Welcome to SQR’s Frequently Asked Question section!
Here, you’ll find answers to the most commonly asked questions relating to our tokenised identity platform.
General Questions:
What is a tokenised digital identity and how does it work?
A tokenised digital identity is a secure and privacy-preserving way to verify a person’s identity online using encrypted, reusable credentials. Instead of storing or sharing sensitive personal data each time verification is needed, SQR generates a unique, encrypted “token” that represents the verified identity.
This token can be used with consent of the individual across multiple platforms, services, or transactions without needing to re-submit documents or personal information.
Here’s how it works:
- User Verification: A user verifies their identity once by submitting biometric data (like a facial scan) and official documents.
- Token Generation: SQR creates a secure, encrypted digital token representing that identity.
- Reusable & User-Controlled: The user controls where and when to share their token, allowing instant verification while keeping their data private.
This approach dramatically reduces the risk of data breaches, enhances compliance with regulations like KYC/AML and GDPR, and speeds up onboarding for both users and businesses.
What is SQR?
SQR is a trusted, digital identity platform that provides secure, tokenised digital identity verification. We empower businesses to enhance trust, simplify customer onboarding, and improve overall customer experience by providing secure, instant, and user-controlled identity verification.
Who is SQR for?
SQR is ideal for businesses of all sizes across various industries that need to verify customer identities efficiently, manage secure digital interactions, and comply with regulatory requirements like KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering). This includes sectors such as financial services, telecoms, healthcare, recruitment, events, and any organisation requiring robust identity assurance.
What are the key benefits of using SQR?
SQR offers a range of benefits, including:
- Enhanced Security: SQR protects sensitive data by combining facial biometric verification and reusable tokenised identity credentials, giving individuals control over their information and reducing the risk of fraud and identity theft.
- Improved Efficiency: SQR significantly reduces the time and resources traditionally associated with verification processes, by automating and streamlining identity checks – leading to faster onboarding and transactions.
- Superior User Experience: SQR provides a frictionless and instant verification process for end-users, simplifying interactions and enhancing customer satisfaction.
- Regulatory Compliance: SQR’s eKYC solution is built to help organisations meet evolving regulatory compliance standards, improving data quality and streamlining verification.
- Reduced Operational Costs: SQR helps businesses cut down on operational expenses by automating processes, and reducing manual reviews.
How is SQR different from other digital identity verification platforms?
SQR stands out because of our focus on a ‘reusable digital ID’ and our unique ‘verify – tokenise – trust’ model. This means we help you avoid those repetitive ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) checks, giving you more control over your data through a simple consent process. Our involvement in the UK’s Reusable Digital ID Network also shows our commitment to working seamlessly across different sectors, especially in financial services. Many other platforms might offer one-off verifications, but we’re all about making your digital identity work harder for you, again and again.
Can individuals use SQR for personal identity verification?
Absolutely! SQR is designed for individuals to have their own ‘reusable Digital ID. This means once you’ve been verified with SQR, you can use your SQR ID to prove who you are to various organisations that are part of the SQR network or use our platform. We offer a simple sign-up process to get you verified quickly.
What industries benefit the most from digital identity platforms like SQR?
Any industry that needs strong identity verification, wants to prevent fraud, and needs to meet strict regulations can gain huge advantages from platforms like SQR. This includes:
- Financial Services: Banks, investment firms, lenders – for KYC/AML, smooth onboarding, and fraud prevention.
- Regulated Services: Solicitors, accountants, corporate service providers – for thorough client checks.
- Gaming and Betting: For age verification and combating money laundering.
- Property: Verifying buyers, sellers, and tenants.
- Healthcare: For secure patient identification and access to records.
- Online Shopping: For preventing fraud and ensuring secure transactions.
- Gig & Sharing Economy: Verifying service providers and users.
- Government Services: For accessing online public services securely.
Is SQR suitable for small businesses and startups?
