Biometrics in retail: Yoti, PayByFace, and Heslo close new partnerships

A number of companies have unveiled updates to their biometric and digital identity authentication platforms for ecommerce applications.

Eftpos announced it will expand a trial of its connectID digital identity solution for age checks on online alcohol sales in Australia, and PayByFace partnered with GoCab to enable facial recognition authentication as a payment method in the ride-hailing app in Bucharest.

Also, Heslo Pay has deployed its biometric online payment platform on several sites, and France has called for stronger customer authentication for online shopping.

Eftpos renews digital ID efforts in Australia

After an initial age verification trial with Retail Drinks Australia, which also saw the participation of Yoti and Beer Cartel, eftpos will now partner with additional online liquor merchants and identity service providers.

Australia Post, one of the two identity service providers accredited under the federal government’s trusted digital identity framework (TDIF), has been confirmed as participating in the upcoming eftpos trials.

Yoti says its biometric age estimation technology enables people to verify they meet the age threshold with a selfie, with accuracy within 1.5 years on average for people between the ages of 13 and 24. The company has performed more than 450 million age checks around the world.

Melbourne-based MyIntegrator worked with Yoti and connectID to integrate the biometric technology into the live demo site.

“Yoti is delighted to be working closely with the connectID identity exchange to drive awareness of the everyday benefits that reusable digital identities will bring to Australians,” said Yoti’s Australian Regional Director Darren Pollard. “We are excited to collectively devise a turnkey solution for secure age verification for online alcohol purchases with our partners connectID and the RDA. It works at both the online point of sale and at delivery to provide shoppers a secure, safe and quick experience and online retailers a secure, compliant solution.”

The news comes amidst preparations to meet the incoming rules introduced by the New South Wales Government, which from June 2022 will require providers to perform mandatory online age verification for first-time purchases using a TDIF-accredited identity service provider.

eftpos applied to become the first non-government accredited operator of a digital identity exchange in Australia under the TDIF last March.

PayByFace enters collaboration with GoCab in Bucharest

PayByFace has closed a new partnership with GoCab to integrate its biometric payment systems within selected GoCab taxis across Bucharest.

The PayByFace tablets will be installed facing the backseat passenger to allow for payment using face recognition, with 10 GoCab taxis initially part of the program, and approximately 300 planned to be added in the future.

The tables will also broadcast a series of 15-second advertising videos and banners, and a scannable QR code to track conversion, together with a feature allowing passengers to buy products if they have an active PayByFace account.

As part of the new collaboration, half of the advertising revenue generated will be shared with GoCab and their drivers.

Heslo partners with Shopify, Ecwid, and BigCommerce

Heslo Pay’s biometric authentication will be deployed to replace traditional checkout pages on the Shopify, Ecwid, and BigCommerce websites, the company announced.

As part of the new collaboration, Heslo users will be able to register their fingerprint and face biometric data using a smartphone and the Heslo Pay app, then use their digital identity to confirm payments online.

The Heslo Login is reportedly FIDO-certified and is also available to other institutions looking for a biometric, passwordless user authentication solution.

“Through proof of concept, dedication to innovation, and unwavering commitment to cultivating lasting change for both consumers and e-commerce companies; Heslo’s purpose-driven vision has come to fruition,” the firm said, commenting on the news.

France calls for stronger online customer authentication

The French Banking Federation (FBF) recently released a statement calling for stronger customer authentication for online shopping, The Connexion reports.

The move was prompted by the upcoming EU’s PSD2 payment services directive, which requires banks, payment operators, and online merchants to deploy a ‘strong customer authentication’ system for electronic payments or sensitive banking transactions.

From a technical perspective, to satisfy the definition, an authentication method needs to satisfy at least two out of three security measures illustrated in the directive.

The multi-factor authentication (MFA) login can be executed by pairing a security code with a form of biometric authentication via smartphone, including fingerprint, facial, or iris recognition.

FBF also clarified that for customers who do not have a smartphone, banks will offer alternative solutions such as the use of a one-time SMS paired with a password known by the customer, or a dedicated physical security device.

These new, and stronger authentication methods were already in place for payments over €100 (US$122) in France, but will now be extended to all purchases over €30 ($37), the Federation confirmed.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  ecommerce  |  online authentication  |  PayByFace  |  retail biometrics  |  secure transactions  |  Yoti