Albania Opts for Voter Biometrics on a Tight Deadline: 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:

Albania to Implement Biometric Voter Registration

Albania’s Central Election Commission has decided to implement a biometric voter identification system ahead of elections slated for next May. And given the short time frame leading up to those elections, the CEC has opted to relax the mandatory deadline for tenders that would otherwise apply, according to a Euronews report.

Okta Develops Anti-phishing Biometric Login Solution

Okta has developed an anti-phishing mechanism that is designed to help ensure that ‘stolen’ biometrics can’t be used for authentication. Dubbed ‘Advanced Phishing Resistance for FastPass’ – FastPass being Okta’s biometric login system – the solution essentially binds a user’s face or fingerprint data to their personal device, meaning that biometric authentication can only be done using a particular smartphone, for example. FastPass itself is in a beta preview phase, and is expected to launch in early 2023, Protocol reports.

Partnerships and Deployments

Eyas Gaming, an online gambling operator, will use selfie onboarding technology from IDnow to verify the identities of its new users. IDnow’s AutoIdent solution lets an end user submit a selfie photo and an image of their official ID, and uses facial recognition to match the two. It could help Eyas to accelerate growth in Europe as the company seeks a license to operate in Germany, having already gone live in Malta and the UK.

OCR Labs and Synectics Solutions have partnered to provide identity verification services for individuals seeking to prove their right to work or rent in the United Kingdom, in compliance with the country’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework. OCR Labs provides identity document verification and biometric matching technology, which will be leveraged in concert with Synectics’ SynID digital identity verification solution.

The Vancouver Clinic (TVC) in Vancouver, Washington, will use remote patient monitoring technologies from Vironix Health as part of its intensifying focus on value-based care. The deployment, which will encompass Vironix’s SaaS and health-tracking hardware offerings, is expected to help TVC’s healthcare providers to track and interpret disease progression data. TVC serves about 170,000 patients across southwest Washington.

Four additional credit unions have signed on to use Access Softek’s Access Digital solution, allowing them to take advantage of digital banking solutions including a remote cheque deposit system and biometric authentication. The credit unions in question are St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union (Ogdensburg, New York), Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union (Newport, Maine), Meridia Community Credit Union (Hamburg, New York) and Fall River Municipal Credit Union (Fall River, Massachusetts).

IPification Gets ISO/IEC 27001 Certification

Phone verification specialist IPification has obtained ISO/IEC 27001 certification, a standard that pertains to best practices in data protection. In a statement, CEO Stefan Kostic said that the certification is “indicative of the quality of our mobile identity solutions and it’s great to see this certificate add more credibility in that regard.”

Antoinette King Joins Sentry Advisory Board

Sentry Enterprises, an enterprise-focused biometric identity and access management specialist, has appointed Antoinette King to its Technology Advisory Board. King is well-credentialed and connected: a certified Physical Security Professional and Data Privacy Protection Specialist, she is a member of the SIA, where she serves on the Ethics Working Group, Data Privacy Advisory Board, and the Cybersecurity Advisory Board; and she is a member of the Women in Security Global Council and Chapter Chairperson of the Hudson Valley Chapter of ASIS.

Mobile and Digital ID Developments in Korea, Thailand

The South Korean mobile operators KT, SK Telecom, and LG Uplus will begin allowing users of the Pass mobile app to upload a virtual version of their resident registration ID card to the app tomorrow. Users will be able to use the virtual document as official ID when checking in at domestic airports and as proof of age in stores and restaurants. It’s the result of an agreement established between the MNOs and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security in February.

Thai citizens have until November 30 to register for a National Digital ID in order to keep using PayPal. It’s the result of a regulatory change that will also restrict domestic PayPal transactions to the Thai baht currency, and to credit cards rather than debit cards. A VAT tax of seven percent will be added to all PayPal fees.

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November 9, 2022 – by Alex Perala