IDEMIA to Participate in the UK Government’s Digital Identity Pilot

• IDEMIA announces the signature of a contract to participate in the UK government’s Document Checking Service (DCS) pilot
• The pilot will enable service providers to benefit from instant passport checks by delivering a digital “root of trust”
• IDEMIA will incorporate this new capability into its IDway solution harnessing its game-changing biometric facial recognition and document authentication technologies

COURBEVOIE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pursuant to UK government standards, DCS will provide a powerful new way to help verify UK passport holders’ identity, underpinned by security and user experience. It will help prevent fraud, speed up checks and allow people to prove their identity for both face-to-face and online transactions.

The DCS was previously only available for use in government transactions, however can now be used by pilot-participating private sector firms to check passport information provided by UK citizens against government held data.

With citizen consent, service providers will use IDEMIA’s IDway solution to instantly check people’s passport details match the UK government’s passport office database. The DCS will then respond yes or no to confirm whether or not the passport details are valid. People’s private data are protected at all times.

Matt Warman, UK government Digital Infrastructure Secretary, said, “The UK has a thriving digital economy and we are committed to making it easier for people to prove their identity online without compromising personal information, and for businesses to conduct checks in a safe and secure way. This pilot is a significant step forward in our work and will help speed up access to financial services and make sure more people can benefit from the huge potential of technology.”

“IDEMIA is proud to contribute to this important UK Government pilot. Digital Identity will be at the center of national economic development. IDEMIA has been investing in the UK’s digital identity ecosystem from the very beginning and values the long-term relationship with the UK Government. This pilot project is a major step toward increasing the trustworthiness of digital identities in the market. It will enable citizens to conduct transactions that are as secure and frictionless as possible,” said Philippe Barreau, Executive Vice President for the Public Security & Identity Business Unit at IDEMIA.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.idemia.com or follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter