UK-based digital identity platform, Yoti, has been selected by The Improvement Service to provide Scots with a secure digital identity, providing an easier and safer way to access services, rewards and discounts.

Earlier in 2018, Yoti was selected by the States of Jersey as its official ID provider and has also worked with WorldPay, NHS Ipswich Hospital, the NSPCC and CitizenCard. This partnership, the company said, could propel it to become the world’s most trusted identity platform.

A Digital Scotland

As part of the pathfinder’s Alpha phase, individuals will be able to prove their identity through the secure Yoti app; eliminating the need to carry ID documents such as passports or driving licences.

The app will be available for Android and Apple mobile devices and, according to Yoti, takes less than five minutes to set up. Users are required to provide a photograph and add an ID document, which is then transformed into a digital identity that lets them prove who they are.

Scottish residents with the Yoti app will, either during the Alpha phase or in the future, be able to use in a variety of situations, including:

Prove their age when buying age-restricted goods or premises

Prove who they are to businesses without showing or photocopying paper documents

Prove their entitlement to use local services, including leisure and sports facilities

To qualify for travel concessions by proving their age

Confirm the identity of people they meet online

Log into websites more securely, without the need for passwords

Users will also be able to securely access online public services by applying for a myaccount and avoid the ever-growing risk of identity fraud by giving them greater control of their personal data.

Enhancing Public Services

Sarah Gadsden, TIS’s interim CEO said that as smartphone ownership continues to skyrocket, secure mobile and digital technology offers ways in which to enhance access to services for citizens.

She said: “We anticipate smartphone owernship will continue to grow and as technology evolves and mobile usage increases, we are committed to maximising the use of secure mobile and digital technology to deliver information and services to citizens.

“Yoti will help us and our partners in the drive to transform essential public services and improve outcomes, meet our own and wider aspirations to deliver more information online, and give individuals a safer and more convenient way to prove their age and entitlement to access services.”

Digital identities could help in creating a more transparent society and transform local services, according to Yoti Co-Founder and CEO, Robin Tombs.

Tombs said: “We’re delighted to partner with The Improvement Service to give individuals a simpler and safer way of proving their age and entitlement, both in person and online.

“Verified digital identities will help transform local and national services in Scotland as businesses and public bodies have confidence individuals are who they say they are; creating more trust and transparency in the details shared.”

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