Welcome to FindBiometrics’ digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:
Proposed Legislation Would Mandate AI Impact Assessments
A proposed bill from Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Representative Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y. would require companies to conduct impact assessments for considerations like effectiveness and bias when using AI to make “critical decisions.” The Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023 would task the Federal Trade Commission with establishing guidelines for such assessments, and mandate it to publish an “annual anonymized aggregate report” on related trends. In a statement, Senator Booker offered a few examples of flawed or biased AI systems, including “facial recognition systems with higher error rates among people with darker skin”.
Illinois Supreme Court Mulls Healthcare BIPA Carveout Arguments
The Illinois Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a significant lawsuit filed under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that may exempt much of the healthcare sector from BIPA’s provisions. The lawsuit alleges that the Ingalls Memorial Hospital violated the privacy law by failing to get patients’ consent for the use of fingerprint recognition in automated medication dispensing cabinets. A defense attorney argued that such use of biometrics in patient care has been authorized through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a BIPA carveout. An attorney representing the plaintiffs said that such an argument would mean that a large segment of the state’s healthcare workers have no BIPA rights.
CLEAR Comes to Buffalo
CLEAR has brought its expedited biometric traveler screening system to Buffalo Niagara International Airport’s (BUF) Main Terminal, expanding its network of airport deployments to 54 across the country. There are now 17 million CLEAR members, who have the option of using the company’s screening lanes to quickly confirm their identity at the airport with an eye or fingerprint scan before moving on to TSA security. “CLEAR will not only bring jobs and investment to our region, but is an important amenity for travelers from near and far who frequent our airport,” said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
ROC.ai Co-Founder Receives MSU Alumnus Honor
ROC.ai co-founder and Chief Scientist Brendan Klare has received the 2023 Computer Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University. Klare went to MSU after serving as an airborne infantryman in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army, from 2001 to 2005, and completed his PhD in 2012 before helping to found ROC.ai in 2015. Acknowledging the award in a statement, Klare noted that his company has eight MSU graduates working at the company, and said that as a PhD student he had been advised by renowned researchers Anil Jain, Arun Ross, and Xiaoming Liu. A team of MSU engineers was awarded a $12 million IARPA grant earlier this month to continue its work on long-range biometric identification technologies.
Selfie-Centered Partnerships for Mitek, Shufti Pro
Mitek has partnered with Equifax, announcing that its biometric identity verification and liveness detection technology will be added to the latter’s digital identity software. The news comes over a year after Mitek brought in Chris Briggs as its new Head of Product, whose CV includes a five-and-a-half year stint with Equifax in senior-level product management, marketing, and strategy roles. Equifax has dabbled in the kind of selfie-based identity verification in which Mitek specializes before. In 2021, the company announced a selfie-based Digital Identity Suite aimed at the residential rental application process.
Shufti Pro, meanwhile, is providing selfie onboarding and liveness detection technology for Newton Global, a BNY Mellon-owned firm that offers a trading platform for investors. The aim is to help Newton Global to ensure Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering compliance. The partnership’s announcement comes just a few days after Shufti Pro’s news that it was providing its biometric technology for THINC, a Dubai-based law firm.
Sumsub, OneID Launch ‘Non-Document Verification’ in UK
Sumsub and OneID have formally announced the launch of a “Non-Document Verification” solution in the United Kingdom after establishing a partnership earlier this year. While Miami-based Sumsub possesses biometric 3D face-mapping technology, its solution with OneID is meant to enable end users to create digital accounts simply by leveraging OneID’s identity verification platform, which matches end users against their official bank records thanks to partnerships with a range of institutions including Barclays, Chase, and HSBC, among others. As such, end users aren’t required to upload images of their faces or of their identity documents.
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September 22, 2023 – by Alex Perala
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