Greenflag

According to research* by global online verification platform, Sumsub, 627 million people - with a spending power of $1.75 trillion dollars - around the world are unjustly exiled from digital services and often red-flagged due to bias stereotyping based for reasons such as issues with identification documents, lack of digital literacy, physical appearance changes and country of origin. This profiling can lead to exclusion from services that most people take for granted.

New AI-driven fraud threats are causing businesses to become increasingly risk-averse, leaving everyday necessities—such as financial services, education, healthcare, and employment platforms—out of reach. Once locked out, regaining access becomes nearly impossible without significant changes from businesses.

An accompanying whitepaper by Sumsub, in collaboration with The Catalyst Group, highlights that digital exclusion is not only a societal injustice but also a significant economic oversight, as the lack of accessibility restricts economic participation. To address this, Sumsub has launched ‘Greenflag’, a global awareness campaign to urge businesses to rethink their verification processes by adopting fairer, more inclusive solutions. Sumsub’s ‘Greenflag’ project aims to unveil the massive issue of digital exclusion—affecting over 627 million people—and attract businesses to help solve it. Sumsub’s people-centred and inclusive verification products or features can address some of the reasons why people are unfairly flagged. However, other causes of exclusion require more than just technology. Sumsub envisions a collaborative approach where businesses, governments, and verification providers recognize the scale of this issue and work together to develop comprehensive solutions, ensuring a fairer digital economy for all.

‘Greenflag’ represents a largely untapped market with a collective spending power of a staggering $1.75 trillion dollars. For businesses, embracing inclusivity through updated verification processes unlocks vast opportunities. Those ready to rethink exclusionary practices stand to benefit from engaging this economically powerful population.

Created by Sumsub and independent creative agency Cloudfactory, ‘Greenflag’ is a global campaign launching the first 'nation' for a people-friendly digital world, where unfairly red-flagged digital exiles can have their chance to rejoin the digital economy. It launches today in celebration of ‘World Inclusion Day’ with an online film running across digital channels directing businesses to the website https://greenflag.me and uses imagery depicting a floating server, seemingly lost at sea to powerfully illustrate the isolation and disconnect felt by the 627 million individuals excluded from essential digital services. It is also supported by influencer activity (see notes to editors for list of influencers and handles).

The website contains the aforementioned White Paper and information for businesses on how to be more inclusive in their verification processes and how Sumsub can help them unlock an unfairly exiled market, making digital services accessible to all.