- From September 15, licensed venues can accept digital ID as proof of age
- Physical ID will still be accepted, and adoption is voluntary
- There could be some issues with time limits set on user verification
New rules being introduced today by the UK government mean that licensed premises like pubs and restaurants can now accept digital ID apps — like Yoti ID or Post Office EasyID — as proof of age. However, physical ID will still be accepted, and the adoption of digital ID apps is voluntary for venues.
In theory, it sounds like a solid step forward: younger drinkers can present a QR code to be scanned, or tap their phone on a reader, rather than fishing out a physical ID that requires scrutiny from the staff who have to carefully count 18 years backwards from the current date to figure out if someone's old enough to buy booze.
I don't ask much of the world, but being able to get a drink from a bar without a long and frustrating wait is something I do appreciate. If this means I'm held up less often by age checks, then I'm all for it. It should also be simpler for the 18 and 19 year olds too, who will never forget their phones but might leave their driving licences at home.
However, I have spotted a potential major flaw in the scheme, as mentioned by the Guardian: "The customer will typically only have about 30 seconds between scanning their face on their phone and validating the credential with the retailer to avoid underage drinkers borrowing older friends’ phones."
Speeding up or slowing down?
If that is indeed how these age verification apps will work — and I haven't tested them myself — then I worry I could be in for a longer wait rather than a shorter one. I can see the sense in trying to stop younger people from passing their phones around, but needing a face scan each time could be problematic.
Imagine being stuck behind a line of young adults at a music venue bar, all of whom are trying to scan their faces and reach the front of the queue in 30 seconds. I've also never been to a brightly lit gig, which means a lot of the time these face scans might fail due to a lack of proper illumination.
Perhaps it's all going to work out fine — fingerprint scans or PIN codes would certainly be a better bet than a face scan, if that's an option, and there definitely needs to be provision for these apps to work offline — but I'm bracing myself for a few early issues as everyone gets used to the scheme.
I'm well past the age where anyone could mistake me for being under 18, but if the government is interested in expanding the scheme further, I'd love to see these apps supported at self-check outs as well — it would mean I wouldn't have to wait for a member of staff to wander over when buying alcohol at the supermarket.
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