As more firms look to implement new digital authentication technologies, there are a few options to pick from. Electronic IDentification has released a report exploring biometrics and e-signing as standards.
Digital identity authentication is an electronic process that enables a natural or legal person to identify themselves and verifies data integrity. These tools have replaced manual customer onboarding processes.
Digitalisation advances have also meant the processes can be completed entirely remotely. An example of this is Electronic IDentification’s VideoID technology. This tool allows customers to go through remote onboarding through an automated system.
When registered in the system, the user will be able to access the system by providing their digital identity. Whichever online identity authentication method is used, they will have one or more of the following factors.
Something that the user knows and only the user should know, such as passwords, something that the user has, like an electronic signature, and something the user is, such as biometric traits.
The two-factor security authentication method is used in services that handle sensitive data, such as financial services or e-commerce. A username and password are used at the first level of identification. The second factor is often biometrics or numerical authentication, such as one-time keys.
For biometrics, a system will compare a person’s unique traits with a previous record of them.
Electronic IDentification said “It is tempting to choose a single biometric user authentication system that is valid for all businesses. Still, the truth is that each company must select the one that suits them best by analysing the pros and cons of each.”
When making the decision, there are a few points to bear in mind. These are flexibility, ease of use and integration.
There are also various types of biometrics a firm can track. Voice recognition, fingerprint and facial authentication.
For voice authentication, it will identify a user based on their voiceprint, which is unique to each individual. Electronic IDentification satated that while this is a convenient method, it can be affected by background noise or speech problems.
The next option is fingerprints. These check the unique patterns on our fingers and are widely used on mobile devices. However, Electronic IDentification stated the technology is not as widespread in computers or other devices, making it hard to use.
Finally, facial authentication can verify someone through an image, video, or any audio-visual element of someone’s face. However, without proper liveness checks, can be manipulated to wrongly verify someone.
E-signing for authentication
Electronic IDentification stated that the electronic signature is one of the best authentication methods and is used in all types of transactions. A digital signature authentication provides a user with a system to have the equivalent of face-to-face identity verification and allows a user to sign contracts or make requests.
There are three types of e-signatures. The first is a simple electronic signature, which has a minor degree of trust regarding whether the user is who they claim to be.
The more stringent service is the advanced electronic signature. These make it possible to identify the signatory and detect any subsequent changes to the signed data. To qualify as an advanced electronic signature it needs to be uniquely linked to the signatory, allow the signatory to be identified, linked to the signed data and has a high level of trust.
The final method is qualified electronic signature. This provides the highest level of security and follows certain protocols set out by eIDAS and identifies customers in one single flow that takes seconds.
To find out more about digital identification, read the full report here.
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