Former executive sues Idemia I&S, alleges improper biometric app development outsourcing

Former Idemia Identity and Security USA LLC executive and current CEO of the reborn Integrated Biometric Technology, Charles Carrol, is taking his old employer to court for wrongful dismissal, alleging the company began to question his ability to perform his duties shortly after Carrol disclosed a cancer diagnosis to CEO Ed Casey.

Further, Carrol alleges that the company’s insistence on sourcing the development of a Trusted Fan mobile app to Idemia’s Digital Labs division resulted in work being outsourced to Eastern Europe and South Asia in violation of the company’s responsibilities under CFIUS (rules set by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States).

The CFIUS Mitigation Agreement stipulates that software used to collect and process the personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. citizens not involve foreign development, according to the court filing.

Carrol claims that Idemia “raised no substantive concerns” about his performance or conduct prior to his dismissal.

Instead, he was shifted from a role as head of Enrollment Services to head of Citizen Services shortly after reporting his concern about the development of the digital identity application, according to the document. Carrol expected the development of the Trusted Fans app to remain domestic and separate from Idemia’s international operations because it relied on biometrics.

An Idemia spokesperson told Biometric Update in an emailed statement that: “The allegations that Idemia violated national security and other laws are completely unfounded. Given that it is Idemia’s policy not to provide specifics about pending litigation, we cannot provide any further comment at this time.”

IBT became part of Idemia following its acquisition by L-1 Identity Solutions in 2005, and Casey was appointed as CEO of Idemia Identity and Security North America in 2018.

Carrol spoke to Biometric Update about the relaunch of IBT and its ambitions to upgrade fan experiences with biometrics in August.

This post was updated at 7:19pm Eastern on November 16, 2021 to include Idemia’s statement.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  IDEMIA  |  Idemia Public Security  |  Integrated Biometric Technology  |  lawsuits  |  research and development