Yes, definitely! We believe secure digital identity proofing should be accessible to all. Our flexible pricing plans, including ‘Pay As You Go’, ‘Starter’, ‘Growth’, and ‘Premium’ options, with benefits like ‘No Annual Fee’ and ’50 Free IDV Verifications’ for our Starter plan, are designed to suit businesses of all sizes, including small businesses and dynamic startups. Our standalone eKYC Compliance Dashboard also means you can get started without needing complex technical integration.
How does SQR improve customer onboarding?
SQR revolutionises customer onboarding by:
- Frictionless Identification and Verification: Making the identity verification process effortless for your customers.
- Providing Instant KYC and AML Checks: Automating and significantly speeding up your compliance checks.
- Reusable Digital ID: Eliminating the need for repetitive verification, which is helpful for returning customers or those engaging with other SQR partners.
- Reduced Manual Processes: Minimising the need for physical documents and tedious manual data entry.
- Enhanced Fraud Prevention: Strengthening security right at the start of the onboarding process to prevent fraudulent accounts.
Identity Verification & eKYC:
How does SQR’s identity verification work?
SQR leverages a secure, user-centric system that allows individuals to create a reusable digital ID. This means once an identity is verified, it can be instantly reused for subsequent interactions, dramatically speeding up verification while keeping sensitive data secure, and minimising repeated document submissions.
Is SQR compliant with regulatory requirements like KYC and AML?
Yes, SQR’s eKYC solution is designed to help organisations meet evolving regulatory compliance standards, improving data quality and streamlining verification processes in line with KYC and AML regulations.
What is a reusable digital ID?
A reusable digital ID is a secure, verified form of digital identity that individuals can use multiple times, across different services without going through the full identity verification process repeatedly. With SQR, users can verify their identity instantly, and securely share only essential details with trusted organisations, reducing the risk of fraud and identity theft.
How long does an identity verification process take with SQR?
The process is designed to be instant and seamless, significantly reducing the time typically associated with traditional identity verification methods. For pre-verified reusable IDs, it’s virtually instantaneous.
How does SQR help businesses comply with KYC and AML regulations?
SQR is your partner in compliance, helping businesses meet KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations by:
- Automated Identity Verification: Streamlining how you verify client identities.
- Address Checks: Address Checks: Instantly verifying clients’ current and historical addresses against trusted data sources to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.
- PEP and Sanctions Checks: Automatically screening individuals against Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and sanctions lists.
- Adverse Media Checks: Carrying out daily global checks for any negative news or adverse media.
- Secure eKYC Dashboard: Providing a secure, easy-to-use platform for your compliance team to access verified client information and monitor ongoing risks.
- Reduced Manual Effort: Our automation cuts down on human error and speeds up your compliance processes.
- Ongoing Monitoring: We offer proactive alerts for any changes in a client’s status, keeping you one step ahead.
What documents are needed for identity verification with SQR?
For identity verification, we typically accept:
- Passports
- Photocard Driving Licences (UK and international)
- National Identity Cards (e.g., EU identity cards)
- Biometric Residence Permits
- Other official (government-issued) photo IDs. For address verification, we usually require recent utility bills, bank statements, or council tax statements. We’re proud to accept over 1700 identity documents, ensuring broad international support for your customers.
- See our accepted identity document database here: https://sqr.id/identity-documents/
How secure is the biometric verification process?
Our biometric verification process is incredibly secure. We use advanced facial biometrics with ‘Full Liveness Detection’ to ensure that the person being verified is real and present – preventing fraudulent attempts using photos or videos. All biometric data is handled with enhanced encryption and stored securely, often in a tokenised form. We also employ machine learning to detect any suspicious activity. Your privacy and security are paramount, and we always gain your explicit consent for any biometric data collection.
Can SQR detect fraudulent or fake IDs?
Yes, absolutely. SQR employs cutting-edge technologies to spot fraudulent or fake IDs. This includes:
- Document Authenticity Checks: Verifying security features like holograms, watermarks, and machine-readable zones (MRZ).
- AI and Machine Learning: Our intelligent systems analyse document images for any inconsistencies, signs of tampering, or forgeries (like mismatched fonts or altered photos).
- Database Cross-Referencing: We compare document data against official databases.
