Biometrics trends for 2023: multimodal and MFA to grow alongside privacy regulations

As we enter the last week of 2022, we look at some of the  biometrics and digital ID trends predicted by experts in the field.

This was the year the world mostly emerged from the effects of the Covid pandemic, and numerous companies moved forward in creating innovative technological solutions. The trends and forecasts emailed to Biometric Update mostly reflect ongoing developments, but also suggest significant changes for how digital trust works in the near future.

Post-quantum cryptography

The first of the trends to watch, identified by Regula and others, is post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

This will bring about a significant increase in computational complexity, and the size of data will have to be compensated by new hardware and the optimization of software, according to an Idemia post.

Interoperability, blockchain, metaverse

Interoperable digital IDs based on decentralized and blockchain technologies are also expected to grow in mass adoption in 2023, in the wake of major steps taken in the past year.

“In 2022, Apple and Samsung, two giant tech providers added digital ID offerings to their digital wallet solutions,” writes Idemia.

“Another novelty is the aim to build an international solution that goes beyond a national system. Let us look at the EU digital wallet as a hot topic of 2022.”

Blockchain applications will also spur the adoption of new biometrics applications, according to Incode, also to protect individuals in the metaverse, says iProov.

Frictionless access

As the precision of biometric technologies increases, so do the applications that rely on them.

Alcatraz AI, Incode, Genetec, and the Security Industry Association (SIA) all predict that 2023 will see a substantial increase in access control technologies relying on biometrics.

“Biometrics for access control are at a pivotal moment, driven by the changing nature of work environments and employee habits post-Covid,” writes Alcatraz CEO Tina D’Agostin in the company’s latest trend report.

“Corporate security teams have been asked not just to provide security, but address a multitude of business drivers impacted in part by these trends.”

New privacy and regulatory laws

Several organizations predict an increase in regulatory efforts concerning biometric data collection, but also the regulation of digital IDs.

According to Alcatraz and SIA, privacy and legal aspects of biometrics are becoming more localized but more consistent. Regula says regulators will likely continue to tighten identity verification rules.

“Global economic and political unrest in 2022 has raised questions about vulnerabilities in public infrastructure,” adds iProov’s year-end predictions.

“In 2023, public sector agencies at every level can expect to see greater regulation on how their systems are secured and protected against heavily resourced, highly sophisticated bad actors.”

Growth of multimodal biometrics and MFA

Multimodal biometric authentication will also continue to grow, according to Alcatraz, with changing work environments and companies implementing a “zero trust” strategy.

The uptake of two-factor and multi-factor authentication (MFA) will continue, says iProov, but will witness a shift from password-plus-device to device-plus-biometric as the preferred combination.

Increased cloud adoption: Alcatraz, Genetec

Cloud technologies relying on biometrics will also witness an uptick in adoption, say both Alcatraz and Genetec.

“As businesses rationalize costs, concerns, and approach to cloud migration, we can expect an increase in demand for ready-to-deploy hybrid-cloud appliances,” writes Genetec.

“This infrastructure will support edge-computing workloads and make existing devices cloud-compatible, and help centralize access to systems and data across many sites.”

Passwordless for critical accounts: Incode, Mitek

Perhaps not surprising, considering the aforementioned growth in MFA and multimodal biometrics, passwordless authentication is also set to grow in 2023, explains a Mitek report.

“More people will protect their critical accounts with methods other than logins and passwords,” adds Incode CEO Ricardo Amper.

“When authenticating access to these accounts, they will use biometrics, providing more security for their private data.”

Anti-spoofing and liveness checks increase

The last trend on this list regards the use of liveness checks technologies to tackle the rise of deepfakes, says Iproov.

“The flipside of democratization is more ways for bad actors to enhance their fraud attempts by enabling deepfakes, synthetic identities, and more,” adds a Regula report.

“Organizations will need to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) anti-fraud technology to counter new attack vectors and effectively fight fraud as hacker methods evolve,” says Incode’s Amper.

What other biometrics and digital ID trends do you expect to see in 2023? Let us know in the comments.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  cloud services  |  cryptography  |  digital identity  |  passwordless authentication