Biometrics, fraud ecosystems race to new level of sophistication, dialogue less so

Biometrics testing, fraud protections, international markets and maybe even debates are getting more complex to handle increasing demands and use, as seen in the top stories on Biometric Update this week.

The growing sophistication of fraud attacks has led testing labs to raise the level of biometric presentation attack detection evaluations they conduct. BioID has completed a pioneering evaluation by TÜVIT to protect its customers in a threat landscape of sophisticated fraud, face morphs and deepfakes.

Similarly, nuance and fine details are creeping into the global debate around age verification and assurance, from Google’s method and policy in age-gating its flagship service to global trade negotiations potentially affecting regional digital regulations.

Global fragmentation may be on anyway, as the U.S. government is also navigating how to foster more crypto innovation than the rest of the world without welcoming money-laundering and terrorism financing, which means adopting digital ID. Current shifts in how America manages biometric data also could affect international data sharing agreements.

Top biometrics news of the week

Google Search results are now age-restricted, with the tech giant deploying machine learning-based analysis of “a variety of signals” to perform age inference or estimation. The system prompts users to perform age verification if its estimate or confidence is below a certain threshold, just like on YouTube where it debuted.

A huge increase in the use of VPNs and tools like the new one from NextDNS for bypassing age checks is one of the consequences of the UK’s OSA. But it is not an unforeseen one, and as the AVPA points out, one which there are already standard industry techniques to address.

In India, a different approach may avoid some of the concerns common in other countries adopting age assurance, as discussed in a Biometric Update webinar this week. But an article this week in Tech Policy Press argues that the country’s unique and much-emulated digital ID system enables a version of surveillance capitalism, highlighting HyperVerge’s biometric data handling practices.

The U.S. government is making concessions to American big tech companies in the Digital Services Act a condition of any trade deal with the EU. The attempted export of values, tasked to American ambassadors in Europe, potentially threatens the continental age assurance market.

The Treasury Department, meanwhile, is seeking comment on four pillars of preventing illicit finance in crypto, one of which is digital identity.

The U.S. Office of Biometric Information Management has been moved under the purview of DHS’ CIO, amid rumors it is ultimately bound for placement under CBP and the ongoing HART saga. The Homeland Security Council pushed for the change to align OBIM with the President’s goals for DHS, according to a spokesperson.

The latest major acquisition in the digital identity space unites Incode with AuthenticID to combine their capabilities for defending enterprises against AI fraud, including deepfakes. Incode Founder and CEO Ricardo Ampere explains why the old identity fraud protection playbook no longer applies and why the combination of his company with AuthenticID provides the mix necessary to meet the moment in a Biometric Update guest post.

A new immigration and registration services center in Singapore combines iris and face biometric technologies from Toppan Next, Paravision and Iris ID in self-service kiosks as part of an effort to streamline the customer experience.

TSA is introducing automated security gates with face biometrics through a PPP with Clear. Despite criticism of its biometric programs, TSA is racing ahead with plans to handle more travelers with less staff ahead of hosting the upcoming FIFA World Cup next year.

Real-time facial recognition continues to roll out in the UK, with a return to Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. But the needed social dialogue around the deployment continues is hampered by limited real-world data specific to the use case, and dubious attempts to extrapolate from other biometrics applications are prevalent.

New guidelines from NIST introduce face morphing biometric spoof attacks and the state of the art in technology to detect them. The FATE MORPH 4B guidelines provide advice on  configuring detection software and how to respond to flagged photos.

BioID is the first company with perfect score in a Level C PAD evaluation by TÜVIT, as biometric liveness providers and testing labs target sophisticated fraud attacks. The successful assessment follows one announced this week by Paravision, and along with iBeta’s recent announcement of a Level 3 test, marks the early stages of a likely trend in the biometric identity verification market.

Sri Lankan officials are considering whether the country should attempt to stand up a domestic industry for biometric hardware. Presidential Advisor Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya notes that neighboring nations have a biometric scanner in every corner store.

Please tell us if you spot any podcasts, panels or other content you think we should pass along to those in biometrics and the digital identity community, either in the comments below or through social media.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  week in review