# What is Identity Proofing?

> Identity proofing verifies that a person claiming an identity really is that person — by checking evidence such as documents, biometrics, or records before a credential is issued.

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## Content

Proofing happens at enrollment: validating government documents, comparing a live capture to a photo, checking authoritative records, or verifying organization membership. Standards like NIST SP 800-63A define assurance levels for how strong that evidence must be; higher-stakes access requires stronger proofing.

### Key points

- **Risk-proportionate proofing:** Administrative, financial, or regulated access needs stronger evidence than a community forum; over-proofing adds cost and exclusion without benefit.
- **One-time trust anchor:** Everything issued afterward inherits its strength — weak proofing cannot be repaired by strong authentication later.
- **Important limitation:** Proofing establishes identity at enrollment, not intent afterward. A correctly proofed account can still be sold, shared, coerced, or later compromised through recovery or session weaknesses.

### Related terms

[Authentication](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/authentication/>) · [Identity and access management (IAM)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/identity-and-access-management/>) · [Account recovery](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/account-recovery/>) · [Customer identity and access management (CIAM)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/customer-identity-and-access-management/>) · [Identity-based attack](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/identity-based-attack/>)

### Sources

[NIST SP 800-63A-4, Digital Identity Guidelines: Enrollment and Identity Proofing](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/63/a/4/final) · [NIST SP 800-63-4, Digital Identity Guidelines](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/63/4/final)

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