FaceTec free biometric IDV app launch for UR Codes kicks off adoption push

FaceTec has big plans for UR Codes, its digitally signed biometric barcodes, and has released the free Scan+Match apps to allow anyone to use the innovative identity verification protocol.

UR Codes, launched last year, biometrically bind a face to an account or document number, and are signed by an issuer for immutability, and FaceTec VP of Global Standards Andrew Hughes notes that the free app aligns with the motivation to utilize the QR barcode standard. Accessibility is the key. Everyone can use the technology through the standard camera on their mobile device, or at most with the Scan+Match app, or the pending browser version “so you don’t have to pre-install any software,” Hughes tells Biometric Update in an interview.

The app runs on standard smartphone hardware, and mainly utilizes the rear camera, rather than the front-facing “selfie” camera, because it is intended for use by an operator.

The decoder will also be provided via an SDK and a server-side app, depending on the deployment. “The QR code format allows anybody to scan it, get to a UR Code string decoder, and have the decoder extract the string, validate the digital signature that is embedded into it, and extract the the associated unique identifier, ID number or driver license number, and the first name, last name, whatever the issuer’s put in there,” Hughes explains. The face biometric match verifies the document bearer, using a 72-byte face template, and the app presents the face match confidence level to the operator.

The use of a biometric template, rather than a low-resolution image like a JPEG, is better for accuracy, and Hughes says “you get a higher false accept rate at a less-than one percent FRR (false reject rate).” The app is tuned to the appropriate level for its primary expected use case, according to Hughes, which is in-person ID document presentations.

The Scan+Match app is now available from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, free of charge. The app allows users to scan, validate and match a UR Code against its bearer, without biometric data or personally identifiable information leaving the user’s device.

“The Scan+Match App is very easy to use and provides free access to anyone who will use UR Codes to validate in-person identity, anywhere in the world, by biometrically and digitally linking the legitimate user to their identification documents, helping combat the growing threat of identity theft,” says Owen McShane, VP of Government Relations, in the announcement.

The app worked consistently and easily with a UR Code issued to me by FaceTec, returning a match with 99.999 percent confidence.

‘Transitional kind of technology’

FaceTec sees UR Codes as “a long-term transitional kind of technology,” Hughes says, as the world moves from paper-based ID documents to digital IDs.

It can be served from a digital wallet, but as they are not yet ubiquitous, it can also be printed onto a physical document, whether paper or plastic.

That gives it a potential place for in-person identity verifications in remote areas with no internet. Hughes notes that FaceTec is in early discussion with MOSIP about how UR Codes could fit within its open-source digital ID platform.

“If we can push towards a biometric match between the reference material, so in our case the face vector in the UR code, verses the tiny JPEG that they have been using, we can improve the reference data, which increases your confidence that the person you’re putting into the registry is actually the right person.,” Hughes says, describing an enrollment scenario.

Reverifications rely on the strength of that enrollment for confidence. Including a photo allows for human inspection, but the need for biometrics is in part a recognition that history shows even good quality photos don’t ensure effective matching by humans. Using a template means a particular matcher must be used, hence FaceTec’s approach to the Scan+Match app and related tools.

“When you make it a biometric vector, the encoding algorithms are tied to that vector and the corresponding decoding models need to be used,” Hughes explains. “We’re addressing that through the license to use our SDKs, making them broadly available with no-fee licensing options.”

Matching against an image meets the accessibility requirement of the use case, but Hughes argues it does not meet the performance requirement. “If you’re doing border crossing or enrollment into sensitive databases, you really want to get into biometric template matching,” he advises.

Offline scanning is also supported, though without the liveness checks that are often not necessary for in-person scenarios.

Another example of a potential use case for UR Codes and the Scan+Match app mentioned by Hughes is in person-to-person car sales, to prove rightful ownership of the seller.

Developers are imagining a wide range of other applications as well, Hughes says.

Big year planned

An issuer of UR Codes requires the encoding software, and the public keys used to decrypt them are registered in a database held by FaceTec, which is then included in the SDK so that the decoder can read any UR Code they encounter. This protects against fraud, Hughes explains, once fraudsters take the inevitable step of trying to spoof the protocol.

The encoding software is free for public sector and non-government organizations, and available to commercial enterprises for a fee. FaceTec is also working on a partner licensing scheme for UR Code service providers, and white labeling the Scan+Match app. FaceTec gets additional revenue from the liveness checks needed for remote verifications.

“Because we want UR Codes to be pervasive, and people to understand the value of proving they are biometrically bound to their legal identity, we are providing a free perpetual license for government entities issuing identity documents,” Hughes says. “And then on the commercial side, lots of commercial partners are seeing opportunities.”

The company is currently in talks with over a dozen state governments and law enforcement agencies, which are currently working out how to integrate UR Codes into their existing infrastructure.

“We’re the liveness and verification vendor for a bunch of the mDLs that are out there,” Hughes notes. “So this goes hand in hand. The device SDKs will have native UR code support in them, so if you already have our SDKs, you’ll also be able to scan and match to UR Codes.”

“It’s the right time and place for this tech,” Hughes says, and FaceTec expects UR Codes to have a growing impact on its business in 2025.

“Closed implementations, definitely first half of 2025,” Hughes predicts. “We’ve had interest from our customers and partners for our IDV software suite because they want the future native UR Code support – and they have seen the momentum building. Remember, UR Codes are free, and as ‘open source’ as we can make them – so we have a lot of interest in the protocol.”

FaceTec will be educating attendees about UR Codes as a prominent participant at Identity Week America and Europe.

“We’re very bullish on what UR Codes can do for the global digital identity space,” Hughes declares.

Article Topics

biometric binding  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  FaceTec  |  identity verification  |  QR code  |  Scan+Match app  |  UR Codes