Resolving the Paradox of Identity
QiD uses an advanced AI - Neuromorphic Computing - to identify someone without having to know who the someone is
QiD…
Harnessing the power of Neuromorphic Computing - an advanced AI - research scientists from aiQ Cognitive Technologies (ex University of Johannesburg - South Africa) have successfully been able to engineer an anonymous human identification technology, code-named ‘QiD’
QiD semantically simulates human cognition - how the human mind/brain is naturally and instinctively proceeds to identify a person without knowing the person - it does what we as humans do very well every time we for example unexpectedly bump into someone we recognise but who we don’t actually know…
“I know you, even if I don’t know your name!”
Similarly, QiD is able to identify a person without actually knowing the person…
QiD: Problems Solved…
QiD properly answers two of the most urgent (but also most challenging) problems that continue to plague identity deployments throughout the world:
QiD both effectively as well as efficiently solves the four most pressing (and most challenging) problems that continue to plague identity deployments in a very real way:
01: Who?
QiD accurately answers the “Who?”-question - “Who is someone actually?” • without conventional biometric enrolment or template matching • without considering a person’s own claim to identity • without relying on identity documents as the primary form of identification
02: Actual/Real/Live Person?
Grounded in liveness detection research, QiD employs the power of Neuromorphic Computing to answer the question, “Is the person an actual/real/live person and not a high resolution/photorealistic image or high definition video or deep fake representation of the person?” at two levels to balance confidence with user experience (UX):
Lo Livecheck: Moderate confidence/High convenience - when a customer for example logs into a bank app to view past transactions or to read a document on-line
Hi Livecheck: High confidence/Moderate convenience - when a customer for example authorises a large money transaction on-line
Identity Theft/Fraud...
The problem of identity theft is a global phenomenon which, in spite of every countermeasure employed by private and public organisations to contain it, has nevertheless continued to escalate unchecked in the world…
The most effective response to identity theft and fraud is not stronger secrets or more barriers, but abandoning secrets entirely - and grounding identity in the unique distinctiveness of the human being behind the interaction
QiD: How It Works…
QiD semantically interprets physiognomy • from a single ‘selfie’ • captured on any computing device - desktop computer, notebook, tablet or mobile phone (even low-end phones) • equipped with a ~2MP camera • normally in less than 3 seconds • inside a browser • at very low bandwidth cost - to expose ‘personal identity’ - what defines who we each are
Using a proprietary algorithm, QiD algorithmically expresses personal identity as a stable unique, complex, irreversible, de-identifiable ‘identity signature’ (‘QiD Signature’) - a 512-alpha/numeric character string which persistently identifies a person
As an expedient, a person’s QiD Signature is assigned a unique 128-bit UUID (‘QiD UUID’) that can be used as the reference key to record a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen…
Discover your own unique QiD Signature/QiD UUID by launching this live demo:
Since a person always is who he/she is, the person never needs to record or remember (or even be aware of) his/her own QiD Signature/QiD UUID…
QiD: Unique/Special Features…
QiD: Unique/Special Features…
QiD introduces several unique/special features that set it well apart from and ahead of conventional identity solutions:
01
IDENTITY THEFT/FRAUD
Because QiD is able to accurately identify a person without relying on a person’s own claim to identity, the technology structurally prevents identity impersonation via stolen credentials/documents
01
IDENTITY THEFT/FRAUD
Because QiD is able to accurately identify a person without relying on a person’s own claim to identity, the technology structurally prevents identity impersonation via stolen credentials/documents
01
IDENTITY THEFT/FRAUD
Because QiD is able to accurately identify a person without relying on a person’s own claim to identity, the technology structurally prevents identity impersonation via stolen credentials/documents
02
NO ONBOARDING
