Biometrics enabling explosive identity verification growth

Biometric identity verification is increasing in frequency, becoming a regular part of life in more countries and industries, as seen in the most-read articles of the week on Biometric Update. Smile ID has reached a milestone in ID verifications, Ingenico is putting palm biometrics in a Paris Carrefour, and the UK is preparing to take its next steps in digital ID. Public awareness of identity verification and its challenges is growing, the FIDO Alliance shows, and an iiDENTIFii executive says the digital identities that enable IDV can further financial inclusion.

Top biometrics news of the week

Public awareness of deepfakes and bias challenges with remote identity enrollment and verification is growing, FIDO Alliance research shows. Just over half of consumers are worried about deepfakes in ID verification, and a quarter say they experience bias in face biometrics, but nearly half want to use biometrics for sensitive use cases. Fraud prevention professionals have similar concerns about the impact of generative AI, according to a GBG survey.

The introduction of the UK’s Digital Information and Smart Data Bill last week remained a hot topic due to its outsized potential influence on the nation’s digital ID ecosystem. The Bill would stand up “Digital Verification Services” under the DIATF, update data sharing rules and increase the ICO’s remit.

An open letter to the government from OIX argues that the UK must accelerate the rollout of digital ID and build on the DIATF with a digital wallet strategy, guidance on how the public and private sectors work together in the digital identity ecosystem, and cross-border interoperability. Yoti likewise addressed an open letter to Secretary of State Peter Kyle urging the codification of digital verification services and support for the adoption of age estimation.

Smile ID, which has headquarters in Nigeria, is reporting accelerating uptake of its selfie biometrics, reaching 150 million identity verifications in total with roughly 10 million a month so far this year. The company says it is up to 2,000 customers in fintech, telecommunications and government, and that it will soon launch new face biometrics software.

A point-of-sale terminal from Ingenico with palm vein biometrics is being deployed to a Carrefour Marke in Paris, ahead of the Summer Olympics. The terminal performs both biometric enrollment and authentication, in the latest instance of a growing trend of palm biometrics in retail.

Preregistration is now open as Sri Lanka prepares to start issuing biometric passports in January. That will be a year since the country tendered a contract for 5 million of the chip-embedded ID documents, and SITA says the country will have returned to pre-pandemic air travel volumes by then.

Many of the people who have some form of legal ID do not have an official identity for online transactions, iiDENTIFii Co-founder Lance Fanaroff writes in a Biometric Update guest post. Acuity Market Intelligence Founding Principal Maxine Most observes that mobile devices are the vehicle through which digital IDs can be delivered, and Fanaroff argues that is how financial services can be made accessible and inclusive to all.

A Request for Expression of Interest has been issued by Indonesia to find qualified vendors as it seeks a consultant on biometrics, KYC and digital ID. The country plans to issue a four-year contract to address five components of its national ID program, after receiving a World Bank loan to increase digital identity and civil registration.

The Philippines is approaching 80 percent of its population registered for its national ID, which President Marcos says is key to its digital transformation, and has launched a plan to encourage the registration of children between 1 and 4 years old. The PSA’s authentication service is being more widely used for delivering a range of services like social welfare.

The American Privacy Rights Act has been reintroduced in the House, but without the section on civil rights and algorithms. It is currently stalled due to disagreement at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and despite bipartisan and bicameral support, its chances of passing seem slim.

Rivka Gewirtz Little, chief of staff to the CEO of Socure, makes the case in a LinkedIn post that Pornhub has a better alternative to turning off its services in all states that pass age verification laws. She shares the company’s accuracy rates for age verification both based on ID document capture or passive data elements.

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Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  identity verification  |  week in review