A Big Acquisition, C-Suite Changes, and More Raids for Worldcoin – 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:

Amadeus to Buy Vision-Box

Amadeus has entered into an agreement to purchase Vision-Box in a deal valued at about €320 million. The latter is known for its biometric platform for airports, which revolves around the use of facial recognition to seamlessly identify passengers. Amadeus has biometric screening technology of its own, but tends to focus more on providing airports with automated bag drop and kiosk solutions. In announcing the deal, Amadeus called Vision-Box “a fast-growing business”, noting that its revenues for 2023 are expected to come in at €70 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of this year. Read our full story.

Worldcoin’s Hong Kong Offices Raided

Six offices used by Worldcoin in Hong Kong have been raided by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. The privacy watchdog is concerned about Worldcoin’s collection of iris biometrics when registering users for its blockchain-based digital ID platform. A senior officer with the watchdog said that while his office has “not received any complaints” about Worldcoin’s activities, the office decided to “proactively” launch an investigation over concerns that Worldcoin might be violating Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Worldcoin saw a similar raid of its Paris office last year.

Google Pushes Passkeys on Pixel

Google has made it easier for users of its Pixel smartphones to start using passkeys. Through a recent “Pixel Feature Drop”, the company added a feature to the Google Password Manager that lets users see which of their online accounts support passkey authentication, and allows them to activate it “with just a few taps,” according to a Google blog post. The company has also partnered with Adobe, Best Buy, DocuSign, eBay, Kayak, Money Forward, Nintendo, PayPal, Uber, and Yahoo! Japan to promote the feature, with TikTok coming onboard soon, as well.

New C-Suite Appointments at Anonybit, Veriff

Anonybit has named John Wilson as its Chief Revenue Officer. Wilson has held similar positions throughout his career in the tech world, including with BlackBerry, Secure Code Warrior, Contrast Security, and Lookout, among others. He’s also a US Army Ranger, Paratrooper, and combat veteran, having obtained his engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. In a statement acknowledging his new position, Wilson asserted that Anonybit, which has been recognized as a Luminary in FindBiometrics’ Prism report, has “cracked the code in terms of what is needed to address a full end to end biometric deployment.”

Veriff has named Hubert Behaghel as its Chief Technology Officer and Suvrat Joshi as its Chief Product Officer. Behaghel has already been working with the company for about a year, having come onboard as VP of Engineering last February; he’d previously held engineering and tech roles with Marks and Spencer and with Sky. Likewise, Joshi had joined Veriff in November of 2022 as its SVP of Product Management, having previously served as CPO for FarEye and in product roles for Dropbox and Facebook.

IDVerse Partners with GeoComply

IDVerse (formerly OCR Labs) has teamed up with GeoComply, a specialist in geolocation compliance technology. Their partnership is focused on online gaming, combining GeoComply’s “IDComply” onboarding service with IDVerse’s selfie-based identity verification platform. According to GeoComply VP of Identity Aaron Gould, the collaboration has already yielded results. “IDVerse’s technology has been a game changer for GeoComply in scaling our user onboarding process while significantly reducing the risk of onboarding fraudulent players,” he said.

Greek Soccer Fans Face Mobile ID Mandate

Greece is preparing to make the use of a mobile ID system mandatory for soccer fans who want to attend matches, as part of an effort to crack down on violence and hooliganism in stadiums. Speaking to a parliamentary committee this week, the country’s Sports Minister, Yiannis Vroutsis, explained that with mobile technology, “a person’s ID can be automatically cross-checked with a ticket,” adding, “From now on, when a supporter watches a soccer game, we will know his or her name, phone number, home address and assigned seat.”

Mobile ID Bill Makes Progress in New Jersey Senate

New Jersey’s Senate Transportation Committee has unanimously approved legislation that would require the Motor Vehicle Commission to develop and launch a digital driver’s license that can be stored on a resident’s smartphone. The proposed legislation would require the digital driver’s license to be designed such that users can selectively share information, adopting an approach that has already been championed by digital ID pioneers like Apple. Bill S1297, sponsored by Sen. Nellie Pou (D) and Sen. Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D), has now been referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

–

January 31, 2024 – by Alex Perala