Since QiD is able to identify a subject without having to know the person, QiD does not require a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… to be enrolled or registered or reference checked before a person can be granted access to a system/service/facility/right/privilege…
02
NO ONBOARDING
Since QiD is able to identify a subject without having to know the person, QiD does not require a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… to be enrolled or registered or reference checked before a person can be granted access to a system/service/facility/right/privilege…
02
NO ONBOARDING
Since QiD is able to identify a subject without having to know the person, QiD does not require a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… to be enrolled or registered or reference checked before a person can be granted access to a system/service/facility/right/privilege…
03
CREDENTIAL-FREE ACCESS
QiD removes the need for login names, passwords, PINs, one-time codes, 2FA workflows, CAPTCHAs and similar access mechanisms that depend on something a user must remember, possess or present Instead of authenticating a claimed identity or a device, QiD identifies the human directly and determines whether that human is real and present Access decisions can therefore be made without issuing, managing or recovering credentials, significantly reducing friction, attack surface and operational overhead
03
CREDENTIAL-FREE ACCESS
QiD removes the need for login names, passwords, PINs, one-time codes, 2FA workflows, CAPTCHAs and similar access mechanisms that depend on something a user must remember, possess or present Instead of authenticating a claimed identity or a device, QiD identifies the human directly and determines whether that human is real and present Access decisions can therefore be made without issuing, managing or recovering credentials, significantly reducing friction, attack surface and operational overhead
03
CREDENTIAL-FREE ACCESS
QiD removes the need for login names, passwords, PINs, one-time codes, 2FA workflows, CAPTCHAs and similar access mechanisms that depend on something a user must remember, possess or present Instead of authenticating a claimed identity or a device, QiD identifies the human directly and determines whether that human is real and present Access decisions can therefore be made without issuing, managing or recovering credentials, significantly reducing friction, attack surface and operational overhead
04
IMPOSTOR DETECTION
Since QiD determines the identity of someone anonymously - independent of who a person claims to be - it prevents impersonation based on stolen credentials, identity documents, or false claims and makes impersonation attempts detectable rather than repeatable
04
IMPOSTOR DETECTION
Since QiD determines the identity of someone anonymously - independent of who a person claims to be - it prevents impersonation based on stolen credentials, identity documents, or false claims and makes impersonation attempts detectable rather than repeatable
04
IMPOSTOR DETECTION
Since QiD determines the identity of someone anonymously - independent of who a person claims to be - it prevents impersonation based on stolen credentials, identity documents, or false claims and makes impersonation attempts detectable rather than repeatable
05
NO DUPLICATE ALIASES
Given the fact that no two persons share the same identity (their respective QiD Signatures are distinctly different), QiD prevents the possibility of the same person being known by different aliases
05
NO DUPLICATE ALIASES
Given the fact that no two persons share the same identity (their respective QiD Signatures are distinctly different), QiD prevents the possibility of the same person being known by different aliases
05
NO DUPLICATE ALIASES
Given the fact that no two persons share the same identity (their respective QiD Signatures are distinctly different), QiD prevents the possibility of the same person being known by different aliases
06
AGE ESTIMATION
QiD neuromorphically estimates the age of the person to enable an age threshold check to be performed (eg does a user meet the minimum age to access an age restricted Internet site?)
06
AGE ESTIMATION
QiD neuromorphically estimates the age of the person to enable an age threshold check to be performed (eg does a user meet the minimum age to access an age restricted Internet site?)
06
AGE ESTIMATION
QiD neuromorphically estimates the age of the person to enable an age threshold check to be performed (eg does a user meet the minimum age to access an age restricted Internet site?)
