Biometrics enrollment and Big Brother fears loom: is the post office the answer?

Biometrics hold stunning potential for establishing trust and enabling inclusion for people living outside of bureaucratic systems, but these goals can clash. A possible solution for national ID systems emerges from some of the week’s top articles on Biometric Update.

The role of the post office in an era of digital government may be delivering trust, in the form of biometric binding for digital credentials. Governments and online platforms around the world are running up huge trust deficits, but perhaps one of the more reliable public institutions, possibly rebranded as the “trust office,” can provide some of the basic assurances necessary.

Feedzai’s impressive funding round shows the confidence investors have in the latest fraud prevention technologies once people are interacting with digital financial services.

Public opinion divide

The UK government’s mandatory digital ID plan has left digital identity providers certified under the DIATF wondering if they have wasted effort and money only to be undercut. PM Kier Starmer’s proposal aligns with suggestions from former Labour PM Tony Blair’s eponymous institute, which counts an American Big Tech mogul among its major doners, and is facing immediate resistance in Ireland and Scotland. DSIT has promised a consultation, but offered little detail on the plan so far.

Switzerland is also divided over digital ID, with 50.4 percent approving a government plan in a national referendum. The narrow margin laid bare a lack of trust that the government will have to address as it rolls out the optional digital ID and Swiyu digital wallet. The result does represent 14 percent more support than the Swiss national digital ID had in 2021, though, providing some hope for its proponents.

People are right to be skeptical of digital IDs, says Andy Higgs of DINZ, but the group sees New Zealand as ready for decentralized identities in the form of mobile driver’s licenses, which could be launched by the end of 2025. Open standards for digital wallets, ZKPs and the Biometric Processing Privacy Code all contribute to that readiness.

Countries around the world are looking for a range of benefits from their digital ID, from the immigration reduction intentions of the UK to the economic boost Sri Lanka is hoping for by enabling its fintech sector. Most of these goals require a tricky combination of robust biometric enrollment and identity binding and inclusive availability. One institution that has long trafficked in trust and accessibility is the post office.

A new purpose for a venerable institution?

In the UK, the Post Office is already a digital ID provider, through a partnership with Yoti, but a new paper from the organization says it can do more. The paper says the removal of Biometric Residence Card collection and other services has hurt its bottom line, but it could be made sustainable again if designated the in-person contact point for the digital ID system for interactions like biometrics enrollment.

Poste Italiane is already Italy’s top provider of digital ID services, and it has provoked some criticism from the public with the announcement of plans to start charging fees for them. Competitors Aruba and InfoCert are already charging for SPID services though, and Post Italiane serves around half of the country’s digital ID users.

A new report from eu-LISA on digital travel identity management emphasizes the need for continuous research and investment in technology. The report delves into the potential of blockchain for people claiming asylum, and the challenge of remote biometrics enrollment.

America’s border biometrics

Bi2 has won a contract with ICE worth up to $4.6 million to supply iris biometrics for enforcement field operations. ICE will use the MORIS mobile front-end system and the IRIS back-end to match subjects against millions of arrest records.

The golden work visa scheme put in place by U.S. President Donald Trump could dramatically cut a source of funding to DHS for the biometric entry-exit system. But the collections have disappointed so far anyway, and funding specifically allocated to biometrics spiked with the allocation of $165 billion for the department earlier this year.

CBP’s biometric exit is continuing to evolve, quietly adding scans with mobile devices carried by federal officers to the cameras installed at boarding gates by airlines, following an extensive testing process. Little is known about the mobile devices used, however, fueling suspicions about government surveillance.

Startup and scale-up

Handwave CEO Janis Sturna discuss the potential of hashed palm biometrics for a range of applications including payments, loyalty programs and age assurance in the latest episode of the Biometric Update Podcast. He explains the combination of characteristics his company uses, and its U.S. expansion plans.

Feedzai has raised $75 million at a $2 billion valuation, and plans to scale its fraud protection business and developing technology for its comprehensive platform. The company also signed a potentially lucrative agreement with the ECB to support the digital euro.

Please let us know if you spot any webinars, reports or other content we should share with the people in biometrics and the digital identity community, either in the comments below or via social media.

Article Topics

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