Verifying your identity
Last Updated: 27 May, 2022
At HopLocal, we’re always working on making our community as secure as possible for everyone. By providing your identification info, you help build trust in the community. That’s why, before booking an experience, or becoming a Host, we may ask for a government ID or have you confirm your legal name and add your address.
For more info, check out our Privacy Policy.
How it works
Hosts may ask their guests to provide a government ID in order to book their place or experience. And sometimes we’ll ask for an ID to help us check that someone is who they say they are. Whatever the reason, your ID will never be shared with anyone else who uses HopLocal.
Confirm your identity
When you’re asked to confirm your identity, you’ll need to submit a photo of your government ID. This could be a driver’s license, passport, or national identity card. Also, you would need to provide your residential/business address (apartment-house number, city name, pin code).
Sometimes, we’ll ask you to take a new photo of yourself. This is different from your profile photo, which you may also be asked to provide.
Please be aware that completing this process isn’t an endorsement of any Host or guest, a guarantee of someone’s identity, or an assurance that interacting with them will be safe. Always use your own best judgment, and follow our safety tips for guests and hosts.
Other ways we verify your identity
In some cases, you may not need to add a government ID. We’ll confirm you’re really you when you add your legal name and address (this should match where you get banking documents or utility bills). We’ll match this information with secure third-party databases.
What gets shared with your Host
We never share your ID with anyone else who uses HopLocal. We do not provide Hosts with the photo of your ID, the photo you take of yourself as part of ID verification, or your address.
However, we do share:
- The display name on the profile
- Whether your profile is verified or not
- Your profile photo
Storing and removing the photo of your ID
The storage of your government ID photo is governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes our efforts to protect your information.
One last thing, sometimes, we may use ID info to run background checks.