Yoti Gets a PASS for Proof of Age

Yoti’s “Digital ID Connect” apps have now been accredited under the United Kingdom’s Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS), a government-backed program that is endorsed by the Home Office, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). Essentially, the accreditation offers UK businesses greater assurance that the digital IDs are legitimate and adhere to rigorous standards.

The digital ID apps in question are the Post Office EasyID, Lloyds Bank Smart ID, and the flagship Yoti ID.

Yoti and the Post Office became the first certified Digital Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) under the United Kingdom’s evolving digital identity framework in June of 2022, having announced a partnership to develop the EasyID app the year before. Yoti would go on to develop the digital ID app for Lloyds Bank in 2023.

The company has established itself as a leading provider of digital ID solutions in the UK, even as the country’s regulatory framework has struggled to keep pace with such technologies. Businesses can currently choose to accept digital IDs for proof of age, except for the purchase of alcohol in licensed premises. The Home Office is in a consultation process to determine whether digital IDs could be accepted in those cases, too—an idea promoted by the British Retail Consortium.

Meanwhile, legislation that would have further burnished the UK’s regulatory landscape has stalled in Parliament due to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent call for a snap election. The “Data Protection and Digital Information Bill” was meant to regulate the processing of personal data and enhance digital verification services, but has “fallen” as per parliamentary procedures in the event of an election, and will need to be actively revived in the next session of Parliament if it’s going to continue to advance.

Despite those setbacks, Yoti CEO Robin Tombs remains upbeat in the wake of the PASS accreditation.

“In the UK, over four million people have already downloaded a Digital ID app,” he said in a statement. “This is a strong sign that people are ready to embrace reusable Digital IDs and want a more secure, private and convenient way to prove who they are. We’re delighted that our Digital IDs are now government certified for both proof of identity and proof of age.”

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June 25, 2024 – by Alex Perala