A COVID Lab With Biometric Amenities Is Up for Sale – 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:

Brazil Requires Face-based Verification for Online Gambling

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ratified new legislation governing online gaming and sports betting, which includes a requirement that operators verify the identities of all bettors using facial recognition technology. Now that Bill 3,626/2023 has been signed into law, it’s up to the Ministry of Finance to lay out detailed guidelines for operators; and according to a domestic legal expert, the country will likely have a fully regulated market in operation in the second half of this year. Over 130 businesses are reportedly looking to obtain licenses as online betting gaming operators.

NEXT Biometrics Gets New Volume Order

NEXT Biometrics has received a new order, valued at NOK 12 million, for its flagship FAP20 fingerprint sensor. The company hasn’t disclosed the name of the customer in question, but described it in a statement as a “Singapore-based distributor.” NEXT also hinted that the order is somehow connected to its escalating business operations in the India market, noting that the customer “acts as both an importer of fingerprint sensors, as well as a fulfillment partner, which secures improved availability of sensors in relevant regions.” Deliveries already began in the fourth quarter of 2023, and are expected to be completed in the current quarter.

Executive Changes at Precise, TECH5

Precise Biometrics is looking for a new Chief Financial Officer, with Annika Freij having just given six months’ notice of her departure. Freij first joined the company in the middle of 2021, when she replaced outgoing CFO Ulrik Nilsson. “Annika has been an important part of the journey the company has made in recent years, not least through her work to capitalize the company and successfully launch cost savings and efficiencies which have been integral to this new commercialization phase,” commented CEO Joakim Nydemark, who was named chief executive last August after joining Precise as a new EVP in June.

TECH5 has named Debayan Deb as its Chief AI Scientist, cementing a relationship with the researcher and Michigan State University graduate. Deb had already been working with the company on its neural network-based biometric technologies from his position as President and CEO of LENS Corporation, a research consultancy; in its announcement, TECH5 said Deb was “instrumental” in the company’s recent achievements in independent testing conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In his work as TECH5’s official Chief AI Scientist, Deb will be focused on the development of neural network technologies pertaining to face, fingerprint, and iris biometrics.

Korean Mobile Passport Startup Wins CES Accolades

South Korean startup Lordsystem has won accolades in the CES Innovation Awards for this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, thanks to its mobile passport solution for tourists. A participant in the Incheon Startup Park, Lordsystem won the Best of Innovation Award in Financial Technologies, and was an Honoree in Cybersecurity & Personal Privacy. Its “Trip Pass Mobile Passport Platform” is designed to facilitate various tourist activities including duty-free shopping, getting transportation cards, and checking into hotels, with support for authentication based on facial recognition.

A COVID Lab Hits the Real Estate Market

A built-in facial recognition is one of the amenities included in a COVID-19 laboratory up for sale in the United Kingdom. The Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Leamington Spa has been opened in 2021, and went on to process 8.5 million COVID tests during the pandemic, but has now been put on the market by the British government—though a new report from the House of Commons’ Science, Innovation and Technology Committee calls for the government to repurpose the lab for the production of phages, an alternative to antibiotics. Besides its individuals labs and its facial recognition system, the property also comes with meeting rooms and a canteen.

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January 3, 2024 – by Alex Perala