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Alcohol buyers will be able to use a digital ID app on their phones to prove their age under new rules introduced on Tuesday.<\/b><\/p>\n
Pubs and shops in England and Wales can use the tech in addition to current physical forms of ID – with the government saying a digital option will make age-checks quicker and more secure for customers and staff.<\/p>\n
Customers will be able to choose ID apps from a range of suppliers such as the Post Office, Yoti or Luciditi, provided they are on a government-approved list.<\/p>\n
The change means businesses will no longer be required to let people use physical ID, but the government contends most establishments would.<\/p>\n
The plan will be technology-agnostic, meaning that the government is not setting out in detail how each app must work.<\/p>\n
It argues that under the voluntary digital ID scheme, drinkers would share fewer personal details with a venue or shop – such as tapping their phone on a reader or displaying a scannable QR code rather than handing over an official document.<\/p>\n
The apps will also need to guard against customers borrowing devices from older friends and relatives, and ensure the ID app belongs to the person using it. <\/p>\n
Yoti’s digital ID app, for example, will only let a user log in if a scan of their face matches that of the person who signed up for the app.<\/p>\n
The app then generates a QR code that can be scanned by a business with a free checker app, which tells them the person’s age.<\/p>\n
This is time-limited to make duping or sharing the QR code more difficult.<\/p>\n
Digital government minister Stephanie Peacock said having the option for digital ID would “mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information” meaning people could “feel safer on a night out'”.<\/p>\n
Allen Simpson, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, said the new rules were a “positive step”.<\/p>\n
He added the industry would work with government to make sure the scheme’s roll-out would not be “burdensome” for the hospitality sector.<\/p>\n
This would include ensuring there were multiple options for suppliers and that it was cost-efficient, Simpson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n