Students expect tougher digital identity protection
As students head back to university and college and engage with more digital platforms than ever, new research shows today’s tech-savvy demographic is sounding the alarm on digital identity protection as AI-generated scams surge.
The 2025 Online Identity Study from Jumio shows students globally are both early adopters of generative AI, with 70 percent using AI to create or modify images, but also the group most exposed to its risks.
The study of over 8,000 adult consumers evenly distributed across the US, the UK, Singapore, and Mexico, carried out by Censuswide, finds that currently, 62 percent of students are confident in their ability to spot a deepfake, with 70 percent revealing that they've seen one in the last six months. Students bring a unique awareness to the threats AI fraud presents, compared to respondents reporting a different occupational status. They’re also more likely to have second-hand experience with fraud, with 41 percent of students saying they know someone who has been a victim of online fraud.
There’s more awareness when it comes to keeping themselves safe too, 38 percent of students feel safer using biometric verification instead of passwords for online accounts -- more than any other occupational demographic.
"Students understand both the power and the risks of AI, which makes them far more open to new safeguards like biometric verification,” says Bala Kumar, chief product and technology officer at Jumio. “For colleges and universities, this is a rare chance to lead with privacy-first identity intelligence, not only protecting against AI-driven fraud, but also meeting the expectations of a generation ready to embrace stronger protections."
Obviously there’s a message for businesses here, 42 percent of students say they would trust their bank more if it used biometric identity verification instead of passwords. 40 percent of students believe the responsibility for stopping AI-powered fraud lies with government agencies, more so than big tech (38 percent) or individual platforms. While 24 percent cite organizations’ misuse or sale of identity data as their biggest concern around online identity verification.
"As digital identity verification becomes more sophisticated, so must our commitment to privacy,” says Joe Kaufmann, global head of privacy at Jumio. “Enterprises that want to earn and keep the trust of students must adopt technologies that prioritize data protection by design and ensure ethical use of AI from the start."
The full report is available from the Jumio site.
Image credit: SergeyNivens/depositphotos.com