computer science

Identity verification service

Identity verification service is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Identity verification service rather than just read about it. In short: An identity verification service is used by businesses to ensure that users or customers provide information that is associated with the identity of a real person. The service may verify the authenticity of physical identity documents such as a driver's license, passport, or a nationally issued identity document through documentary verification.

Key takeaways

Identity verification service belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Identity verification service to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Identity verification service from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An identity verification service is used by businesses to ensure that users or customers provide information that is associated with the identity of a real person. The service may verify the authenticity of physical identity documents such as a driver's license, passport, or a nationally issued identity document through documentary verification. Additionally, also involve the verification of identity information (fields) against independent and authoritative sources, such as a credit bureau or proprietary government data.

Background

Identity verification services were developed to help companies comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules. Identity verification is now a key component of the transaction ecosystems of e-commerce companies, financial institutions, online gaming, and social media. Through adopting digital fraud prevention methods, businesses can achieve AML and KYC compliance while addressing the risks associated with fraud. In financial industries, verifying identity is often required by regulations known as Know Your Customer or Customer Identification Program. In the US, one of the many bodies regulating these procedures is the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) is a global anti-money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog organization. A nondocumentary identity verification requires the user or customer to provide personal identity data, which is sent to the identity verification service. The service checks public and proprietary private databases for a match on the information provided. Optionally, knowledge-based authentication questions can be presented to the person providing the information to ensure that he or she is the owner of the identity. An identity "score" is calculated, and the identity of the user or customer is either given the "verified" status or not, based on the score. Customers of various businesses, such as retail merchants, government entities, or financial institutions, are often required to present an identification to complete a transaction. For instance, a merchant may require customer identification for various types of purchases (e.g., alcohol, lottery, or tobacco purchases) or when certain types of payments (e.g., checks, credit cards) are presented to pay for transactions. Financial institutions usually require customers to present a form of identification to complete a withdrawal or deposit transaction, cash a check, or open a new account. Government entities may require identification for access into secure areas or other purposes. Other businesses may also require identification from customers. Artificial intelligence–based identity verification is performed through a webcam, and the results are available in real time and are more accurate than the untrained eye. However, there have been concerns about Eurocentric bias in artificial intelligence and how that could affect the accuracy of results.

Application Industries that use identity verification services include financial services, digital businesses, travel and leisure, sharing economy businesses, telecom, FinTech, gaming and entertainment. Identity verification services exist both online and in-person to verify identities. These services are used in the financial service industry, e-commerce platforms, social networking sites, Internet forums, dating sites, and wikis to curb sockpuppetry, underage signups, spamming and illegal activities like harassment, Identity fraud, and money laundering. For example, in banking, identity verification may be required in order to open a bank account. There is an increasing call for regulation with the rise in popularity of cryptocurrency exchanges. In December 2020 the U.S. government's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed rules to require banks and money service businesses (MSBs) such as cryptocurrency wallets to submit reports, keep records, and verify the identity of users who perform transactions with convertible virtual currency.

Services In the United States, ID.me and Login.gov are two providers of identity verification and authentication services for government services. GOV.UK Verify was a similar service developed by the British Government Digital Service.

See also Identity assurance Identity management Identity management system

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Identity verification service

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Identity verification service claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Identity verification service before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Identity verification service ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Identity verification service

In research: Identity verification service appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Identity verification service in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Identity verification service is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing-related controversies, Identity management systems, Internet-related controversies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Identity verification service outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Identity verification service in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Identity verification service means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Identity verification service out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Identity verification service in simple terms?

Why does Identity verification service matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Identity verification service?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Identity verification service.