Technology

Yubo Pioneers Age Verification for Social Media

As one of the newer social media platforms, Yubo is pioneering new safety measures for social media. Its most innovative measure to date is age verification that’s done when users create new accounts.

Yubo and Yoti Work Together

The age verification process is a collaborative effort between Yubo and Yoti, both of which are becoming well-known names within the industry.

Yubo was launched in 2015 and provides a non-traditional social media experience. Rather than prioritizing likes, reposts, and similar metrics, Yubo provides a place for live interactions between a few people, which is much like what people experience in real life. The setup has proven to be popular among Generation Z users.

Yoti has a proprietary method for quickly, securely, and accurately verifying users’ ages. The company’s technology is currently used across many industries, and more than 11 million people have accessed the technology. It’s available in English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, and Portuguese. Yoti also has access management and document signing solutions.

Yubo first partnered with Yoti in 2019, and the two companies continue to develop the age verification system that Yubo relies upon.

Age Verification is Quick and Easy

The age verification that Yubo and Yoti have developed is simple. The companies knew it had to be quick and easy if Yubo was to reach the younger Gen Z population, which has grown up with mobile devices and is accustomed to instant interaction.

New users upload a photo of themselves, which is often taken with a basic webcam. They also provide a short video clip.

Yoti’s proprietary artificial intelligence then analyzes both uploads. The video is simply used to verify the photo’s authenticity, as a measure to prevent users from trying to spoof the AI with other people’s photos. The photo itself is then analyzed to estimate the user’s age within a narrow range.

Users don’t have to provide personal details, aside from their imputed age and these uploads. There’s no need for documents or additional personal information. The verification is also instant.

Yoti’s technology has proven to be highly accurate. It can estimate whether a user is within their imputed age category at a rate of 98.9 percent accuracy, and that’s across ages, genders, and skin tones. The AI also consistently estimates children who are between 6 and 12 years old within a range of 1.3 years. Its range for children aged 13 to 19 is just 1.5 years.

Manual verification is available for the ~1 percent who aren’t verified by artificial intelligence. The vast, vast majority of users don’t have to go through any manual steps, however, as the AI is highly accurate and instant.

Age Verification Continues to Expand

Yubo first used the age verification technology for suspicious accounts. It was then beta-tested among users aged 13 and 14, which is the youngest age that users in the United States can legally use social media. Yubo now uses the technology for all of its users.