A New NIST/DHS Standard, Aadhaar, Appointments, and More: 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:

Industry Standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with the Department of Homeland Security to develop a Face Image Quality Standard that will assess images for their utility in biometric identification. A senior-level IDEMIA executive is calling for the standard to be used in contract evaluations. Read our full story for further details.

Executive Appointments

1Kosmos has hired Jens Hinrichsen as its new Senior Vice President of Sales for North America. Hinrichsen spent much of his professional career with NuData Security, a behavioral biometrics specialist that was acquired by Mastercard in 2017. He joined that firm in late 2013, and left in October of 2021. He went on to serve as Webware.io’s Chief of Staff from October of 2021 until his pivot to 1Kosmos.

Former IDEMIA executive Gary Lac is now NEC Corporation of America’s VP of Solutions Development. Lac previously served as IDEMIA’s Senior Director of Solution Innovation from September of 2018 until last month. At NECAM, Lac will help streamline product launches and deliveries, focusing on the company’s Digital Services, State & Local Government, and National Security Systems verticals.

Product Launches

Hitachi is using HYPR technology to offer passwordless authentication through Bravura OneAuth, a solution aimed primarily at the enterprise market. HYPR’s technology leverages the biometric capabilities of smartphones, namely fingerprint and facial recognition, for its biometric authentication capabilities. The companies will be showcasing Bravura OneAuth at the Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit.

ForgeRock is pitching its multi-factor authentication technology to the enterprise sector. In partnership with Secret Double Octopus, the company has launched ForgeRock Enterprise Connect, which supports workstation access via the ForgeRock Authenticator App, as well as VPN and Unix/Linux server access, remote access, and Single Sign On. The companies framed the offering as an initial phase of their partnership, adding that they will share further information later on.

Aadhaar

Officials at India’s Treasury department will use a biometric authentication system to access department applications, according to a report from The Hindu. The biometric authentication system will be tied to Aadhaar, India’s ambitious biometric national ID program, and is being implemented as part of a larger digitization effort.

Facial Recognition Controversies

A public records request filed by the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) retrieved documents indicating that when police in Delhi use facial recognition to identify suspects, they consider an accuracy rating of 80 percent or higher to be a positive match. Police forces in India have been escalating their use of facial recognition technology in recent years, prompting concerns about potential privacy and civil rights violations.

In Australia, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education and the Alliance for Gambling Reform are calling on liquor and gambling regulators across the country to implement a moratorium on the use of facial recognition to identify fraudsters and addicts, arguing that the technology should not be used until investigations on the part of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission have concluded. Their efforts come on the heels of a proposal from ClubsACT, a lobby group for the entertainment industry, to let problem gamblers self-exclude from gaming by registering their face biometrics.

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August 22, 2022 – by Alex Perala