An Impeccable AI
The company was founded on a strong set of principles that it upholds to ensure it continues building technology for the greater good. “As a certified B Corp, we balance profit with people and the planet,” says Robin.
It began in 2014 by building a free consumer app that puts an individual’s ID on their phone. Since then, it has expanded its offering to develop a suite of solutions that span identity verification, age estimation, e-signing, and AI anti-spoofing technologies. The company claims that it is not necessary to know someone’s name to determine their age, nor is it necessary to know their date of birth. In fact, Yoti allows people to prove their age in order to buy a product or use a service without sharing any personal information. Their age estimation technology works by analysing facial features in an image. To the technology, the image is simply a pattern of pixels, and the pixels are numbers. Most importantly, as a privacy-preserving solution, age estimation never knows or learns aperson’s name or identity. “There’s no need for an ID document, no personal data is held or shared, and it doesn’t cross-check the image against a big database. This is the difference between facial analysis and facial recognition,” emphasizes Robin.
There are many examples, including social media giants like Meta and Yubo, that harness Yoti’s age estimation technology to improve online safety and create age-appropriate experiences. In addition, UK supermarkets have trialled age estimation at self-checkouts to give shoppers an easy and quick way to prove their age, without needing to show an ID document or wait for assistance. He adds, “The free Yoti digital app is the safest way to prove your identity, online and in person. When you need to prove your age or identity, you can securely share just the details required, for instance, just your name, date of birth, or ‘over 18’. This gives individuals a safer and more private way to prove who they are without having to show an ID document and revealing an excessive amount of personal data in the process. “Today, we have over 12 million app downloads around the world. Digital identity verification, in its simplest terms, is a way for people to share their personal information online,” asserts Robin.
Instead of presenting physical ID documents, individuals can share details, such as their name and date of birth, digitally. The sentiment from businesses is that digital identity offers a more secure, agile, and efficient method of identifying people. Whilst legislation might be a key driver for digital identity adoption, it’s not the only reason more people are looking at this technology. There’s a growing desire for better experiences from consumers, and this technology can fast-track processes that have historically taken up significant time and effort. “Individuals have increasing needs for convenience and privacy, and digital identity ticks both of these boxes,” states Robin. Its customizable identity verification tools provide businesses with the flexibility they require to deliver the perfect balance of speed and fraud prevention at the correct time, and to improve customer experiences. The company also provides eSignatures, a satisfyingly simple tool that can help one accomplish great things along with services such as lightning-fast signatures, ID verification, and the most sophisticated eWitnessing. Businesses can be confident that they know who is behind the signature, resulting in increased trust between businesses and individuals.