07
ETHNICITY NEUTRAL
Indifferent to ethnicity and demographic distinctions, QiD has proven performance across diverse demographics
07
ETHNICITY NEUTRAL
Indifferent to ethnicity and demographic distinctions, QiD has proven performance across diverse demographics
07
ETHNICITY NEUTRAL
Indifferent to ethnicity and demographic distinctions, QiD has proven performance across diverse demographics
08
PRIVACY
As an anonymous identity technology that does not collect personal information, QiD effectively addresses privacy concerns
08
PRIVACY
As an anonymous identity technology that does not collect personal information, QiD effectively addresses privacy concerns
08
PRIVACY
As an anonymous identity technology that does not collect personal information, QiD effectively addresses privacy concerns
09
NATURAL AGEING
Since personal identity does not change over time, QiD is indifferent to normal ageing However, because personal identity is difficult to detect to acceptable levels of confidence during the early stages of life, QiD is not suitable for subjects younger than 14 years of age
09
NATURAL AGEING
Since personal identity does not change over time, QiD is indifferent to normal ageing However, because personal identity is difficult to detect to acceptable levels of confidence during the early stages of life, QiD is not suitable for subjects younger than 14 years of age
09
NATURAL AGEING
Since personal identity does not change over time, QiD is indifferent to normal ageing However, because personal identity is difficult to detect to acceptable levels of confidence during the early stages of life, QiD is not suitable for subjects younger than 14 years of age
10
DEVICE AGNOSTIC
QiD is designed to work on any computing device • desktop computer • notebook • tablet • mobile phone (even low-end phones) equipped with a ~2MP camera under normal operating conditions
10
DEVICE AGNOSTIC
QiD is designed to work on any computing device • desktop computer • notebook • tablet • mobile phone (even low-end phones) equipped with a ~2MP camera under normal operating conditions
10
DEVICE AGNOSTIC
QiD is designed to work on any computing device • desktop computer • notebook • tablet • mobile phone (even low-end phones) equipped with a ~2MP camera under normal operating conditions
11
BROWSER-BASED
QiD is deployed as a web instance inside a standard desktop/mobile browser
11
BROWSER-BASED
QiD is deployed as a web instance inside a standard desktop/mobile browser
11
BROWSER-BASED
QiD is deployed as a web instance inside a standard desktop/mobile browser
12
'NO CODE' QiDaaS
QiD can easily be integrated into an organisation’s own web/desktop/mobile app to issue QiDaaS service requests on demand through the QiD API to return either a ‘Success’ or ‘Fail’ result and parameters: Success: • QiD UUID • Age estimate Fail: • Reason for the failure (eg Livecheck failed) • Remedy
12
'NO CODE' QiDaaS
QiD can easily be integrated into an organisation’s own web/desktop/mobile app to issue QiDaaS service requests on demand through the QiD API to return either a ‘Success’ or ‘Fail’ result and parameters: Success: • QiD UUID • Age estimate Fail: • Reason for the failure (eg Livecheck failed) • Remedy
12
'NO CODE' QiDaaS
QiD can easily be integrated into an organisation’s own web/desktop/mobile app to issue QiDaaS service requests on demand through the QiD API to return either a ‘Success’ or ‘Fail’ result and parameters: Success: • QiD UUID • Age estimate Fail: • Reason for the failure (eg Livecheck failed) • Remedy
QiD: Measured Performance…
Registered subscribers are given access to a special QiD Dashboard that allows performance to be tracked in real time in a standard desktop/mobile browser
Under the rigour of extensive stress testing - both synthetic as well as analytic, QiD consistently demonstrated measurable results:
FAQs…
Here is a list of answers to the most common questions re QiD…
What is Neuromorphic Computing?
Current generation Al technologies uses deep-learning networks to syntactically 'interpret' data sources (eg the content of a digital image) - this approach however suffers from the fact that examples that fall outside a neural net’s scope of reference, will cause the AI to fail By accurately simulating the neural processes of the human mind/brain, Neuromorphic Computing on the other hand semantically interprets data sources to introduce a certain measure of 'cognitive interpretation' and 'autonomous adaptation' that advances Al technologies beyond current AI capabilities
What does it mean that QiD is ‘anonymous’?
QiD is able to determine who someone is without requiring the person to assert or prove an identity - instead, a person is identified neuromorphically by expressing personal identity as an anonymous QiD Signature represented by a unique QiD UUID
How accurate is QiD?
