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AI agents usher in another emergent biometrics use case

AI agents usher in another emergent biometrics use case
 

Biometrics will be needed to backstop proof of humanity as AI agents join the online world, just as innovations in border control and payments turn familiar biometric systems to emerging applications, as seen in the top articles of the week on Biometric Update. OpenAI’s Operator AI agents will be among those people use World or Humanity Protocol to differentiate themselves from. Biometric checks at Europe’s borders will still involve technology from iProov and Inverid, but Eurostar is turning off its SmartCheck system as EES approaches a belated launch, and biometric payment card solutions, one from Idex and one from partners Infineon and Fingerprint Cards, take steps towards commercial rollouts.

Top biometrics news of the week

Eurostar is shutting down its SmartCheck biometric passenger processing system in the weeks ahead in anticipation of the launch of the EU’s EES. New electronic passport gates and extra booths are opening, and the biometric identity verification provided by iProov, Entrust and Inverid for SmartCheck will be replaced by Frontex’ pre-registration app, also featuring iProov face biometrics and Inverid document scanning.

OpenAI is joining the AI agent market with the launch of Operator, which it plans to integrate with ChatGPT in the future. Users could ask Operator to fill out forms on web pages or order their groceries, with relying parties using Sam Altman’s digital identity project, World, to differentiate bots from people with proof of personhood.

Not to be left behind as AI agents take off, Humanity Protocol has raised $20 million at a $1.1 billion valuation and also launched an incentive program for signups to its testnet with OKX Wallet. Humanity Protocol has also partnered with blockchain education network Open Campus to offer privacy-focused verifications through its verifiable credential framework.

Large language model (LLM) DeepSeek was built by a Chinese startup for a fraction of the cost and resources that American firms have poured into AI, through a combination of open-source code, vast quantities of data, innovation and possibly copyright infringement. The implications for data privacy and cybersecurity are subjects of speculation and concern.

Biometric software, tracking devices and big data analytics are among the technologies the U.S. federal government has already sunk $7.8 billion into for immigration control, before the current administration’s crackdown even gets underway. Rights advocacy groups warn that everyone’s civil liberties are eroded by the use of these technologies to identify a particular group, and comprehensive guidelines and essential policies and procedures to protect society are absent.

Malaysia will offer a super-app as the platform for its national digital identity ecosystem, with a proof of concept launching during the first quarter of this year. The MyDigital ID Superapp will run on blockchain and include a digital wallet, and will not store any personal data during transactions.

The relationship between the banking and payments ecosystem and digital ID continues to evolve, with the promise that each can make the other easier. ConnectID has reached a customer milestone and Visa pitches a “mutually reinforcing relationship” in a white paper. Digital financial services can hinge on access to digital ID or help with it, as an alternative to combinations like ID.me’s video chat identity proofing and reusable credentials.

Infineon has purchased a bulk order of sensors from Fingerprint Cards following the certification of their joint biometric payment card solution by Visa. Japan is the latest payment card market entered by Idex Biometrics, through a partnership with a qualified issuer of Visas and Mastercards. Zwipe is holding an emergency meeting after a ruling that it must pay Idex more cash than it has on hand.

Facial recognition is legally equivalent to an anonymous informant in most of the world, including Cleveland, Ohio. Police there used it to secure a warrant in a recent murder investigation anyway, and despite the match documentation from Clearview AI clearly stating its legal status, with the predictable result of dismissal for their court case against the suspect.

The UK’s plan for mDLs to be used for retail age assurance is being welcomed by a convenience store trade group, and a high-profile multiple murder case is serving as an example of why more age checks are needed. Yoti is early to the new use case, while UK-based ITL reports it made inroads to the North American market at NRF.

BixeLab has completed onboarding as the first laboratory accredited by MOSIP for biometric device testing for certification to the MACP. BixeLab helped MOSIP develop the program, and biometric devices from IriTech and Thales were certified in one of the latter stages of that process.

A legal change to make civil registration more accessible to millions of people in Cameroon is taking shape, with major legislation signed at the end of December. A woman struggling to access services, a senior lawmaker and an official with the National Civil Registration Office explain the situation and the dramatic improvement hoped for from the new law to Biometric Update.

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