Identity Credentials & Proofs¶

Polyguard distinguishes between identity credentials and identity proofs:

Identity credentials are the documents you use to verify who you are — such as a passport or driver's license. You scan these once during initial setup.
Identity proofs are the specific pieces of verified information that Polyguard generates from your credentials and shares between meeting participants. Proofs are redacted — they confirm facts about your identity without exposing the underlying documents or personal data.

This page explains the credentials Polyguard accepts, the proofs it generates, and how your data is stored.

Identity Credentials¶

Passport (Recommended)¶

A passport is the strongest identity credential Polyguard supports. The verification process reads the NFC chip embedded in your passport, providing cryptographic proof of authenticity.

How it works: You hold your passport against the back of your phone. The Polyguard Mobile app reads the digital information stored on the passport's embedded chip, including your photo and personal details. The entire process is performed offline using Polyguard software on your phone — no data leaves your device during scanning.
Why it's strongest: Passport NFC chips are cryptographically signed by the issuing government and are extremely difficult to forge. This provides the highest level of identity assurance available.
Availability: iPhone and Android.

Driver's License or National ID Card¶

If you don't have a passport, you can verify your identity using a driver's license, national ID card, or other government-issued photo ID.

How it works: Using the Polyguard Mobile app, you follow on-screen instructions to capture photos of your ID with your phone's camera. Polyguard software verifies that the document is authentic, not expired, and matches your identity. The entire process is guided by Polyguard — you won't interact with any third-party service.
What's accepted: Driver's license, national ID card, or other government-issued photo ID.
Availability: iPhone and Android.

Facial biometric is always included

Polyguard always performs real-time facial recognition alongside any document-based credential. When you scan your passport or ID, you will also complete a facial biometric check to confirm you are the same person shown on the document.

Identity Proofs¶

Identity proofs are the verified outputs that Polyguard shares with other meeting participants. When you create a meeting, you decide which proofs to require from participants.

Face Biometric¶

Real-time facial recognition confirms that you are the same person shown on your identity document.

How it works: Using the Polyguard Mobile app, you look at the camera and follow any prompts. The app performs real-time facial recognition, comparing your face to the photo on your identity credential. Polyguard uses 3D depth data from your phone's additional sensors (LiDAR or time-of-flight camera) or sophisticated stereographic block matching to verify liveness — preventing the use of photos, videos, or deepfakes.
When it's used: Always performed alongside any document-based credential. Also used for quick re-verification on subsequent meeting joins.

High Certainty¶

High Certainty is a hybrid proof that combines document verification and geographic location for the strongest possible assurance.

How it works: When a participant has verified their identity using a non-passport credential (such as a driver's license), Polyguard checks their true location using GPS and GNSS data. If the participant is currently outside the country where that ID document was issued, Polyguard rejects the document and requires passport-based verification instead. This is because residents of any country cannot typically leave that country without a passport.
Why it matters: This prevents fraud where someone uses a stolen or forged domestic ID while operating from another country.
When it's used: When you want the highest level of assurance about a participant's identity. If the participant has a passport, they will always pass. If they only have a domestic ID, they must be within the issuing country.

Phone Number¶

Your phone number is verified via an SMS code.

How it works: Polyguard sends a one-time verification code to your phone number via text message. You enter the code in the app to confirm that you control that phone number.
When it's used: Often used as an additional layer of verification alongside a document credential.

Employment Verification¶

Your employment is verified using a credential from your organization.

How it works: Your Polyguard administrator may link your corporate identity (such as your work email or corporate directory entry) to your Polyguard account. This confirms that you are a current employee of your organization.
When it's used: Typically used for internal employees rather than external candidates.

Geographic Location¶

Your geographic location is shared at the administrative region level during verifications.

How it works: The Polyguard Mobile app shares your location at the administrative region level only — this means your state and country. Polyguard does not share your city, precise region, latitude, longitude, or any other granular location data. You'll need to grant location permissions to the app.
Privacy: Only your state and country are ever shared with other participants. Internally, Polyguard uses GPS and GNSS data for the High Certainty proof, but this precise data is never exposed to other users.
When it's used: Added during initial identity verification setup. Required for Presence Check scans to verify that participants aren't concealing their true location using a VPN or remote desktop.

Which Proofs Should I Require?¶

When you create a Polyguard-protected meeting, you choose which proofs participants must complete before joining. You can adjust this on a per-meeting basis. Consider:

Standard interviews — Face Biometric and a document credential are usually sufficient.
High-security interviews — Require the High Certainty proof for strongest assurance.
Internal meetings — Employment Verification may be all you need for colleagues.

When participants click the secure meeting link, Polyguard will guide them through whichever proofs you've selected. They'll know exactly what's needed before the meeting starts.

Not sure what to require?

Start with Face Biometric — it's always included with any document credential. Add High Certainty if you're interviewing candidates in different countries or want the strongest assurance.

How Proofs Are Stored¶

Polyguard takes your privacy seriously. Here's how your data is handled:

All proof data stays on your device. Your identity proofs — including facial scan data, document information, and biometric data — are stored only on your smartphone. This data is never uploaded to Polyguard's cloud servers.
Proof data is encrypted. All identity proof data stored on your device is encrypted, meaning it cannot be read by other apps or accessed if your phone is lost.
Only redacted proofs are shared. When you join a meeting, Polyguard shares only the redacted proofs (not the underlying credentials or personal data) with other participants — never the raw biometric data or document images.
Credential images are not retained after verification is complete. They are used during the scanning process and then discarded.

You control your data

You can view your identity proofs on the main screen of the Polyguard Mobile app — all proofs are stored only on your phone, not on any server. If you uninstall the app, all locally stored proof and biometric data is permanently deleted.

Re-Verification¶

In some cases, you may need to re-verify your identity:

Expired proofs — Some proof types expire after a set period. You'll be prompted to re-verify when this happens.
New device — If you switch to a new phone, you'll need to verify again since proof data doesn't transfer between devices.
Failed verification — If a previous verification attempt was unsuccessful, you can try again at any time.

Re-verification follows the same process as your initial verification. Open the Polyguard Mobile app and follow the prompts.

Quick Reference¶

Credentials (scanned once)¶

Credential	What It Is	How	Availability
Passport (NFC)	Passport chip is cryptographically authentic	Contactless phone read	iPhone and Android
Driver's License / National ID	Government-issued photo ID	Capture photos with phone camera	iPhone and Android

Proofs (shared with participants)¶

Proof Type	What's Verified	How
Face Biometric	You match your credential photo	Real-time facial recognition with 3D liveness
High Certainty	Document + location cross-check	GPS/GNSS verifies you're in the issuing country
Phone Number	You control a phone number	SMS verification code
Employment Verification	You're a current employee	Corporate credential link
Geographic Location	Your state and country	Administrative region sharing

Return to the Getting Started Overview or look up key terms in the Glossary.