Conventional identification methods are highly vulnerable to identity theft and fraud because they assume that only the rightful person is able to do what only that person is expected to do (sign a document), know what only that person is expected to know (a login name or password), or have what only that person is expected to have (an ID card/passport/driver’s license…) Since such artefacts are easily compromised, conventional identification methods are inherently vulnerable to impersonation While biometrics (fingerprint/faceprint/voiceprint…) can offer convenience in some contexts, they often fail under unfavourable conditions or when no biometric is available, requiring conventional methods to be used as fallback mechanisms Biometrics also do not establish who someone is in an identity sense Because personal identity itself cannot be surrendered, transferred or asserted by proxy, QiD - as a direct presentment of personal identity - is able to determine who someone is without relying on names, documents, credentials or self-asserted claims
Is QiD facial recognition?
No, QiD is not facial recognition - whereas facial recognition matches a ‘flat’ candidate image of a subject against a ‘flat’ reference image of another subject syntactically in 2D space, QiD does not perform any matching of images Instead, QiD semantically interprets personal identity - that part of us which uniquely defines who we each are from a single ‘selfie’ in 3D space
Is a person’s QiD Signature unique?
While this does not directly imply technical performance, a person’s QiD Signature is drawn from an address space of 62^512 possible permutations - an extremely large number consisting of approximately 918 decimal digits - making the probability of accidental duplication statistically negligible at any conceivable population scale
What is a person’s QiD UUID intended for?
As a compact reference to a person’s QiD Signature, a person’s unique QiD UUID (128-bit UUID) is returned to a subscriber in response to each QiDaaS API request and can be used as the reference key to record a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… within the subscriber’s own systems
Is QiD a proprietary technology?
QiD is a proprietary technology developed by research scientists at aiQ Cognitive Technologies (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Who is the technology intended for?
Any organisation, business entity or government agency that needs to reliably determine who a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… is, is eligible to be registered as a subscriber of the technology, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements
Is the technology available for testing?
Limited access to sandbox pilot testing is available to prospective subscribers upon application
How is QiD affected by a person’s natural ageing process?
Since personal identity itself is not affected by age - a person always remains who they are over time - regular use of the technology adapts to the natural ageing of a person, allowing a person’s QiD Signature to remain stable
What about identical twins?
In the extremely rare case of monozygotic twins that share the same genetic material (DNA) and that are almost always the same sex, when even a mother has difficulty to tell the twins apart, QiD could return unpredictable results
Does QiD satisfy international privacy regulations?
As an anonymous identification technology that does not rely on names, civil identifiers or self-asserted identity, QiD is designed to ensure that privacy is preserved and reduce the exposure of personal data compared to conventional identification systems
Does QiD present an opportunity for OEM technology partners?
Yes, definitely - while QiD is available to direct subscribers, we recognise that certain technology providers have established access to specialised markets in which they already deliver complementary technology services, and OEM partnerships are therefore welcomed where QiD can be integrated into existing platforms or offerings
Is QiD FIDO certified?
No - QiD does not fall within the scope of the technical standards addressed by FIDO FIDO (including FIDO2, WebAuthn and UAF/U2F) governs credential-based authentication, specifically how cryptographic keys are generated, stored, and used by devices to authenticate users to accounts QiD does not issue, store, manage or authenticate credentials of any kind It also does not rely on passwords, cryptographic keys, shared secrets, devices or accounts to establish identity Instead, QiD answers a different question altogether: “Who is this someone, and is this someone real and present?” For this reason, QiD operates outside the technical and regulatory ambit addressed by FIDO Where required, QiD can be deployed alongside FIDO-compliant authentication mechanisms, with certification handled at the application or platform layer by subscribers or OEM partners
QiD vs Passkeys - how do the two compare?
