Yoti is an app that states it is “Shaping the future of digital identity. We make it safer for people to prove who they are.”
Yoti can be used to prove users’ identities when using online services as well as in person such as in supermarkets. It can also be used to verify age for certain products. Already many major places have partnered with Yoti such as the Post Office and Instagram. On Yoti, you can add a picture to your account which the app can then use to estimate your age, based on an algorithm. This can be used to verify age in itself on certain platforms however for the government approved ID, you can also add your passport to create a digital ID. Platforms such as Instagram using Yoti as a verification tool should have a positive impact on safeguarding children online as it should reduce fake accounts, ensure young people are communicating with people their own age and be able to provide different experiences for teenagers compared to adults. However, even with Yoti verification in place, there are still potential risks. For example, a user could take a photo of someone else and use this on the app, meaning they could pose as a person older or younger depending on their intentions. The use of Yoti could give users a false sense of security and cause them to be less alert to harm. So whilst Yoti has the potential as an added layer of security it cannot replace monitoring from adult supervision.
