A Bad Day at the Phone Shop – Identity News Digest

Welcome to FindBiometrics’ digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:

Portuguese Airports Begin Facial Recognition Pilot

Aeroportos de Portugal, the operator of 10 airports in the country, has deployed a facial recognition system for passengers at the Lisbon and Porto airports. The “Biometric Experience by VINCI Airports” program is now piloting a system in which TAP Air Portugal passengers can register their biometrics in advance of a flight through a mobile app, or at the airport, and then enjoy a streamlined boarding process that does not require them to present their boarding pass. Aeroportos de Portugal says that this program will be extended to airports in Faro, Madeira, and Ponta Delgada in the second half of 2024, with further airlines and destinations beyond the European Union’s Schengen area to be added later.

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Extends Deadline for Comment on Biometrics Guidance

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has extended the deadline for comment on its draft biometrics guidance to February 16, 2024. The guidance takes the form of two documents—one that updates the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and another that relates to the Privacy Act, which pertains to federal institutions. The OPC had first invited comment in October, and originally set the deadline for January 12, 2024.

Met Police to Deploy Facial Recognition at War Protests

The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police agency has announced that facial recognition technology will be deployed at planned protests related to the Gaza conflict. A march led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign will take place on Saturday, while a stationary protest in support of Israel is also planned. Police will be on the lookout for violent behavior as well as “offensive placards and banners,” the Met said in a statement, adding that FRT will allow officers “to compare CCTV stills or images shared on social media against a database of images held on the police custody system, potentially speeding up the investigation.”

California Legislator Proposes Police Facial Recognition Guardrails

California Assembly member Phil Ting has proposed legislation that would prevent law enforcement agencies to make arrests or perform searches solely on the basis of a facial recognition search. A law previously introduced by Ting, bill AB 1215, temporarily banned the use of facial recognition technology for law enforcement investigations, but it expired in January of last year. “While facial recognition technology can be helpful in solving cases, one person arrested from an incorrect match is one too many,” Ting said. Hearings on the newly proposed bill AB 1814 are expected to begin this coming spring.

NECAM Gets TX-RAMP Level 2 Certification

NEC Corporation of America (NECAM) has obtained TX-RAMP Level 2 certification for multiple products. TX-RAMP—the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program—is a standard concerning the security of cloud computing services and products used by state agencies, with Level 2 reflecting its most stringent protocols. NECAM has obtained the certification for its ARS Law Enforcement Biometric Product Suite, which includes its NeoFace Reveal facial recognition system and its Integra-ID multimodal biometric search and storage system.

Abode Edge Camera Supports On-Device AI Processing

A new home security camera from Abode features AI and edge processing capabilities supporting object detection and facial recognition. As TechHive explains, the Abode Edge Camera is designed to transmit video over Wi-Fi HaLow (802.11ah), a Wi-Fi spin-off that uses wireless spectrum below 1GHz. This entails longer radio waves that can travel across far distance—in this case across a 1.5-mile range. This is all meant to help the camera operate without a WiFi or expensive LTE connection, further aided by its support for on-device image processing.

iDenfy Provides Onboarding Tech for Belgian Soccer Team

Lithuania-based iDenfy has partnered with Standard de Liège, a Belgian League soccer team, offering the football club a selfie-based remote onboarding system for fans signing up to become members. iDenfy’s solution uses facial recognition to match end users to their physical identity documents, and is supported by liveness detection technology to detect deepfakes and spoofing attempts. “With the growing sales of online tickets and the dedicated fanbase of Standard de Liège, we are honored to provide our identity verification services and enhance the level of security in the sports and entertainment environment,” said iDenfy CEO Domantas Ciulde.

Credit Reporting Platform Integrates Digital ID Connect

CreditLadder, a UK-based rent reporting platform, is now supporting Digital ID Connect, a digital identity app network comprising solutions from Yoti, the UK Post Office, and Lloyds Bank. CreditLadder lets users report rent payments to credit agencies, helping to affirm their credit ratings. Supporting digital ID makes that easier, allowing British renters to set up profiles on CreditLadder through platforms like Yoti’s, which revolves primarily around matching selfie photos to images of physical identity documents.

Pakistani Authorities Raid Phone Shops Over Alleged SIM Fraud

Pakistani authorities have raided two mobile phone franchises in the country’s ongoing efforts to prevent the fraudulent registration of SIMs, an activity that is often tied to crime and terrorism. MNOs in the country have been required to register customers’ biometrics for years, with a ‘Multi-Finger Biometric Verification System’ (MBVS) having been introduced near the end of 2022; but officials claim that in their recent raids they collected biometric verification devices that were used for the illegal activation of SIMs. One franchise owner and two other staffers have been arrested.

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January 12, 2024 – by Alex Perala