Glossary¶
This page defines key terms used throughout the Polyguard documentation. Refer back here anytime you come across an unfamiliar term.
Biometric Verification : The process of confirming a person's identity using physical characteristics, such as a facial scan. In Polyguard, biometric verification uses real-time facial recognition to compare your face to the photo on your government-issued ID. All biometric data stays on your device and is never uploaded to Polyguard's servers. See Identity Credentials & Proofs for details.
Business User : A customer of the Platform Operator, who uses Trust Checks to secure their transactions with End Users. Business Users create and manage Trust Checks, directly or indirectly, via an integrated management experience.
Compliance Report : A downloadable PDF document generated after every Polyguard-protected meeting. The report contains a formal record of the meeting — including participant names, identity verification status, verification methods, and timestamps. Useful for auditing, regulatory requirements, and attaching to candidate records. See Review & Reports.
End User : An individual who uses a first- or third-party Polyguard mobile application to verify their identity while completing workflows within the Platform.
Event Log : A detailed record of actions taken during a trust check, available via the audit REST APIs. Event logs are available to all parties to each trust check for bilateral transparency.
Geographic Location Proof : An identity proof that shares your location at the administrative region level (state and country only). Polyguard does not share your city, precise coordinates, or any granular location data. This proof is added during initial setup and used during Presence Check scans. See Identity Credentials & Proofs.
Hardware Attestation : Device-level verification that confirms a mobile device is genuine and unmodified. Uses Apple AppAttest and DeviceCheck on iOS, and Google Play Integrity on Android.
High Certainty Proof : A hybrid proof that combines document verification and geographic location. If a participant verified with a non-passport ID but is currently outside the issuing country (measured via GPS/GNSS), Polyguard rejects the document and requires a passport instead. This provides the strongest identity assurance. See Identity Credentials & Proofs.
Identity Credential : A document used to verify your identity, such as a passport or driver's license. You scan your credential once during initial setup. Polyguard always performs real-time facial recognition alongside any document credential. See Identity Credentials & Proofs.
Identity Proof : A specific piece 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. When creating a meeting, you choose which proofs to require. See Identity Credentials & Proofs for the full list.
Identity Verification Partner : A third-party document verification service integrated with Polyguard for government ID processing. Current partners include Veriff, Persona, and Certn.
Invite Link : A unique URL shared by your Polyguard administrator that allows you to join your organization's Polyguard workspace. You cannot sign up for Polyguard without an invite link. Your admin may share it by email, text message, or on an internal website. See Accept Invite & Setup.
JWT Bundle : The signed payload posted by the mobile app at the completion of a trust check. Contains a set of JWTs, each signed by the relevant trust chain. The Issuer indicates the Poly User ID; the Audience contains the Polyguard System FQDN and App ID.
Link : A reusable trust check configuration that specifies a title, required proofs, and matching parameters. Each use of a Link produces separate event logs and transaction affidavits. Created via the REST API or management console.
Link Session : A single execution of a trust check against a Link. Includes the real-time websocket connection between mobile and web applications, score processing, and result delivery. Each Link Session produces its own event log and transaction affidavit.
Onboarding : The initial setup process when you first join Polyguard. For administrators, onboarding includes creating a trial account, inviting pilot users, installing integrations, and hosting a first secured meeting. For individual users, the key steps are downloading the Polyguard Mobile app, scanning the invite QR code, and verifying your identity.
PG Presence : Polyguard's proprietary optical distance-bounding verification. Uses a rapidly-changing QR code scanned over approximately 5 seconds to verify the user is physically present at their device (not connecting through a VPN or remote desktop). See also Presence Check.
Platform Operator : A customer of Polyguard Inc. who provides white-label or co-branded trust checks embedded in their own or their customer's business workflows. Platform Operators integrate via the Polyguard SDKs and APIs.
Polyguard Console : The web-based dashboard at console.polyguard.ai where you access meeting records, download compliance reports, and manage settings. You log in by scanning a QR code with the Polyguard Mobile app. See First Login.
Polyguard Mobile : The Polyguard mobile app for iPhone and Android. You use it to verify your identity (scanning your government ID and performing real-time facial recognition), accept invitations (by scanning a QR code), log in to the Polyguard Console, and manage your identity proofs. Download it from the App Store or Google Play Store. See Accept Invite & Setup.
PolyUser : The portable identity object representing a verified individual across all Polyguard applications. A PolyUser's identity is atomic and singular, regardless of which mobile application the mobile SDK is embedded within.
Presence Check : The Polyguard QR code scanning experience. Rather than scanning a single static QR code, you hold your camera steady for about 5 seconds while the QR code rapidly changes. This uses optical distance bounding to verify that you are physically present at your device and not connecting through a VPN or remote desktop.
Secure Meeting Link : A special meeting link generated by Polyguard that prompts participants to verify their identity before joining a video meeting. When someone clicks a secure meeting link, they're guided through the identity verification process and then directed to the Zoom or Teams meeting. Share these links with candidates via email, your ATS, or chat. See Share & Join.
Transaction Affidavit : A cryptographically-signed, non-repudiable formal record of a completed trust check. Includes participant identities, verification methods, timestamps, and proof results. Available via the audit REST APIs.
Trust Check : An evaluation performed by Polyguard during a meeting to assess the trustworthiness of each participant based on their completed identity proofs. Trust checks happen automatically and feed into the verification badges that appear in the Polyguard sidebar.
Verification Badge : A colored indicator displayed next to each participant's name in the Polyguard sidebar during a meeting. A green badge means the participant's identity has been verified. A yellow badge means verification is in progress. A red badge means the participant has not completed verification — end the meeting immediately if you see a red badge. See During the Meeting.
Learn more about how Polyguard works in each use case: