Following Apple’s recent decision to allow iPhone users to store their IDs on their phones running iOS 15, experts warned that the practice could be unsafe. But what about the growing trend of tech companies asking users to provide their IDs to verify their age or identity?
Digital Identity Theft: What You Need to Know
Experts say that can also be risky.
Last September, YouTube became the latest in a string of platforms that now require users to submit their identity documents for verification. While the company explained in a blog post that the new policy was in line with upcoming European regulations and parent company Google’s country-specific age rules, other companies including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn have had similar identity verification policies in place for years.
“The more documents and items you provide to an organization, the greater the risk,” James E. Lee, director of operations for the Identity Theft Resource Center, told Lifewire in a phone interview.
