State of Identity Podcast Series by Liminal

Leading the Way in Age Estimation with a Revolutionary Digital Identity Platform

·34 min·3 clips

Yoti's R&D team realized their facial data could train a privacy-preserving age estimation algorithm, leading to a major industry shift.

The episode begins with host Cameron D'Ambrosi welcoming back Robin Toombs, co-founder and CEO of Yoti, and Julie Dawson, Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer. D'Ambrosi notes Yoti was on Liminal's 2023 Companies to Watch list. Toombs explains Yoti's origin story, starting with fraud in their online bingo business in 2002 and a frustrating identity verification experience at a Spartan race in 2014, which highlighted the need for better online ID. Dawson outlines Yoti's broad platform, including reusable identity, age assurance, e-signatures, and facial authentication. The host asks about building trust and privacy into the platform from the start. Toombs mentions seven founding principles focused on user interests and data minimization. Dawson details Yoti's multi-layered approach to trust, including accreditations like SOC 2, ethical frameworks as a B Corporation, and an external ethics body with published minutes. The conversation shifts to age estimation, driven by regulatory trends in the EU, California, Utah, and Arkansas. Toombs describes how Yoti's reusable identity app, with over 13 million users, provided ground truth facial data with birth months and years, enabling the development of age estimation. He explains the technology analyzes pixels to detect liveness and estimate age without recognition, instantly deleting images. Dawson emphasizes transparency through published white papers and independent assessments of accuracy, bias, and data deletion. They discuss consumer education, citing work with the UK ICO sandbox to create plain-language materials, finding those for 8-10 year olds most effective. Dawson mentions collaborations with STEM groups and roundtables to improve understanding. Toombs shares that in trials, 65-90% of users choose age estimation when offered multiple methods due to its low friction. The host raises the privacy paradox, comparing facial age estimation to oversharing on platforms like TikTok. Dawson notes the importance of offering choice among age assurance methods, with Yoti curating options like mobile checks or bank ID for different regions. The episode concludes with contact information for Yoti and reflections on the evolving regulatory landscape.

As heard by us

A clear look at age estimation, privacy claims, and the regulatory logic around Yoti.

State of Identity takes up age estimation and follows Yoti's argument that a face can support age analysis without turning into a recognition system.

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Why you'd press play

You want the age-estimation pitch without the usual identity-tech fog.

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