How Passing Verification Works

High-level steps

Passing verification must normally be completed within 30 days of the report being started. We may extend this where reasonably necessary (for example, where there are review, provider or technical delays). We will notify the reporting Delegate if we extend the verification window and will confirm the revised timescale where possible.

About verification checks

Who reviews and what we look for

Every release decision is reviewed by one of two named people: the founder of Y.O.D.O. or our engineering lead. The reviewer reads the evidence and records one of three outcomes: verify, reject, or escalate. If they escalate, the founder arbitrates. The reasoning behind every decision is recorded in the case file.

The reviewer is doing a documentary check. They are looking at whether the certificate is properly issued, whether the details match the Account Holder record, and whether anything looks off. They are not forensically authenticating the certificate. The person reporting the Passing is the one who warrants that what they have submitted is true.

If the Account Holder has set up a Solicitor/Notary Special Delegate verification carve-out, the reviewer is informed that the person reporting the Passing is a verified registered solicitor or notary whom the Account Holder expressly authorised during their lifetime. The reviewer gives that status appropriate weight when weighing the documentary check.

We retain the right to call for a second reviewer or to escalate to the founder for arbitration on any case where the first reviewer has any concern. Releasing messages cannot be undone, so the reviewer is empowered to slow the process down whenever the case warrants it.

We ask you to redact the cause-of-death section of any certificate before you send it. We do not need it to verify a death. If you cannot redact, we will do it for you on receipt.

The certificate file and the review log are held while the Account Holder's account is active. On account deletion the certificate file is removed from live storage (subject to the 365-day object-versioning window described above and in our Data Retention Policy), and the review log entry is soft-deleted: excluded from live queries but retained in encrypted form so we can answer a later dispute or regulator query about the release. We do not run a seven-year retention period on the certificate file itself.

If you have a question about a verification in progress or a verification we have already completed, email info@yodo.ltd. We will respond within five working days.

Use of AI in verification (EU AI Act)

Persona uses machine-learning systems to assess document authenticity, perform face-match comparison, and detect fraud signals. Under the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), AI systems used for biometric identification and verification of natural persons are high-risk under Annex III. A Persona outcome is never the sole basis for releasing messages or unlocking an account. A named human reviewer at Y.O.D.O. assesses the evidence and records the decision. You have the right to know that AI tools assisted the check, to ask for a human review, and to challenge the outcome by emailing info@yodo.ltd. We do not use AI for emotion recognition, social scoring, or any practice prohibited by Article 5 of the AI Act.

For Recipients

Once verification is complete, Recipients will receive a secure link to access their Message. Recipients will need to complete identity verification before accessing the content. Messages are available for 12 months from delivery. Extensions may be available on request within the original 12-month period. See our Terms for details.