QiD and Passkeys share one outcome in common - they eliminate the need for passwords - but they achieve this in fundamentally different ways and serve different objectives… Passkeys are a credential-based authentication technology - they replace passwords with cryptographic keys stored on trusted devices and are designed to securely authenticate users to pre-existing accounts QiD, by contrast, is an anonymous human identification technology - it does not authenticate accounts or devices… Instead, it identifies a person directly and determines whether that person is an actual, real, live human being - without credentials, enrolment or reliance on any specific device or operating system In short: Passkeys answer: “Does this device possess the correct key for this account?” QiD answers: “Who is this someone - and is this someone real and present?” QiD achieves the same no-password, phishing-resistant access outcomes as Passkeys, but does so through a fundamentally different approach, while also addressing identity and fraud challenges beyond the scope of Passkeys QiD answers the “Who?”-question not with a name or a claim, but with a stable, anonymous QiD Signature/QiD UUID The two technologies occupy different layers of the problem space and may be used independently or together, depending on the use case
How does QiD meet the measures intended in the EU AI Act?
The EU AI Act regulates AI systems based on the level of risk they pose to individuals’ rights and freedoms, with higher-risk use cases subject to stricter safeguards QiD has been designed from the outset to align with the core principles underpinning the EU AI Act, including risk minimisation, transparency, proportionality, and human oversight In particular: Risk-based design: QiD focuses narrowly on answering two questions - “Who is this someone?” and “Is this someone real and present?” - without inferring behaviour, intent, preferences or personal attributes beyond what is required for identification Privacy by design: QiD does not rely on names, civil identity documents, or self-asserted claims, and is designed to minimise the collection and exposure of personal data compared to conventional identity systems Human-centred use: QiD does not make autonomous decisions about rights, entitlements, or outcomes - such decisions remain the responsibility of the deploying organisation with appropriate human oversight Deployment-context awareness: The classification and obligations applicable under the EU AI Act depend on the specific use case - QiD is intended to be deployed by subscribers in ways that support compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements QiD does not claim formal certification or classification under the EU AI Act - Instead, it is designed to support responsible deployment in regulated environments by aligning with the Act’s underlying principles and measures
How much does QiD cost?
QiD operates on a high-volume, low-cost-per-transaction pricing model Actual pricing depends on several factors, and a bespoke cost model is therefore structured for each subscriber considering factors such as transaction volumes, deployment context and specific use-case requirements
What is Neuromorphic Computing?
Current generation Al technologies uses deep-learning networks to syntactically 'interpret' data sources (eg the content of a digital image) - this approach however suffers from the fact that examples that fall outside a neural net’s scope of reference, will cause the AI to fail By accurately simulating the neural processes of the human mind/brain, Neuromorphic Computing on the other hand semantically interprets data sources to introduce a certain measure of 'cognitive interpretation' and 'autonomous adaptation' that advances Al technologies beyond current AI capabilities
What does it mean that QiD is ‘anonymous’?
QiD is able to determine who someone is without requiring the person to assert or prove an identity - instead, a person is identified neuromorphically by expressing personal identity as an anonymous QiD Signature represented by a unique QiD UUID
How accurate is QiD?
Conventional identification methods are highly vulnerable to identity theft and fraud because they assume that only the rightful person is able to do what only that person is expected to do (sign a document), know what only that person is expected to know (a login name or password), or have what only that person is expected to have (an ID card/passport/driver’s license…) Since such artefacts are easily compromised, conventional identification methods are inherently vulnerable to impersonation While biometrics (fingerprint/faceprint/voiceprint…) can offer convenience in some contexts, they often fail under unfavourable conditions or when no biometric is available, requiring conventional methods to be used as fallback mechanisms Biometrics also do not establish who someone is in an identity sense Because personal identity itself cannot be surrendered, transferred or asserted by proxy, QiD - as a direct presentment of personal identity - is able to determine who someone is without relying on names, documents, credentials or self-asserted claims
Is QiD facial recognition?
No, QiD is not facial recognition - whereas facial recognition matches a ‘flat’ candidate image of a subject against a ‘flat’ reference image of another subject syntactically in 2D space, QiD does not perform any matching of images Instead, QiD semantically interprets personal identity - that part of us which uniquely defines who we each are from a single ‘selfie’ in 3D space
Is a person’s QiD Signature unique?
