England and Wales pubs to accept digital ID apps for age checks

Pubs and shops in England and Wales can now accept digital ID apps to prove a customer’s age, under rules introduced on Tuesday. The government said the option, which sits alongside existing physical documents, covers apps from approved suppliers including the Post Office, Yoti and Luciditi.

What changes for pubs and shops in England and Wales?

Businesses can use the technology in addition to current physical forms of ID. They will no longer be required to let customers use physical ID, although the government contends that most establishments would. The plan is technology-agnostic, meaning ministers are not setting out in detail how each app must work.

Which apps can be used?

Customers can pick an app from a range of suppliers, provided it appears on a government-approved list. Under the voluntary scheme, drinkers share fewer personal details with a venue or shop, tapping their phone on a reader or displaying a scannable QR code instead of handing over an official document.

How do the apps prevent someone using another person’s ID?

The apps must guard against customers borrowing devices from older friends or relatives and confirm that the app belongs to the person using it. Yoti’s app, for example, only allows a user to log in if a scan of their face matches the person who signed up. It then generates a QR code that a business scans with a free checker app, which tells staff the person’s age. The code is time-limited to make sharing or duplication harder. The face check is automated, a technology whose development pace is contested: Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has called for AI development to slow down.

What has the government said?

Digital government minister Stephanie Peacock said the digital option would “mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information”, so that people could “feel safer on a night out”.

Allen Simpson, chief executive of the trade body UKHospitality, called the new rules a “positive step” and said the industry would work with the government to make sure the roll-out is not “burdensome” for hospitality businesses, including by ensuring there are multiple options for suppliers and that it is cost-efficient.

What standards will the apps have to meet?

The government wants apps in its scheme to work together so customers do not need different apps in different venues. It also wants the services to work offline, accessible without mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection. The scheme could later be extended to cover tobacco and vapes. UK regulators have drawn up technology rules elsewhere: the medicines watchdog has set out 44 rules for AI in the NHS.

What are the concerns?

Digital rights campaigners have said the measures could lead to the exclusion of some groups. Jasleen Chaggar of Big Brother Watch said having multiple ways to prove identity was helpful, but the government should ensure digital ID did not become effectively mandatory, “as it would shut out millions of people”. “Many people have legitimate reasons for relying on physical ID, whether out of choice, privacy and security concerns, or because they lack the digital skills or means to use digital ID,” she said, adding that the government “should expressly prohibit businesses from requiring digital IDs for age checks without offering reasonable alternatives”.

Where does the scheme come from?

The rules follow a wider digital ID programme promoted by former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, which proved controversial and was later abandoned by Andy Burnham.

Frequently asked questions

Can pubs and shops in England and Wales use a digital ID app to check age?

Yes. Under rules introduced on Tuesday, businesses in England and Wales can accept government-approved digital ID apps in addition to current physical forms of ID.

Which digital ID apps are approved for age checks?

Suppliers include the Post Office, Yoti and Luciditi, provided they appear on a government-approved list. The government says the plan is technology-agnostic and does not set out in detail how each app must work.

Do businesses still have to accept physical ID?

Businesses are no longer required to let customers use physical ID, though the government contends that most establishments would.

How do the apps stop someone using another person’s ID?

Yoti’s app only lets a user log in when a face scan matches the person who signed up, and the QR code it generates is time-limited to make sharing or duplication harder.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)