What Other Systems REALLY Check

Method: Identity Documents

Checking facial recognition using photo identification such as drivers’ licenses or passports.

What is actually being checked?

  • That the face of the user holding the device matches the face on the document they have uploaded.
  • That the data on the document provided matches the data on the document stored in whichever government or other database you are checking against.
Does This Really Check The Age And / Or Identity Of The User?

NO!

Issues

  • This system relies on users having photo identity documents and can exclude many sections of society
  • The system cannot verify whether the face of the user provided matches the original photo stored on the government or other database, only that it matches the photo on the document provided
  • This process relies on the verifier’s ability to recognise fraudulent or tampered with documents which becomes harder as forgeries become more sophisticated
  • This system is often combined with liveness detection but this can:
    • be spoofed by deep fakes or high-quality masks
    • pose problems for those with low technology expertise or accessibility requirements
    • provide false negatives due to poor lighting, low quality cameras or unstable Internet connections

Method: Credit Reference Agencies / Private Sector Databases / IP Address Geolocation

Age and identity confirmation by querying credit reference agency and other databases or using IP address to confirm name, address and date of birth provided are accurate:

What is actually being checked?

  • That a person with the name and age provided by the user has been publicly recorded at the address provided.
  • That the person whose details the user is providing is over 18.
  • That the user is at (or near) the claimed address (IP address geolocation only).
Does this Really Check the Age and / or Identity of the User?

NO

Issues

  • The system cannot confirm if the details provided actually belong to the person who is providing them.
  • The system cannot confirm if the person providing the information is present at the actual address or simply nearby.
  • This system severely limits / excludes people who need to confirm their age and / or identity when they are away from home.
  • The system only works for people who have had reason to have their details recorded on public databases such as electoral rolls, taxes etc – this can be an issue for students, adults still living at home and those in shared accommodation.

Method: Biometric Age and / or Identity Verification

Checking a unique biometric feature of an already enrolled user.

What is actually being checked?

  • The age or identity of somebody who has already been verified using another process
Does this Really Check the Age and/ or Identity of the User?

NO

Issues

  • Biometric solutions can be expensive to implement and rely on specific hardware which may not be universally available
  • Biometric data is inherently personal and is irreplaceable once compromised
  • Biometric solutions can pose accessibility challenges and error rates can be affected by age related changes and physical characteristics
  • Deep fake and Al systems can spoof biometrics

Method: Provision Of Credit Card Details

Providing a valid credit card number sometimes combined with payment authorisation or a micro payment.

What is actually being checked?

  • That the credit card information provided is valid.
Does this Really Check the Age and / or Identity of the User?

NO

Issues

  • This system can only confirm that a person over the age of 18 owns the valid credit card but has not confirmed who is using the credit card for the current transaction.

Method: DigiChek Key

Organisations or websites incorporate DigiChek Keys into their login process to confirmauser's identity and/or age

What is actually being checked?

The exact age of the person and that the person accessing the content is the same person who was
originally verified in-person when they created their DigiChek Key

Does this Really Check the Age and / or Identity of the User?

YES!

HOW?

  • The only person who knows and has access to a user's DigiChek Key is the user themselves
  • The user's age and identity are originally verified in person and cannot change so the age and identity associated with a specific DigiChek Key are always certain
  • DigiChek Keys are user specific, not device specific or location reliant, so this method confirms the actual user and not the device or location
  • Deep fake and Al systems cannot spoof knowledge that is only held by the user