While this does not directly imply technical performance, a person’s QiD Signature is drawn from an address space of 62^512 possible permutations - an extremely large number consisting of approximately 918 decimal digits - making the probability of accidental duplication statistically negligible at any conceivable population scale
What is a person’s QiD UUID intended for?
As a compact reference to a person’s QiD Signature, a person’s unique QiD UUID (128-bit UUID) is returned to a subscriber in response to each QiDaaS API request and can be used as the reference key to record a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… within the subscriber’s own systems
Is QiD a proprietary technology?
QiD is a proprietary technology developed by research scientists at aiQ Cognitive Technologies (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Who is the technology intended for?
Any organisation, business entity or government agency that needs to reliably determine who a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… is, is eligible to be registered as a subscriber of the technology, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements
Is the technology available for testing?
Limited access to sandbox pilot testing is available to prospective subscribers upon application
How is QiD affected by a person’s natural ageing process?
Since personal identity itself is not affected by age - a person always remains who they are over time - regular use of the technology adapts to the natural ageing of a person, allowing a person’s QiD Signature to remain stable
What about identical twins?
In the extremely rare case of monozygotic twins that share the same genetic material (DNA) and that are almost always the same sex, when even a mother has difficulty to tell the twins apart, QiD could return unpredictable results
Does QiD satisfy international privacy regulations?
As an anonymous identification technology that does not rely on names, civil identifiers or self-asserted identity, QiD is designed to ensure that privacy is preserved and reduce the exposure of personal data compared to conventional identification systems
Does QiD present an opportunity for OEM technology partners?
Yes, definitely - while QiD is available to direct subscribers, we recognise that certain technology providers have established access to specialised markets in which they already deliver complementary technology services, and OEM partnerships are therefore welcomed where QiD can be integrated into existing platforms or offerings
Is QiD FIDO certified?
No - QiD does not fall within the scope of the technical standards addressed by FIDO FIDO (including FIDO2, WebAuthn and UAF/U2F) governs credential-based authentication, specifically how cryptographic keys are generated, stored, and used by devices to authenticate users to accounts QiD does not issue, store, manage or authenticate credentials of any kind It also does not rely on passwords, cryptographic keys, shared secrets, devices or accounts to establish identity Instead, QiD answers a different question altogether: “Who is this someone, and is this someone real and present?” For this reason, QiD operates outside the technical and regulatory ambit addressed by FIDO Where required, QiD can be deployed alongside FIDO-compliant authentication mechanisms, with certification handled at the application or platform layer by subscribers or OEM partners
QiD vs Passkeys - how do the two compare?
QiD and Passkeys share one outcome in common - they eliminate the need for passwords - but they achieve this in fundamentally different ways and serve different objectives… Passkeys are a credential-based authentication technology - they replace passwords with cryptographic keys stored on trusted devices and are designed to securely authenticate users to pre-existing accounts QiD, by contrast, is an anonymous human identification technology - it does not authenticate accounts or devices… Instead, it identifies a person directly and determines whether that person is an actual, real, live human being - without credentials, enrolment or reliance on any specific device or operating system In short: Passkeys answer: “Does this device possess the correct key for this account?” QiD answers: “Who is this someone - and is this someone real and present?” QiD achieves the same no-password, phishing-resistant access outcomes as Passkeys, but does so through a fundamentally different approach, while also addressing identity and fraud challenges beyond the scope of Passkeys QiD answers the “Who?”-question not with a name or a claim, but with a stable, anonymous QiD Signature/QiD UUID The two technologies occupy different layers of the problem space and may be used independently or together, depending on the use case
How does QiD meet the measures intended in the EU AI Act?
