Yoti Provides Age Verification for UK Cinemas

Young moviegoers will now be able to use Yoti’s digital identity app as proof of age at cinemas in the United Kingdom. Yoti has entered into an arrangement with the UK Cinema Association, which will in turn allow cinema operators in the country to recognize digital IDs in addition to physical IDs when people are buying tickets to age-restricted films.

The agreement covers Yoti’s flagship digital ID app, as well as the EasyID app that Yoti launched in collaboration with the UK Post Office. Both apps ask users to submit a selfie and a picture of a photo ID, and use Yoti’s biometric verification technology to match the two together.

Once that registration process is complete, end users can present their digital ID on their smartphone. The app allows them to select the information that gets displayed, so they can choose to share only a photo and whether or not they are over age when making a purchase at a movie theatre. The app also comes with a hologram to guard against spoofing, and cinema employees can use a free app to scan a QR code to confirm that the information is legitimate.

Customers will only be able to use their Yoti IDs at participating locations, though the UK Cinema Association represents more than 90 percent of the cinemas in the country. Those operators historically sell 165 to 170 million tickets on an annual basis, roughly 30 percent of which go to people between the ages of 15 and 24. They noted that a growing number of films with a 15+ rating are being marketed at least partially to children, and Yoti will give theatres a fast and effective way to screen customers without creating unnecessary friction.

“Young people expect to be able to do everything with their phone and using it to prove their age will come naturally to them,” said Yoti Co-Founder and CEO Robin Tombs. “It’s a win-win for both cinemas and young cinema-goers.”

Yoti will negate the need for physical documents like passports and driver’s licenses. The company’s app can can already be used for proof of age in a range of online and offline settings, and its age estimation tech has been featured in a self-checkout trial for alcohol sales at UK convenience stores.

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June 2, 2022 – by Eric Weiss