Face and fingerprint biometrics for retail payments advancing by inches

Biometric technologies for retail payments made up a pair of the most-read articles of the week on Biometric Update, in the form of market engagement steps for cards from G+D and STMicroelectronics and a deployment in the Middle East for PopID. Fingerprint Cards reviewed a challenging 2022 and reasons for optimism in the year ahead, and Jumio celebrated a major sales milestone for its selfie biometrics and identity verification technologies. U.S. regulation remains the elephant in the room.

Top biometrics news of the week

G+D’s biometric payment card portfolio, which already boasts involvement in one of the world’s most advanced deployments, has reached the stage of receiving a consumer brand name, Convego YOU, and a video advertisement. STMicroelectronics, meanwhile, says it is near a launch of cards it showed off in late-2022 at Trustech. Fingerprint Cards and Linxens supply tech for both cards, and NXP is also partnered with G+D.

Fingerprint Cards’ latest earnings report shows a significant pullback in 2022, attributed largely to disruptions in China. The company sees a rebound ahead, with Chinese smartphone sales expected to partially recover, and a growing market for the company’s PC biometrics. Elsewhere in biometrics stocks, Fobi has raised money in a private placement, and BIO-key has received a minimum price warning from Nasdaq.

Jumio has booked more than $200 million in sales, and claims to be the first provider of selfie biometrics and liveness for KYC checks to reach the milestone. The company says it is still trending up as well, with its largest deals coming in a strong close to 2022.

A retail payment service with face biometrics provided by partners PopID and Visa and trialed during the recent World Cup is being launched by a Qatari bank. Merchants are promoting sign-ups through QR codes, and the partners say onboarding takes a minute or two.

Google argues that a biometric data privacy lawsuit brought against it by Texas’ Attorney General is unfair, incoherent and based on “misplaced assumptions.” The tech giant is asking for its ‘Special Exceptions’ to be recognized, which would lead to a dismissal. Mississippi’s proposed law would allow that state’s AG to bring suits, as well as consumers.

As easily predicted, the use of facial recognition for axe-grinding by Madison Square Garden Entertainment has prompted an immediate review in many quarters of the avenues available to block it. Biometric data privacy attorney David J. Oberly provides in-depth analysis of the legal landscape and implications.

Do not be surprised if growth in the facial recognition market in the U.S. is significantly diminished by the fallout.

Swiss start-up Privately is applying its specialization in on-device computing to multi-modal biometrics and enabling compliance with age restrictions, CEO Deepak Tewari tells Biometric Update in an interview. The company is targeting in-browser authentication, vape pen unlocking and POS systems among potential application areas for its technology.

A report from the Oxford Refugee Studies Centre reviews the use of biometrics and other technologies at Europe’s borders, and finds duplication and overlap between the SIS, Eurodac and VIS systems, each of which collect biometrics. The report also notes that refugees are assessed with a language analysis system in Germany that the authors suggest may not be effective.

An analysis of contracts and budgets for securing the U.S.’ Southern border says contracts and overall spending by CBP and ICE reached record levels in 2022. The agencies have issued over 112,000 contracts since 2008, with Accenture and biometrics provider Leidos among major contractors.

A GBG survey suggests 8.6 million people in the UK have used an identity other than their own at some point, whether to access a service, obscure their identity on social media, or commit fraud. Conducted in the context of the Online Safety Bill, and the company argues that it shows a need for businesses to adopt identity verification technology.

The ID16.9 podcast kicks off 2023 coverage with a look at the challenges in receiving legal identification facing millions in Cameroon. The regularity of unexplained delays in ID card delivery has attracted government attention, but remains unresolved with the next election looming.

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Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  week in review