The EU AI Act regulates AI systems based on the level of risk they pose to individuals’ rights and freedoms, with higher-risk use cases subject to stricter safeguards QiD has been designed from the outset to align with the core principles underpinning the EU AI Act, including risk minimisation, transparency, proportionality, and human oversight In particular: Risk-based design: QiD focuses narrowly on answering two questions - “Who is this someone?” and “Is this someone real and present?” - without inferring behaviour, intent, preferences or personal attributes beyond what is required for identification Privacy by design: QiD does not rely on names, civil identity documents, or self-asserted claims, and is designed to minimise the collection and exposure of personal data compared to conventional identity systems Human-centred use: QiD does not make autonomous decisions about rights, entitlements, or outcomes - such decisions remain the responsibility of the deploying organisation with appropriate human oversight Deployment-context awareness: The classification and obligations applicable under the EU AI Act depend on the specific use case - QiD is intended to be deployed by subscribers in ways that support compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements QiD does not claim formal certification or classification under the EU AI Act - Instead, it is designed to support responsible deployment in regulated environments by aligning with the Act’s underlying principles and measures
How much does QiD cost?
QiD operates on a high-volume, low-cost-per-transaction pricing model Actual pricing depends on several factors, and a bespoke cost model is therefore structured for each subscriber considering factors such as transaction volumes, deployment context and specific use-case requirements
What is Neuromorphic Computing?
Current generation Al technologies uses deep-learning networks to syntactically 'interpret' data sources (eg the content of a digital image) - this approach however suffers from the fact that examples that fall outside a neural net’s scope of reference, will cause the AI to fail By accurately simulating the neural processes of the human mind/brain, Neuromorphic Computing on the other hand semantically interprets data sources to introduce a certain measure of 'cognitive interpretation' and 'autonomous adaptation' that advances Al technologies beyond current AI capabilities
What does it mean that QiD is ‘anonymous’?
QiD is able to determine who someone is without requiring the person to assert or prove an identity - instead, a person is identified neuromorphically by expressing personal identity as an anonymous QiD Signature represented by a unique QiD UUID
How accurate is QiD?
Conventional identification methods are highly vulnerable to identity theft and fraud because they assume that only the rightful person is able to do what only that person is expected to do (sign a document), know what only that person is expected to know (a login name or password), or have what only that person is expected to have (an ID card/passport/driver’s license…) Since such artefacts are easily compromised, conventional identification methods are inherently vulnerable to impersonation While biometrics (fingerprint/faceprint/voiceprint…) can offer convenience in some contexts, they often fail under unfavourable conditions or when no biometric is available, requiring conventional methods to be used as fallback mechanisms Biometrics also do not establish who someone is in an identity sense Because personal identity itself cannot be surrendered, transferred or asserted by proxy, QiD - as a direct presentment of personal identity - is able to determine who someone is without relying on names, documents, credentials or self-asserted claims
Is QiD facial recognition?
No, QiD is not facial recognition - whereas facial recognition matches a ‘flat’ candidate image of a subject against a ‘flat’ reference image of another subject syntactically in 2D space, QiD does not perform any matching of images Instead, QiD semantically interprets personal identity - that part of us which uniquely defines who we each are from a single ‘selfie’ in 3D space
Is a person’s QiD Signature unique?
While this does not directly imply technical performance, a person’s QiD Signature is drawn from an address space of 62^512 possible permutations - an extremely large number consisting of approximately 918 decimal digits - making the probability of accidental duplication statistically negligible at any conceivable population scale
What is a person’s QiD UUID intended for?
As a compact reference to a person’s QiD Signature, a person’s unique QiD UUID (128-bit UUID) is returned to a subscriber in response to each QiDaaS API request and can be used as the reference key to record a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… within the subscriber’s own systems
Is QiD a proprietary technology?
QiD is a proprietary technology developed by research scientists at aiQ Cognitive Technologies (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Who is the technology intended for?
Any organisation, business entity or government agency that needs to reliably determine who a customer/employee/student/patient/citizen… is, is eligible to be registered as a subscriber of the technology, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements
Is the technology available for testing?
Limited access to sandbox pilot testing is available to prospective subscribers upon application
How is QiD affected by a person’s natural ageing process?
Since personal identity itself is not affected by age - a person always remains who they are over time - regular use of the technology adapts to the natural ageing of a person, allowing a person’s QiD Signature to remain stable
What about identical twins?
