Your digest of insights & updates

It’s been another busy month at Yoti, with lots going on in the world of identity and age verification.?

We spent a week in Manchester for the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit. It was an action packed event, with lots of healthy debate and discussion around the importance of age assurance for online safety, and why age assurance needs to be privacy-preserving, secure and reliable.

Let’s update you on what we’ve been up to and what’s making the headlines elsewhere.

The roundup

• NIST previews results of their Face Analysis Technology Evaluation program
• US age verification laws gain momentum?
• Thoughts from our CEO
• Wider industry news?

NIST previews results for their Face Analysis Technology Evaluation program

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has evaluated our facial age estimation technology as part of their Face Analysis Technology Evaluation (FATE) program.?

At the Global Age Assurance Summit, NIST shared a preview of the results, with the full report being published in the coming weeks. Here’s some of the initial observations shared by NIST:?

• Facial age estimation can be an effective way to check age and age ranges, such as over 18, with an appropriate threshold. This threshold can be set by regulators or businesses to reflect different use cases, risk and levels of assurance.
• With the appropriate age thresholds in place, NIST stated that facial age estimation can be as effective as checking a date of birth from an identity document.

We’re very encouraged by the early results and look forward to seeing the full report soon.

US age verification laws gain momentum

An increasing number of US states are introducing, or considering, age verification laws for adult and social media sites. With so many states and so much activity, it can be tricky to keep up to date with what’s happening where. We’ve written a summary of what’s happening in the US, including links to helpful resources. If your business is impacted by any of these laws, find out how our age solutions can help you to comply.

Thoughts from our CEO

Every month, our CEO Robin Tombs shares his experience, thoughts and observations of working in the age and identity sector. This month, Robin chats about why facial age estimation is not easy to spoof, the recently passed age verification law in Texas, and the importance of human fallback for identity verification.

You can read his latest thoughts on our blog.

In the news

Creating deepfake images is now a criminal offence

Under new legislation, anyone who creates a deepfake image without consent will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. They could also face jail time if the image is shared more widely.

Cost of passport increases

The price of passports has increased for a second time in just over 14 months. The cost of applying online to get a new or renewed adult passport is now ￡88.50, and a child’s passport is ￡57.50. We provide a Yoti Citizencard, a cheaper alternative for people who need an identity document to prove who they are (but who don’t need it for international travel).

Increase in AI-enabled identity fraud

Identity theft remains the most prevalent type of fraud, accounting for nearly two-thirds of incidents, with more than 237,000 cases recorded in 2023. Cifas is now witnessing an increase in AI-enabled identity fraud, with criminals using AI and deepfake technology to steal customer details.

Maryland becomes the second US state to adopt the Age Appropriate Design Code

Following the example of California, Maryland legislators unanimously passed the Maryland Kids Code on 6th April, marking another major milestone for children’s privacy and safety in the US.