Article

Verifying identity seamlessly without the use of facial recognition technology

ID.me believes every individual should have access to high-security identity verification and they should have a choice in how they verify.  Being uncomfortable with an automated biometric image comparison shouldn’t be a barrier to an IAL2 identity verification.

In 2022, we added a feature that allowed members to verify without using biometrics or automated facial recognition and instead verify directly with a human agent. With the launch of this option, we became the only identity verification company to offer a pathway to an IAL2 credential without biometrics. Since then, we’ve issued almost half a million portable IAL2 credentials through this pathway.

Reducing time-to-complete by 78% 

This year, we improved this pathway even further making it faster and more efficient. After focused experience improvement efforts, we designed a process where members begin by using the automated process (self-service) and then join a call where a human agent compares them to the uploaded document instead of taking a selfie. Because there are no questions for the member to answer, the call with the agent is fairly quick. 

The results have spoken for themselves. By adding human intervention to our self-service product, we reduced the time it takes to verify while maintaining the same federal requirements for secure identity verification. Specifically, call lengths decreased by 66% from a median of 380 seconds in H2 2022 to 130 seconds in Q1 2023 and wait times decreased by 88% from a median of 8 minutes in H2 2022 to 1 minute Q1 2023. Overall, there was a 78% reduction in the time it takes to complete the process. Added benefit: Users now only need to provide one document to complete the process, instead of the previous requirement of 2 to 3 documents.

The bottom line 

ID.me understands that every individual has unique needs and preferences when it comes to verifying their identity, and we strive to offer a variety of options to accommodate those needs. Our improved non-biometric verification path is just one example of how we are constantly working to provide options for our users to access a portable IAL2 credential in ways that do not reduce our ability to detect and prevent fraud. 

Learn more about our user choice portal and our omnichannel verification