ID.me Adds Humans to Its Automated Verification Services

Online verification service ID.me, which counts the IRS among its clients and recently endured criticism over certain practices, Thursday (Feb. 24) announced a decidedly low-tech way to blunt critics.

The company added people to the mix, in part to override automated processes that critics said have denied verification to significant numbers of users.

“ID.me today announced a new Human in the Loop team to ensure equitable access to digital services. The new team adds an additional protection layer alongside ID.me’s existing video chat verification team,” the company said in a prepared statement.

“Human in the Loop agents are empowered to review all users who fail the ID card or selfie step in real-time. With this new feature, when a user’s ID card or selfie match is rejected during the automated process, their document or selfie is sent directly to a human reviewer. If the information subsequently passes manual review, users can continue identity verification through the automated process. If the human agent also cannot pass the document or selfie, then users are directed to a one-to-one live video chat to verify with a human agent.”

Blake Hall, co-founder and chief executive of the McLean, Virginia, company, said in a prepared statement: “For years, we have combined human agents with automated technology to guard against any potential bias. Now, the Human in the Loop team enables us to verify more users faster in order to ensure equitable and streamlined access to vital government services.”

Among the critics:

• Insider, formerly Business Insider, reported that veterans were struggling to use the system to confirm their identities for the Veterans Affairs.
• On Feb. 21, the IRS announced it was dropping a requirement that customers use ID.me to prove their identities.
• A Washington Post article included accusations that the company created “fake” accounts.

Even before the recent criticism, IDme’s directed customers having trouble to online chats with humans. The company stated in today’s announcement that the Human in the Loop process reduced the portion of verifications that require video chats by 18%.

ID.me states in marketing materials that it has 76 million users and 145,000 new users every day. According to the company, it has agreements with 30 states, 10 federal agencies, and more than 500 brands.