A digital way to answer the age-old question ‘Can I see some ID?’

So much of our lives — including how we shop and work — has gone online. But if we don’t see the person selling to or buying from us, how do we know they are who they say they are? How do we build trust?

As we interact across the digital world, we’re asked to verify our identity, whether we’re opening a new account or making a purchase. In a world where everything from gaming to renting a car to accessing government services is available with just a click, confirming our identity should be just as easy — and secure. There are basic attributes to prove someone is who they claim to be, and that they meet the necessary requirements, such as age or geographic location, for example, to make those purchases or access those services.

Doing this reliably and at scale is a crucial step toward making the virtual world more secure and accessible. The best part? It’s already in your wallet.

Enhancing security with existing infrastructure

Mastercard already helps merchants and financial institutions assess risk through attributes like name and payment information as we enable billions of digital interactions around the world, instilling trust in the digital economy. Now, thanks to new EMVCo industry specifications and Mastercard’s Identity Attribute Verification service, issuers will soon be able to confirm cardholders’ additional attributes, such as their age, date of birth or address.

Using the technology behind a payment card, our solutions will allow our partners to seamlessly verify that a consumer meets the criteria for certain goods and services while protecting their privacy. Doing so eliminates the often cumbersome task of uploading documents like photo ID, proof of residency or passport.

Peace of mind in every transaction and interaction

So how does it work?

Let’s say you’ve just closed on your first home and want to order a bottle of champagne to celebrate. You’d place your item in your online basket as normal, and then be asked to confirm you’re old enough to make the purchase. In the background, Mastercard enables merchants to easily validate your age with your card issuer securely and without adding any unnecessary friction to your experience. Your card is enough.

As always, we have put user privacy at the core of our work in this space. The guiding principle of our Privacy by Design culture means using only the necessary data consumers have agreed to share in order to complete verification.

Initially, we will focus on a few countries across Europe, with plans to expand into additional markets in 2025. We’ll work with governments and organizations that are looking for seamless ways to verify identity attributes more accurately and confidently. It’s by working with others that we will be able to scale attribute verification and continue to build trust in the digital world.

Media contact: Christine Bennett, Mastercard Global Communications, (914) 249-2313,  christine.bennett@mastercard.com