- Biometric Matching: We cross-reference the user’s live biometric data (e.g., face) with the photo on their ID document.
What is eKYC and how is it different from traditional KYC?
- Traditional KYC (Know Your Customer): This usually involves a manual, paper-based process. Customers hand over physical documents to a business, which then manually verifies, copies, and stores them. It’s often slow, can lead to mistakes, and isn’t as secure.
- eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer): This is the modern, digital way of verifying a customer’s identity. Documents are submitted digitally (perhaps via a mobile app), and automated tools handle document authenticity checks, biometric verification, and database lookups. eKYC is much faster, more efficient, more secure, and provides a far better experience for your customers.
How does reusable digital identity improve onboarding speed?
Reusable digital identity revolutionises onboarding speed because:
- One-Time Verification: Once your identity is verified and tokenised by a trusted provider like SQR, you don’t have to go through the full verification song and dance every time you deal with a new organisation that accepts your reusable ID.
- Pre-Verified Data: Businesses can instantly access pre-verified identity details (with your consent, of course), which means no more manual document collection and review.
- Reduced Friction: This creates a smooth, hassle-free onboarding journey for you, leading to higher completion rates.
Does SQR support international identity documents?
Yes, we do! We pride ourselves on accepting ‘Over 1700 Identity Documents’, which means we support a vast array of international identity documents. This is vital for businesses with a global customer base and for individuals travelling or living abroad.
What types of verification does SQR support?
SQR provides comprehensive verification capabilities, supporting:
- Document Verification: Verifying identities based on official photo ID documents (passports, driving licences, national ID cards).
- Biometric Verification: Utilising advanced facial biometrics with ‘full liveness detection’ for secure authentication.
- Address Checks: Confirming clients’ current and historical address information against trusted data sources to ensure accurate and up-to-date records.
Database Checks: Integrating with crucial public databases for checks against Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), sanctions lists, adverse media, Disqualified Directors, and Mortality.
What are the technical requirements to implement SQR?
SQR is a cloud-based solution, meaning there are no specific hardware requirements for your organisation beyond standard internet connectivity. Integration is typically performed via our APIs (coming soon), which would require web development knowledge on your end or that of your IT team.
Do you offer support during the setup process?
Absolutely! We provide dedicated support and comprehensive documentation to guide you through the setup and integration of SQR, ensuring a smooth and efficient implementation. Our team is on hand to assist you.
Pricing & Plans:
How is SQR priced?
SQR offers flexible pricing plans designed to accommodate businesses of varying sizes and usage volumes. Pricing is typically based on the features required and the volume of verifications or QR code generations. Please visit our Pricing page for detailed information, or contact our sales team for a custom quote tailored to your specific needs.
Do you offer a free trial or demo?
Yes, we can arrange a personalised demo with one of our experts who can walk you through SQR’s features and benefits in the context of your specific business challenges. Please get in touch to schedule one.
What is the return on investment (ROI) of using SQR for digital identity verification?
Using SQR for digital identity verification offers a significant return on investment (ROI) for your business, stemming from several key benefits:
- Reduced Fraud Loss: By accurately detecting fraudulent IDs and preventing identity theft, you can drastically cut down on financial losses.
- Improved Customer Onboarding: A faster, smoother onboarding process leads to higher conversion rates and fewer customers abandoning the journey.
- Lower Operational Costs: Automation reduces the need for manual labour, cuts down on paperwork, and lowers administrative overheads.
- Enhanced Compliance: Mitigate the risk of hefty non-compliance fines and protect your brand’s reputation from regulatory breaches.
- Better Customer Experience: A frictionless verification process fosters higher customer satisfaction and builds stronger loyalty.
- Increased Efficiency: Streamlined processes free up your staff to focus on more strategic, higher-value tasks. Indeed, a UK government report suggested that adopting digital verification could contribute over £4.8 billion to the UK economy by 2031 through fraud mitigation and modernising digital services.
Are there volume discounts for high verification volumes?
