Selfie Biometrics Power UK Nightclub’s Mobile ID Pilot

A nightclub in the UK county of Surrey is about to embark on a mobile ID pilot that could pave the way for wider use of the technology in the future.

Tru, which has a 750-person capacity, will allow guests to verify their identity using the 1account app on their smartphone. 1account is one of a growing number of remote identity verification solutions based on selfie onboarding: the end user creates an account by uploading a selfie photo along with images of official ID, such as a driver’s license, and facial recognition is used to match the two, thereby verifying the user’s identity claim.

More to the point, from Tru’s perspective: the solution will also verify that the end user is over the age of 18, and therefore permitted to enter the club.

As iNews reports, the trial is part of a larger initiative led by the Home Office to see how digital identity technologies can be used to facilitate the purchase of age-restricted goods like alcohol. Another arm of the program is testing the use of age estimation technology at self-checkout kiosks in grocery stores, with Yoti providing the digital identity technology in that case.

The Tru trial is significant not only because it could help to persuade the Home Office of the value of accelerating mobile ID adoption, but also because it could lead to further enthusiasm on the commercial side. The nightclub is owned by the United Kingdom’s largest nightclub and bar operator, Rekom, and iNews reports that the company will consider extending mobile ID services to its 41 other establishments if the Tru trial proves successful.

The mobile ID system should offer benefits to both consumers and businesses. The former would be granted easy access to the venue, with the app doing the legwork of identity verification beforehand; and forgetting a driver’s license or passport at home would no longer be an issue. Venue operators, meanwhile, would enjoy streamlined queue processing for guests, and would be assured of compliance with regulations mandating age verification.

An added benefit from the government’s perspective is that there would be less risk of partygoers forgetting their identity documents at the club, which could help to reduce identity theft.

Tru’s mobile ID trial is slated to begin on February 16, and to run until the end of June.

Source: iNews

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(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)