How Sizzl balanced user safety and user experience with OneID®

By partnering with OneID® — the UK’s only bank-based identity and age verification service—Sizzl rolled out a frictionless and privacy-preserving service that verifies age and identity in seconds. 

The online dating industry in the UK has grown 5.4% and is expected to reach an annual revenue of £413.7 million by 2024. However, the industry’s growth has also stimulated romance scams and fraud.  

With the implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA), dating services must now comply with stringent identity and age assurance regulations. Sizzl, a dating platform prioritising safer experiences, has taken the view that it could turn this need for compliance into a competitive advantage.

The Challenge: Balancing Safety with Simplicity 

Online dating is an increasingly popular way for people to connect, but it also brings significant risks. Romance scams are on the rise, with a 22% increase in 2023 alone. Fraudsters take advantage of the anonymity the internet provides, making it difficult for users to verify who they’re interacting with. On average, romance scam victims lose nearly £7,000, and the effects are felt across all age groups. 

For Sizzl, safety is paramount, but they knew that too much friction during the onboarding process could deter potential users. The challenge lay in ensuring that users could quickly and easily verify their identity while creating a secure environment that complies with the OSA’s age assurance requirements.

Sizzl had four objectives:  

• Increase user safety: Combat fake profiles and prevent romance scams that use AI-generated images by letting in only live, verified, and safe individuals on the platforms.  

• Implement the Online Safety Act effectively: Prevent minors from accessing the platform and inappropriate content by implementing robust age verification measures.  

• Maintain a seamless user experience: Make signing up and signing in to the platform as seamless and effortless as possible to avoid drop-offs.  

• Preserve user privacy: Protect user privacy and build trust by collecting only the user data essential to verify them and nothing more than that.    
  
  

The Solution: Instant Age Verification with OneID® 

Sizzl turned to OneID®, the UK’s only bank-verified digital identity service. Unlike the verification measures used by other platforms that require users to upload a passport or driver’s license, which has sensitive information and involves a lengthy process, OneID® offers a fast, secure, and privacy-preserving way to verify a user. The solution uses bank-verified data to confirm age in real-time without requiring document uploads or selfies. 

For Sizzl, OneID® enabled it to verify if someone is over 18 instantly. Users can now prove their age and identity in seconds, giving them peace of mind that the people they connect with are genuine while preserving their privacy.  No data is stored or seen – just the answer verifying the age. 

Forward-thinking and safety-focussed 

The fact that the integration was planned and completed almost a year before the OSA came into effect gives a good gauge of Sizzl’s forward-thinking ability and focus on user safety. The Online Safety Act requires user-to-user services like dating platforms, where individuals can post content for other users to view and share, to implement highly effective age assurance measures to prevent children from accessing harmful content.   

Sizzl, aiming to be the world's safest and most secure dating app, has been keeping its users informed about the OneID® integration and how it works. This builds trust and reassures users that OneID®'s bank-verified digital identity offers a reliable and secure solution. Sizzl remains committed to enhancing the safety of its app by continuously adding new features. 

Keeping it real and verified – a trusted space by blocking bots and fraudsters 

For Sizzl, one thing was very clear – even if the meeting point they provide is virtual, the people meeting there are real, and they must be able to trust the space they are in. That’s why they decided to tackle romance scams and fake profiles head-on.  

Fraudsters can easily create fake accounts and trick users into sharing personal information or money. With the increased sophistication of AI-generated profiles, it’s becoming harder for users to distinguish between real and fake accounts. 

Using OneID®, Sizzl can verify that users are who they say they are before interacting on the platform. The bank-verified process ensures that only real people with verified identities can join the platform. This drastically reduces the risk of fake profiles and romance scams, creating a safer environment for genuine users.  

Result: How Well Did OneID® Deliver on the Objectives  

• Providing a seamless user experience: With OneID®, users could verify their age in seconds without intrusive document uploads. This also ensured that Sizzl was compliant with the OSA at a time when its competitors were only figuring out what needed to be done.  

• Enhancing user safety: By using bank-verified data, Sizzl can now confirm that users are who they say they are, reducing the risk of romance scams and fake profiles on the platform. 

• Prioritising privacy: OneID®’s privacy-first approach meant that users shared minimal personal data, addressing the stigma that still exists around online dating. This helped build trust and increased user confidence in the platform.  

Conclusion: Everything about Sizzl is Simple, including the Safety – thanks to OneID®.  

As Sizzl stays ahead providing novel online dating experiences, OneID® enables it to comply with regulations like the Online Safety Act, offering an effective solution. Together, Sizzl and OneID® are setting a new standard for safety and simplicity in online dating.

Get in-depth insights in our webinar

Hear first-hand the perspectives of Ofcom, Sizzl and OneID® on implementing the Online Safety Act in our webinar – ‘The Online Safety Act – A Dating Sector Case Study on Reducing Onboarding Friction and Meeting Compliance Deadlines’.