Adding a Vibe Check to Face Unlock – 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:

BNSF Reaches Settlement in Landmark BIPA Case

BNSF Railway Co. has reached a settlement in its landmark class action lawsuit under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. The company had made headlines in the autumn of 2022 when the first jury trial under BIPA resulted in a ruling against BNSF, with a potential payout of $228 million, based on the maximum fine per violation of the Act. But the presiding judge later determined that a jury should decide on the size of the fine. A new trial to determine that outcome had been slated for October of 2023, but both sides came to a preliminary settlement agreement before it started. Now, they have hammered out the details, with BNSF agreeing to pay $75 million to a class of claimants numbering 45,600.

Kenya to Implement Biometric Payroll System

Kenya’s Ministry of Public Service has announced plans to implement a biometric payroll registration for all of the country’s public servants. The aim is to fight fraud and to prevent payments to “ghost workers” and other fraudulent non-entities, after an annual audit from the Public Service Commission found staff payments going to almost 20,000 more so-called employees than were accounted for in staffing levels. “As a country that is very religious, we are not doing very well in chasing away ghosts,” commented Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Moses Kuria. The announcement comes as South Sudan pursues its own biometric payroll system, with aid from the World bank.

Dartmouth Researchers’ Mobile App Can Detect Depression

Researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire say they have developed a mobile-based face biometrics app that can reliably detect whether an end user is suffering from depression. The MoodCapture app is designed to assess depression symptoms whenever an end user unlocks their phone. Over time, it learns to recognize the emotive expressions of individual users. Initial testing has found that it can correctly identify the early symptoms of depression with an accuracy rate of 75 percent. While the researchers hope that MoodCapture can serve as a valuable healthcare tool, emotion recognition has emerged as a risky application of AI technology in European Union regulatory deliberations.

Samsung to Launch Health-Tracking Biometric Ring

Samsung is looking to get into the health-tracking smart ring game. At this year’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona, the company has shared more information about its planned Galaxy Ring, which will be able to track things like heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep quality, and will also attempt to capture aspects of psychological health. It will have an FDA-approved sleep apnea warning system, and will offer fertility tracking in partnership with Natural Cycles, which has developed an algorithm for the task. A release date for the Galaxy Ring still hasn’t been set, but Samsung says it’s coming “later this year”.

AZ Biometrics Startup Selected for $150k Grant

AlgoFace has been named one of 10 firms eligible for a $150,000 grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority, opening the door to the latter’s Venture Ready Accelerator program. The startup has been working on a lightweight 2D and 3D face analysis system designed to run locally. The ACA’s grant is awarded through the Arizona Innovation Challenge, which has collectively raised more than $1.8 billion in funding and seen 29 successful exits. AlgoFace’s funding will be unlocked upon the completion of certain milestones in the six-month Venture Ready Accelerator program.

AU10TIX Launches KYB Solution

Tel Aviv-based AU10TIX has announced a new “Know Your Business” solution designed to let companies check their business partners against more than 1,000 government registries across over 200 jurisdictions. Three versions of the solution are available: “Business Validation” confirms essential business details like name, address, and registration date; “Sole Trader Verification” validates both the business and its owner; and “Enterprise Verification” offers these services alongside additional checks including AML screening, Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) checks, and continuous monitoring services. AU10TIX says that its KYB offering, when combined with its biometric Know Your Customer platform, can offer comprehensive identity assurance to businesses.

Epic Integrates Imprivata’s Face-based Patient ID System

Imprivata has launched a new facial recognition system for patient identification, and it has already been integrated into the widely-used Epic electronic health records platform. The Imprivata Biometric Patient Identity solution can accommodate obstructions like face masks and glasses, and is designed to cater to the demands of the HIPAA regulation. Imprivata is inviting healthcare professionals to learn more by attending a special webinar presentation planned for March 6, 2024.

CyberLink Sees Attendance-tracking Integration

Taiwan-based CyberLink is now providing critical biometric technology for Logsafe, an India-based human resources management platform. The latter is meant to enable time and attendance tracking through a mobile app. To that end, it has implemented CyberLink’s FaceMe facial recognition solution, which boasts an accuracy rate of 99.83 percent and Level 2 compliance in iBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection evaluation program. Logsafe is currently being used primarily for classroom attendance, with the platform claiming more then 30,000 active users in India.

ITL Gets Local Regulatory Backing for Age Estimation System

Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, a local government regulatory service for the United Kingdom’s Buckinghamshire and Surrey counties, has endorsed Innovative Technology Ltd.’s biometric age estimation technology solutions, MyCheckr and MyCheckr Mini, which are meant to be deployed at the point of sale to help cashiers decide whether age checks are necessary for customers seeking to buy age-restricted goods like alcohol and cigarettes. The endorsement comes by way of a “Primary Authority Partnership”, which assures businesses that ITL’s offering are fit for purpose.

France Rolls Out Digital Driver’s Licenses

France’s Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has announced the official rollout of the country’s digital driver’s license system after successful trials in the regions of Hauts-de-Seine, Eure-et-Loir, and Rhône. Residents holding a driver’s license in the contemporary credit card-shaped format in which they have been issued since 2021 are now able to establish virtual versions of the cards in the France Identité app, which is available for iOS and Android. Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

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February 27, 2024 – by Alex Perala