Our tiered pricing plans, including ‘Starter’ and ‘Growth’ options with included ‘Free IDV Verifications’, and our ‘Premium’ tier offering ‘Unlimited Users’ and ‘Unlimited Dashboards’, are designed to scale with your business. This structure inherently offers better value as your verification volumes increase. For very high volumes, we are always happy to discuss custom pricing to ensure the best fit for your needs.
Can I change my pricing plan as my business grows?
Yes, absolutely. We understand that businesses evolve, and our pricing plans are designed to be flexible. You can easily upgrade or downgrade your plan as your business grows and your verification needs change, ensuring you always have the most cost-effective solution.
Support & Security:
How does SQR protect user data and privacy?
We take user data and privacy incredibly seriously. Here’s how we protect it:
- Tokenisation: We use ‘tokenised (pseudo anonymised)’ identity, meaning you only share the necessary data, and always with your consent.
- Encryption: We employ ‘enhanced encryption’ throughout the identity verification process and for secure tokenisation.
- Secure Storage: Your data is stored in a ‘secured environment on a server protected by a firewall with strict rules and with network authentication’.
- Limited Access: Server access is strictly limited to ‘restricted and authorised personnel only’, with robust file and user permissions.
- Consent-Driven: You are always in control, giving explicit permission for data sharing.
- Data Minimisation: Our goal is to enable organisations to verify identities without them needing to hold your sensitive personal data directly.
- No Local Storage of Passwords/Personal Info: We do not store any passwords or personal information on your local device.
Independently Verified: Our security and privacy measures are independently verified through regular external audits to ensure we continuously meet the highest industry standards.
Is user data stored or shared with third parties?
We have a clear policy: “We do not sell, distribute, or lease your personal information to any third parties.” We only share your data with our subcontractors if it’s essential for our services, or if we are legally obliged to do so. The tokenised approach means your raw data isn’t directly shared with organisations unless you specifically consent to share particular details.
Can users revoke access to their digital ID?
Yes, empowering you with control over your data is a key principle. While the exact process may depend on the integrating service, best practices ensure you can:
- See which organisations you have shared your identity information with.
- Withdraw consent for future sharing with specific organisations.
- In many cases, you can also delete your digital identity altogether (though legal data retention obligations might apply). The phrase ‘this consent can be revoked by contacting his/her service provider’ indicates that you have avenues to manage your consents.
What happens if a user loses access to their digital ID?
Should you lose access to your digital ID (e.g., if you lose your phone with the app), we have secure recovery processes in place. This typically involves:
- Multi-factor Authentication: Using alternative verification methods (like email, phone, or backup codes) to help you regain access.
- Identity Re-verification: In some cases, a re-verification process may be required to confirm your identity before re-establishing access to your digital ID, ensuring utmost security.
- Dedicated Support: We provide clear support channels to help you report loss of access and guide you through the recovery process.
Does SQR use encryption for identity verification?
Absolutely. We use ‘enhanced encryption’ and a ‘cryptographically secure solution’ across our platform. This is fundamental to safeguarding your sensitive identity data during transmission, processing, and storage, ensuring your information remains private and secure.
What kind of customer support do you offer?
We offer comprehensive, human customer support through email and phone during business hours. We also provide an extensive online knowledge base and resources to help you get the most out of SQR.
How secure is my data with SQR?
Data security is paramount at SQR. We employ industry-leading encryption protocols, regular security audits, and comply with all relevant data protection regulations, including GDPR, to ensure your data is safe, private, and handled with the utmost care. Our architecture is designed with security from the ground up.
Ready to learn more?
If you have any further questions or would like to discuss your specific needs, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales team!
Use Cases & Features
Can SQR be used for event check-ins or ticketing?
While our primary focus is on robust identity verification for regulated sectors, our ‘Secure QR Token technology’ and ‘enhanced encryption’ capabilities could certainly be adapted for use in event check-ins or ticketing. A tokenised digital ID could provide a secure and efficient way to verify attendance or identity at events, much like other QR-based systems. This offers a seamless way for users to ‘navigate entry systems securely and easily – online, offline and in-person through mobile technology’.