In the extremely rare case of monozygotic twins that share the same genetic material (DNA) and that are almost always the same sex, when even a mother has difficulty to tell the twins apart, QiD could return unpredictable results
Does QiD satisfy international privacy regulations?
As an anonymous identification technology that does not rely on names, civil identifiers or self-asserted identity, QiD is designed to ensure that privacy is preserved and reduce the exposure of personal data compared to conventional identification systems
Does QiD present an opportunity for OEM technology partners?
Yes, definitely - while QiD is available to direct subscribers, we recognise that certain technology providers have established access to specialised markets in which they already deliver complementary technology services, and OEM partnerships are therefore welcomed where QiD can be integrated into existing platforms or offerings
Is QiD FIDO certified?
No - QiD does not fall within the scope of the technical standards addressed by FIDO FIDO (including FIDO2, WebAuthn and UAF/U2F) governs credential-based authentication, specifically how cryptographic keys are generated, stored, and used by devices to authenticate users to accounts QiD does not issue, store, manage or authenticate credentials of any kind It also does not rely on passwords, cryptographic keys, shared secrets, devices or accounts to establish identity Instead, QiD answers a different question altogether: “Who is this someone, and is this someone real and present?” For this reason, QiD operates outside the technical and regulatory ambit addressed by FIDO Where required, QiD can be deployed alongside FIDO-compliant authentication mechanisms, with certification handled at the application or platform layer by subscribers or OEM partners
QiD vs Passkeys - how do the two compare?
QiD and Passkeys share one outcome in common - they eliminate the need for passwords - but they achieve this in fundamentally different ways and serve different objectives… Passkeys are a credential-based authentication technology - they replace passwords with cryptographic keys stored on trusted devices and are designed to securely authenticate users to pre-existing accounts QiD, by contrast, is an anonymous human identification technology - it does not authenticate accounts or devices… Instead, it identifies a person directly and determines whether that person is an actual, real, live human being - without credentials, enrolment or reliance on any specific device or operating system In short: Passkeys answer: “Does this device possess the correct key for this account?” QiD answers: “Who is this someone - and is this someone real and present?” QiD achieves the same no-password, phishing-resistant access outcomes as Passkeys, but does so through a fundamentally different approach, while also addressing identity and fraud challenges beyond the scope of Passkeys QiD answers the “Who?”-question not with a name or a claim, but with a stable, anonymous QiD Signature/QiD UUID The two technologies occupy different layers of the problem space and may be used independently or together, depending on the use case
How does QiD meet the measures intended in the EU AI Act?
The EU AI Act regulates AI systems based on the level of risk they pose to individuals’ rights and freedoms, with higher-risk use cases subject to stricter safeguards QiD has been designed from the outset to align with the core principles underpinning the EU AI Act, including risk minimisation, transparency, proportionality, and human oversight In particular: Risk-based design: QiD focuses narrowly on answering two questions - “Who is this someone?” and “Is this someone real and present?” - without inferring behaviour, intent, preferences or personal attributes beyond what is required for identification Privacy by design: QiD does not rely on names, civil identity documents, or self-asserted claims, and is designed to minimise the collection and exposure of personal data compared to conventional identity systems Human-centred use: QiD does not make autonomous decisions about rights, entitlements, or outcomes - such decisions remain the responsibility of the deploying organisation with appropriate human oversight Deployment-context awareness: The classification and obligations applicable under the EU AI Act depend on the specific use case - QiD is intended to be deployed by subscribers in ways that support compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements QiD does not claim formal certification or classification under the EU AI Act - Instead, it is designed to support responsible deployment in regulated environments by aligning with the Act’s underlying principles and measures
How much does QiD cost?
QiD operates on a high-volume, low-cost-per-transaction pricing model Actual pricing depends on several factors, and a bespoke cost model is therefore structured for each subscriber considering factors such as transaction volumes, deployment context and specific use-case requirements
Contact…
To arrange for a personal introduction to QiD, please send us an email…
