Adani Group, the DHS, the GPDP, 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:

FaceTec’s Ascent Continues in Year-End Update

FaceTec has once again reported remarkable growth in its latest year-end update. The company’s revenues were up 54 percent year-over-year for 2023, while the use of its 3D Liveness solution increased by a whopping 120 percent. Also worth noting: 2023 marked the four-year anniversary of FaceTec’s Spoof Bounty Program, which initially offered up to $30,000 in payouts to hackers who could successfully trick its biometric system, and now has a bounty totaling $600,000. FaceTec says it hasn’t had to pay out a penny in three-and-a-half years. Read our full story.

Adani Firm to Collect Residents’ Biometrics Ahead of Slum Redevelopment

A firm under the umbrella of India’s famous Adani Group plans to collect the demographic and biometric data of up to a million residents of a slum in Mumbai slated for redevelopment in partnership with the state of Maharashtra. The plan involves offering free housing to certain eligible residents, conditional on having lived in the slum since before the year 2000. SVR Srinivas, the head of the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority, says the biometric data will be used to help ensure that “all eligible people should get houses and no ineligible people should get undue advantage.”

DHS Invites Participants for Liveness Detection Evaluation Program

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is preparing a testing program for selfie-based liveness detection solutions as the third track in its Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration program. The first two testing tracks are already underway, and have been engaged with testing remote identity verification tools more broadly. For the liveness-focused track, the DHS is accepting applications from interested developers until February 29. The Transportation Security administration, the Homeland Security Investigations Forensic Laboratory, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are involved in the program as well.

Container Maker Reaches $150k Settlement in BIPA Suit

C Studio Manufacturing has reached a $150,000 settlement of its class action lawsuit filed under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The lawsuit alleged that C Studio Manufacturing, which makes premium wood-based products for The Container Store, had failed to obtain written consent for its collection and use of employee biometrics via a fingerprint-scanning time and attendance tracking system. The company has refused to admit wrongdoing and insists that it did not break any laws.

Italian City Gets €50k Fine for AI Surveillance Tech

The Italian city of Trento has been fined €50,000 by the country’s privacy office, the GPDP, for its use of AI-powered street surveillance technology, becoming the first municipal government to be penalized by the watchdog. The city is considering appealing the decision, asserting in a statement that it “highlights how the current legislation is totally insufficient to regulate the use of AI to analyse large amounts of data and improve city security.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that her administration will make AI a key focus as it helms the Presidency of the Group of Seven nations this year.

Video Streaming Platform Embraces Amazon’s Facial Recognition

Miami-based Streann Media has launched TV 3.0, a new version of its media streaming platform developed using Amazon Web Services. Among other features, the TV 3.0 includes facial recognition technology, which “enhances content security and personalization, designed to provide a safer, more tailored user experience,” according to the company. Leveraging the Amazon Rekognition facial recognition system, it can help to remove “inappropriate content”. Streann Media has also joined the AWS Partner Network.

NEXT Biometrics Schedules Business Update

NEXT Biometrics has set a date for its business update for Q4 of 2023. The Norwegian company will present its results starting 11:00 a.m. CET on February 14, 2024, as part of a “2024 Capital Markets Day” event at the Hotel Continental, Stortingsgata, in Oslo. The presentation will be conducted by CEO Ulf Ritsvall and CFO Eirik Underthun, and will also be streamed online. The company says its representatives will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors after the presentation, with a limited number of time slots available.

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January 26, 2024 – by Alex Perala