Biometrics deployments and legal action set up more of each

Biometrics for airport use now and in the future made up two of the top stories on Biometric Update this week, with a Canadian first and the results of DHS’ 2022 Biometric Technology Rally announced. The Tony Blair Institute called for government action on digital identity, while South Africa advanced legislation to adapt its national ID system. IDloop has finished development on its 3D contactless fingerprint scanner, and is getting accelerator help to work towards a market launch.  Meanwhile, Shufti Pro and Onfido identify a couple of the reasons demand for selfie biometrics and KYC technology continues to grow.

Top biometrics news of the week

Most British people want children to be barred from online adult content with age verification, with little difference based on political allegiance, according to a new poll. Only 5 percent are against such checks, but the head of the AVPA warns parents not to expect any change before 2026, even assuming the Online Safety Bill is eventually passed.

France is following a token architecture it says provides double anonymity to keep people under 18 from viewing pornography, and those under 15 from social media. The government says the system will be in place this year, though the legislation has not yet become law. How age verification will be performed is still being worked out.

Another point of apparent bi-partisan agreement comes from the Tony Blair Institute, which is calling for the UK government to issue comprehensive, decentralized digital IDs to all for use across all sectors. Initial reactions show a mix of skepticism and confusion. Most of the recommendations are about government leadership on building national capacity in science and technology, and artificial intelligence in particular.

Air Canada is piloting an optional, device-based traveler ID with identity proofing via facial authentication at a pair of major Canadian airports for gate and lounge access. Along similar lines, CBP is opening its TVS face biometrics to airlines and cruise ships for voluntary testing.

Face biometric acquisition and matching systems tested during the DHS Biometric Rally were almost as accurate with groups of two and four as with individuals, suggesting that passengers could go through airport processes in groups, dramatically speeding up the traveler journey. The Rally results also show that what errors are made are mostly on the acquisition side.

Visitors to World Cup 2022 in Qatar used technology from SITA when getting pre-cleared before they arrived at the airport, while there, and when they used the Hayya Card for transport and venue access, according to a company blog post. The partnership with Hamad International Airport continues with work on digital twins and Smart Path biometrics.

Two years after being founded, IDloop has introduced its contactless 3D fingerprint scanner with micrometer resolution, based on the company’s structured light technology. The scanner avoids traditional drawbacks associated with contact and contactless fingerprint biometrics, IDloop says. The EC’s EIC Accelerator has committed over $10 million to help bring the scanner to market.

New selfie biometrics and KYC customer wins were announced by Facephi, CyberLink and Sumsub just as more signs of continued strength in the identity verification market were spotted. Biometric fraud increased by 12 percent in 2022, but ID document forgery grew at two-and-a-half times that rate, according to a new report from Shufti Pro. Onfido sees cryptocurrency in UK regulator’s crosshairs

South Africa’s draft legislation for unifying its three main identity databases in the biometric national identification system is opening to public comment before amendments and a return to parliament. The bill in its current form would also lower the age at which a national ID card is required from 16 to 10, and requires a death certificate before people are allowed to be buried.

UNICEF’s Bhaskar Mishra urged nations to digitalizing their government operations and service delivery to make sure their civil registration business processes are in order before proceeding in the latest ID4Africa Livecast’s second part. The AfDB shared data on the state of civil registration in Africa, and details on the  OpenCRVS hackathon at ID4Africa’s upcoming AGM were revealed.

Every time an employee scanned a fingerprint to clock into work and every scan to clock out all count as separate uses of biometrics under Illinois’ BIPA, the state Supreme Court has ruled. With the biometric privacy law’s scope expanding, businesses say the damages from claims accrual could destroyed them.

Biomechanics appear to show potential as a biometric for use in VR environments in a new study led by a researcher with Berkeley. A template built from five minutes of motion data can be used to identify a person with accuracy above 94 percent from just over a minute and a half of probe data.

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Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometric authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  CRVS  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  week in review