The process we call online identity verification involves the storage and use of data from sources such as physical identity documents, like passports, and the documentation of the face, via selfies or videos. Digital sources are at the forefront of identity verification, but their use brings with them new risks which mean new measures are needed to prevent fraud.
Ever since the catastrophic events of September 11th 2001, identity documents and their control are a key part of ensuring the safety and security of countries and citizens. Passports and other forms of identification have a role to play: to make sure that they prove the person who is in possession of them is who they say they are. To ensure the accuracy of this claim, increasing numbers of electronic and biometric elements of identity have been added onto the different forms of identification over time. However, identity fraud has never significantly reduced and during the COVID-19 pandemic it even increased by 45 percent. The simple question is: why?