Biometric verification today forms an important part of checks to prevent cybercrimes. Among the many types of verification methods, a selfie with an ID card is construed as the easiest from the customer’s perspective and a safe way to strengthen multi-factor authentication for companies.
A selfie-based identity verification takes place by matching the uploaded selfie with existing pictures in official documents such as government issued ID cards, driving licenses, and passport, among others. The verification process does away with physical vetting, which may require the customer or the company officials to meet in person.
Why biometrics & ID verification are on the rise
Biometrics and ID verification are increasingly being adopted across the countries to counter security and crime related threats. Currently, at USD 43 billion, the global biometric system market is forecast to grow rapidly to hit USD 83 billion by 2027. While the ID verification market, valued at USD 8.48 billion, is likely to clock a growth rate of 16.7%.
The rapid digitization and use of advanced technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) have given a boost to the usage of biometrics and ID verification. As per a survey, 55% of consumers would be “very” willing to spare more time when opening new nonbank accounts on their verification online for better security. Not surprisingly, the ID card selfies are emerging as a popular choice, especially among young customers.
Selfie verification process
The selfie-based verification or rather selfie with ID card processing takes into account the liveness check of the user.
Step 1
- The user is asked to capture their selfie and match it against their identity. HyperVerge uses single image liveness to verify the selfie and liveness.
Step 2
- If the image does not pass through due to any reason, the user receives an immediate notification to capture and upload his image again.
Step 3
- This process allows a minimum (fixed) number of retries in case of improper selfie upload to avoid manual verification. HyperVerge’s single image liveness comprises compliance checks to provide instant and contextual information to the user.
Friction points in the selfie verification process
Of late, the biometric verification processes have come under the scanner for varied reasons. There have been several backlashes, the recent one being a company employed for verifying identities to drop the facial recognition requirement.
In particular, there are a few reasons why customers or citizens shy away from using the selfie with an ID card for the verification process.
- Information sharing: People are still averse to sharing their sensitive biometric information with a third party, or a private entity. Customers feel worried to share their government identity documents or selfies, fearing they can be a target during data breaches.
- Accuracy: Despite facial recognition systems advancing with technological developments, their accuracy has been questioned. There have been concerns that facial recognition technology can be discriminatory, or inaccurate, even in selfie ID cards.
- Time consumption: With multi-factor authentication becoming commonplace now, many users feel the whole process including the selfie makes it cumbersome and time consuming. This is especially so when external factors like lighting, device, and background can interfere with accuracy and the user may be asked to re-take or re-upload his selfie.
Other methods of digital identity verification
- Liveness verification: A selfie verification is also liveness detection as users are required to verify their identity with a selfie.
- Identity verification: Verification of identity using an individual’s government ID to vet against the personal data provided.
- Multi-factor authentication: This requires the user to verify their identity by entering a code sent on their mobile phone and email. This is a commonly carried out process for users to login in or make financial transactions or generate bank account passwords. It is also called a two-factor authentication method or 2FA.
- Knowledge-based authentication: As the name suggests, in knowledge-based authentication (KBA) a person’s identity is verified by seeking a response to security questions as provided by him/her earlier. The questions are usually simple but could be difficult for others to answer. This is one of the easiest methods to carry out identity verification.
Benefits of selfie identity verification
Companies, government organizations, and other organizations of all sizes today deploy selfie with ID card or selfie-based identity verification for different purposes. The easy integration of workflows has increased the use case of this verification method.
- Bolsters security and helps to protect the online privacy of individuals.
- Helps to fight and prevent cybercrime, especially identity theft related frauds.
- Advanced biometrics algorithms provide organizations with a safer way to conduct businesses and make their processes lean and efficient, while ensuring business continuity.
- Selfie-based identity verification can protect individuals from identity misuse.
- It is an intuitive process as users are already familiar with their phone’s selfie function.
Conclusion
Financial institutions or government offices can easily perform the manual and cumbersome processes of KYC and AML measures, among others with a simple and almost instantaneous process. With this, organizations have the flexibility to weave in compliance with technology without compromising on efficiency. A simple combination of user friendly biometrics can help to prevent enormous financial, crime and fraud risks.
FAQs
Q. Why is ID verification important?
A.Identity verification helps to prove that the individual making a claim is genuine. It prevents imposters from gaining access without authorization or committing fraud.
Q.What is a real time selfie?
A.A live selfie that a user takes from his phone and other devices, which can be instantly compared with their submitted ID proofs or documents.
Q. Do you need a smartphone for a selfie with ID card verification?
A.No, not really. All you need is a device— a computer, tablet or smartphone from which you can click your photo and have access to the internet.