Fintech companies join forces to tackle human trafficking

Freedom ID is launched by a consortium of global fintech, regtech, cyber security and identity providers. They have joined forces to bring technology to the fight against human trafficking and provide support to individuals seeking safe passage and refuge.

Freedom ID was originally developed to help protect Ukrainian refugees and now aims to become the global standard for protecting vulnerable people displaced by any crisis. Zenoo’s digital onboarding platform that powers Freedom ID is used by some of the world’s largest companies, including NASA, Experianand London Stock Exchange to streamline identity verification, reduce risk and accelerate customer acquisition.

The same technology has been harnessed to support potential victims of human trafficking and other crimes and help fight these crimes. The platform is integrated into both government databases and commercial technologies used for onboarding customers in banking, travel, e-commerce and other industries.

Basic members

In addition to Zenoo, the founders of the Freedom ID consortium include Seattle-based Approveda global leader in identity verification, KYC and AML; VU Security, a cybersecurity company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina; GBG, a global identity verification and fraud prevention company based in London; Shufti-Pro, a digital KYC and AML service provider also based in London; German based Desk, a supplier in ID document technologies, and other leaders in identity verification and administration.

Additional pro bono services are provided by the international law firm Debevoise and Plimpton and the global communications agency Montieth & Company. AND digital provided pro bono IT development services for the initial build, and The Seneca Trust provided Freedom ID with a donation for initial start-up costs.

While Zenoo focuses on capturing user information, the other fintech partners offer identity verification solutions, which allow Freedom ID to perform the necessary checks to prevent criminal activity.

Integrated platform

The platform can easily integrate other technologies and data sources and provides a powerful user-friendly solution for governments, NGOs and other organizations in their fight against human trafficking and is free for use by social networks, accommodation hosts and volunteers who help protect Ukrainians from these threats.

Many of the sites that accommodation agencies created in response to the war in Ukraine are grassroots initiatives, and it is challenging for these unregulated entities and their sites to identify exploitative hosts without ID verification.

Just the beginning

Stuart Watkins, Zenoo’s CEO said: “Times of mass migration when refugees are fleeing war are prime territory for highly sophisticated criminal organizations to exploit vulnerable women and children. By verifying the identity of the accommodation hosts, we reduce the risk of human trafficking. On top of this, we know that millions of displaced refugees will move from one accommodation provider to another over the coming years and this process of ID verification must continue in line with this.”

Watkins added: “This is just the beginning of the journey. It is a collaborative effort and we are truly humbled to be working with some of the world’s leading technology providers to provide a solution to make the movement of people safer for volunteers and displaced refugees.” »

Freedom ID partners with the same technology that financial institutions use to achieve anti-money laundering compliance and border control agencies to verify individuals.

Help for refugees

Jo Ann Barefoot, Founder and CEO of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, said: “The Ukrainian crisis reminds us that the work Zenoo is doing is part of a massive effort emerging around the world to work towards better forms of identity authentication. We’ve known for years that electronic verification can help with refugee situations, including those where there is great concern that refugee populations may include significant numbers of potential terrorists and criminals.”

Ian Bearder, a software developer and co-founder of Ukraine Shelter, a website helping Ukrainians displaced by the invasion, said: “We launched Ukraine Shelter in the early days of the war to help friends and family find shelter in Western Ukraine and Europe.

“We were overwhelmed by the response and support we received, but as we grew, we quickly realized the need to verify hosts and provide additional safety and security measures. Freedom ID integrates seamlessly with our registration process, so we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel and our hosts are able to verify their ID and address details quickly and painlessly.”