Biometrics for access control, fingerprint technology, payments and facial recognition trending this week

Here is a recap of the most popular biometrics industry news that appeared on BiometricUpdate.com this past week.

Payments

Mastercard reports that Dutch participants of the first worldwide pilot by MasterCard and International Card Services (ICS) embraced the biometrics-based payment technology. 95 percent of the fingerprint users and 80 percent of the facial recognition users indicated that shopping became more convenient using biometric authentication. 75 percent of users were convinced that biometrics-based payments will decrease fraud.

Nymi collaborated with NXP Semiconductors at this past week’s RSA Conference to demo physical and logical access and touchless payment capabilities of the Nymi Band. NXP provided Nymi with the Nymi Band’s secure element and NFC components that enables physical and logical access and contactless payment functionality in a secure, single solution.

Canadian MasterCard holders will be able to pay for online purchases on their smartphones via a selfie or fingerprint rather than a PIN or a password. Following successful pilot programs in the U.S. and the Netherlands, MasterCard is bringing its biometric payment solution to Canada this summer.

Access control

RSA has added new identity assurance and identity governance capabilities, including EyeVerify’s Eyeprint ID, to the RSA Via identification and access management solution. RSA’s new authentication choices help choose the right level of assurance based on what the user is accessing and allows administrators to prescribe identity assurance requirements and flexible step-up authentication policies based on security requirements.

Microsoft representatives set up a temporary research station in Seattle last weekend to make 3D infrared scans of volunteers’ faces. The goal of the exercise was to help the company test new versions of Windows Hello, the biometric login system for Windows 10, by gathering a wide variety of real-world scans to improve the accuracy of the facial recognition technology.

Fingerprint technology

Greek federal police are using Crossmatch’s L Scan ten-print and palm print livescan solution at border crossings and migrant centers on the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Leros, Kos and Samos to enroll and ensure proper identification and registration of migrants in the EURODAC database. The European Commission, through the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), awarded Greece funds to purchase the devices.

Arizona’s Department of Public Safety is working with Fieldprint, Inc. to provide state residents with an electronic fingerprint application system. Fieldprint delivers electronic fingerprinting and identity management services to private companies; the general public, and; the federal, state, local and tribal government sectors.

Ten of BIO-key International‘s healthcare partners showcased the company’s solutions at the HIMSS 2016 event this past week in Las Vegas. BIO-key also introduced a new BIO-key branded, high-quality FIPS-compliant fingerprint reader for healthcare, at a breakthrough price for an electronic prescriptions for controlled substances compliant scanner.

CrucialTec has developed an optical computer mouse equipped with a fingerprint scanner called the Biometric TrackPad, or BTP Mouse. The BTP Mouse has a fingerprint scanner on its left button, which allows for quick and easy authentication using the index finger.

According to company chairman Genda Hu, FocalTech Systems is looking to post a double-digit revenue increase in 2016. The company expects to achieve a 20% gross margin in 2016 thanks to the increasing number of shipments of integrated driver controllers, fingerprint solutions and force touch solutions.

Online authentication

In an effort to increase academic integrity and detect and prevent loan fraud, Central Texas College is using biometric identification software BioSig-ID to authenticate students prior to them logging in to the school’s learning management system. The rollout to 50,000 students includes monitoring capability that gives CTC early warnings to potential fraud and dishonesty with real time event notifications and suspicious activity reports.

SecureIdentity, the digital identity service provided by Morpho (Safran), is now live in the UK. SecureIdentity is a secure and user friendly mobile application for UK citizens to authenticate and protect their identities online. Morpho says there will be neither central storage of information nor any disclosure of personal data without the explicit authorization of the user.

Facial recognition

Confirm released its ID verification SDK, enabling consumers to capture a more accurate image of a government issued ID from a mobile device for improved facial authentication capabilities. The SDK provides assisted image capture through a range of capabilities including edge detection, optimized lighting and different hints that adjust in real-time to a user’s movements.

In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, this year’s Tokyo Marathon saw law enforcement trying out security measures developed by the private sector including a facial recognition system to verify the identity of the 37,000 runners who were participating in the race.

Appointments

Zwipe has appointed Lisbeth Breum as chief financial officer. Ms. Breum has more than ten years of experience from structured finance and private equity. Since October 2015, Zwipe has hired 10 professionals within engineering, biometrics, manufacturing and intellectual property to support preparations for commercialization and growth.

Interview

BiometricUpdate.com recently had a chance to speak with Rob Mungovan, Aware’s director of sales and product development for nearly 20 years. He is one of a handful in the biometrics industry who remembers its earliest days, and has some interesting perspectives on how far the sector has come.

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Article Topics

access control  |  Aware  |  BIO-key  |  biometric payment system  |  Biometric Signature ID  |  biometrics  |  Confirm  |  Crossmatch  |  CrucialTec  |  eyeverify  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint technology  |  FocalTech Systems  |  Mastercard  |  Microsoft  |  morpho  |  Nymi  |  online authentication  |  Zwipe