Identity verification is the process of confirming that someone is who they say they are. This is typically achieved by requiring an individual to submit a valid form of identification (e.g., driver’s license, passport or other government-issued document) or biometric information like fingerprints or facial recognition.

The most accurate way to verify someone’s identity is to request and validate more than one form of identification, one with a photo. Examples include a driver’s license, a Social Security card, a valid passport, or military ID. Some organizations may accept a university ID or other non-government ID for one of them.

Identify proofing is the process organizations use to collect, validate and verify information about someone. There are two goals — to confirm that the identity is real (i.e., it’s not a synthetic identity) and to confirm that the person presenting the identity is its true owner.

Identity verification validates that the individual does indeed exist. However, there remains the question, is that person really who they say they are? This question requires private information, which only that person should know. This process of analyzing confidential information for identity proofing is known as identity authentication.