Verification Services in law as part of the new Digital Information and Smart Data Bill to support digital ID use.

“This framework would enable UK residents to use digital IDs with the same confidence as paper documents in more situations, which would improve the accessibility of services provided by organisations in the public and private sectors,” Tombs writes. He says demand for digital ID is growing among UK consumers, with more than 4.5 million people downloading one of Yoti’s apps.

Ofcom should set thresholds for the ages biometric age estimation should be used for, in line with those issued by the German regulator. Tombs notes that the AVPA has also called on Ofcom to take this step.

Tombs also notes that the science backing biometric facial age estimation has increased dramatically, with for example an evaluation by NIST.

AI and digital ID are stronger together: iProov and Blair Institute

Similar points about digital ID are made in a commentary co-authored by Yiannis Theodorou, The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s senior advisor and global lead for digital ID, Campbell Cowie and Ryley Charlwood of iProov.

Like Tombs, they touch on the economic benefits of digital ID, but their focus is more international.

Their main point, however, is that AI and digital ID can be mutually beneficial.

“Where verifying a user’s identity (or identity-linked credentials) is important in the context of an AI-powered service, digital ID can enhance the quality of data fed into AI systems, ensuring more reliable and accurate AI outputs across all contexts. By mitigating the risk of “garbage in, garbage out”, digital ID acts as an enabler of more trusted and reliable data.”

AI chatbots can make using digital ID easier, iProov and the Blair Institute argue. AI and digital ID can be used together to improve personalized and targeted services. Trusted data can inform trustworthy automated decisions, they claim. And automated identity verification and fraud detection can help mitigate cyber-attacks.

The paper recommends governments invest in AI research and development, implement comprehensive frameworks for digital ID, and promote public awareness and education. They should put strong security protocols in place, including AI threat detection and digital identity verification, and prioritize accessibility and inclusion. They should set up sandboxes and take other steps to encourage innovation, and also foster international collaboration.

“By addressing the challenges of deepfakes, remote transaction manipulation and data protection head on,” the commentary states, “nations can harness digital-ID innovation and AI capabilities responsibly and unlock extensive benefits: personalised education, improved health care, seamless access to services and data-driven policymaking.”

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification  |  iProov  |  Tony Blair Institute  |  Yoti