Peru’s RENIEC chooses Tech5 for face biometrics platform

Peru is implementing digital ID but its national identification registry has had tumultuous times in the past year — so a new contract awarded could be the uplift it needs.

Peru has chosen Switzerland-based Tech5 for the public tender to be RENIEC’s (Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil) biometric technology provider.

Tech5 will provide the platform for face biometrics capture and verification during the digital identity validation process, which citizens undergo to access digital services provided by RENIEC and other entities. Businesses such as banks, fintech firms, insurance providers and healthcare organizations across Peru rely on RENIEC for citizen authentication before delivering services. Tech5’s platform includes a built-in quality check algorithm to ensure captured images comply with the biometric image quality standards from ISO and ICAO for accurate matching and liveness checks, the company says.

The three-year project will see Tech5 provide its T5-AirSnap Face technology for mobile capture and its T5-OmniMatch ABIS platform for facial verification. “RENIEC is one of the most advanced citizen identity services, and we are delighted to provide our technology to them and empower such a fundamental organization with Tech5’s platforms, which benefit the Peruvian citizens by securely accessing RENIEC’s applications anywhere in the world using their mobile device or web browser,” says Jeremy James, VP of Sales and Business Development for the CALA region at Tech5.

Tech5 is also involved with a MOSIP pilot in the South American country. The Modular Open Source Identity Platform signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Peru for a digital ID pilot in March last year. The agreement specified a pilot of between 500 to 1,000 ID registrations while examining the suitability of MOSIP technology for digital public infrastructure in Peru.

In May last year, RENIEC faced turmoil after its workers initiated a strike against the institution’s boss and its faulty technology. RENIEC came under attack for “constant failures” in providing biometric verification for companies. Striking employees demanded the government to not extend the employment of Carmen Milagros Velarde Koechlin, the institution’s head, for irregularities and labor violations under her leadership, a local outlet reported.

She remained in charge but Veldarde came under fire this month following irregularities in a petition calling for the revocation of the mayor of Marcona, a district located in the province of Nazca. The complaint alleged irregularities in the validity of signatures and thus RENIEC’s potential failure in signature verification processes. El Buho has more on the allegations (in Spanish).

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  government services  |  identity verification  |  Peru  |  RENIEC  |  TECH5