Verify unknown signers directly within OneSpan Sign using AI-powered identity verification with biometric matching and video liveness checks

Identity matters in today’s digital world. As AI-powered fraud, deepfakes, and synthetic identities become more sophisticated, regulated organizations need stronger ways to verify that people are who they say they are. Yet many still rely on manual verification processes that create friction, slow onboarding, increase operational costs, and leave them exposed to fraud and compliance risks.

OneSpan Sign’s identity verification capability helps regulated organizations establish trust through AI-powered identity document checks with biometric verification and dynamic video liveness detection. Embedded directly in the digital agreement workflow, identity verification helps organizations verify unknown signers before agreements are accessed or signed, and verification results remain connected to the signed agreement through a single audit trail. Together, these capabilities help reduce risk, improve customer experience, and maintain the evidence needed to support compliance and audit requirements.

How identity verification works

Identity verification combines document validation, biometric matching, and video liveness detection to help organizations verify that a signer is using a legitimate identity document and is the person represented on that document. The identity verification process happens in three steps:

1. Verify the identity document: The uploaded identity document is analyzed to confirm that it matches the selected country and document type. Authenticity checks help identify invalid, altered, or unsupported documents before verification proceeds. Key identity information is extracted from the document and compared against transaction details, including name matching between the signer and the submitted identity document.

2. Match the person to the document: Biometric verification compares a selfie against the photo on the identity document to help confirm that the person completing the transaction is the individual represented on the document. 

3. Confirm the person is present: Video liveness detection helps determine that the individual is physically present during the verification.

The benefits of biometric verification with video liveness detection

Authenticating a government-issued identity document is only one part of establishing trust online.

OneSpan Sign combines biometric verification and certified video liveness detection to help confirm that the person completing the transaction is the individual represented on the identity document. Advanced algorithms compare facial characteristics captured during the verification process with the photo on the authenticated identity document. Multiple layers of biometric analysis help determine whether the person is genuine and physically present during the transaction.

To strengthen assurance, OneSpan Sign uses both active and passive liveness detection. Active liveness includes a real-time video challenge that changes dynamically for each session, helping protect against replay attacks and predictable responses. Passive liveness analyzes subtle human characteristics such as blinking, natural head movements, skin texture, and light reflection. Additional three-dimensional facial analysis helps distinguish a real person from photos, masks, screens, or other presentation attacks.

Why OneSpan Sign’s identity verification capability

Organizations in regulated industries need more than document verification alone. They need a trusted, auditable process that verifies identity, captures consent, and enables agreements to be completed within a single, connected workflow. OneSpan Sign combines identity document verification, biometric verification, and certified video liveness detection directly within the digital agreement experience, helping establish trust, reduce risk, streamline onboarding, and strengthen compliance.

Organizations can also configure identity verification workflows to align with risk requirements and customer journeys. Administrators can define consent language, accepted document types, branding elements, verification settings, and retry limits, making it easier to deploy and adapt digital processes while maintaining a consistent customer experience.

How OneSpan Sign improves the user experience

Applicants and customers can complete identity verification using familiar mobile interactions, with identity documents verified in real time and often within seconds. QR-code handoff makes it easy to move from desktop to mobile, while portrait-mode document capture allows users to submit documents naturally without rotating their device.

Key features

• Identity document verification: 30+ AI algorithms are used to validate authenticity, and extract and read data from ID documents.
• Document type and country validation: Checks whether the uploaded identity document matches the selected country and document type. z Biometric verification: Uses a selfie to establish that the person presenting the ID is the same individual whose portrait appears on the ID.
• Certified video liveness detection: Uses real-time interaction, movement, and active and passive liveness analysis to help distinguish legitimate users from replay attacks, deepfakes, synthetic identities, and other impersonation attempts.
• AI-powered analytics: Verifies identity documents from across the globe using AI-powered document analysis, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms designed to identify altered or fraudulent identity documents.
• AI-powered data extraction: Identifies and extracts available document information, such as name, date of birth, document number, issuing country, issuing authority, issue date, and expiration date. The extracted name is used for the name matching check, while additional fields can be used in downstream business processes.
• Name matching: Compares the signer’s name in the eSignature transaction with the name extracted from the identity document, while accounting for special characters, OCR inconsistencies, maiden or married names, and other common identity-data variations.
• Integrated eSignature and ID verification: Identity verification is embedded into eSignature workflows. Verify identity, capture consent, and complete the agreement in one connected digital journey.

• Complete audit trail: OneSpan Sign records evidence throughout the workflow. A single integrated audit trail includes all identity and signing events to help simplify and strengthen compliance.

   

Customer testimonial

"From a customer onboarding perspective, we are now able to take the customer through a consistent journey. We know that they’re getting the information that they need to see and that they’re passing through compliance and KYC processes. I think the customer experience is much, much improved to what it was with our paper-based system"

- Dave Briggs, Chief Operating Officer, MotoNovo Finance