Anonybit, Apple, Robots, 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:

Nigerian NGO Calls for Audit of Voter Biometrics Systems

The Diasporans for Good Governance (DGG), a civic activism group, is calling for an audit of the biometric voter registration and verification systems that will be used by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in elections scheduled for this year. The call comes after INEC released voter registration data showing a high number of ‘de-validated’ voters in the south and southeastern regions of the country, raising questions about voter disenfranchisement.

Anonybit Teams-up With Ping Identity

Ping Identity has integrated Anonybit’s decentralized identity solution into its platform, enabling its clients to leverage the latter’s turnkey SAML configuration to set up privacy-focused biometric identity verification that splits individual biometric templates into unphishable, unhackable ‘shards’. It could prove to be an important partnership for Anonybit; over half of its new partner’s client base comprises Fortune 100 enterprises. The news comes after Anonybit obtained FIDO certification last November, and after CEO Frances Zelazny participated in last month’s Enterprise Biometrics Virtual Identity Summit.

Apple Plans Under-display Face ID for iPhone 16: Report

Apple is expected to implement an under-display face-scanning system in its lineup of new iPhones in 2024, according to a report from The Elec, a Korea-based trade publication focused on smartphone components including semiconductors, batteries, and display technologies. Citing unnamed industry sources, The report explains that ‘Underpanel Face ID’ is targeted for the iPhone 16 series. Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

Entersekt Builds Out Leadership Team

Entersekt has bolstered its leadership team with a number of new appointments. Jon Roskill, a former Microsoft VP and the CEO of Acumatica, has been named to the Entersekt board of directors. The company has also named Matt Loos, a former Fifth Third Bank and Microsoft executive, as its new Chief Revenue Officer; and former ID.me Product VP Pradheep Sampath as its new Chief Product Officer. Frank Moreno joins the team as Chief Marketing Officer, having previously served as CMO for HelloTeam.

Yoonik Enters Hospitality Biometrics Market

Host Hotel Systems, a provider of property management systems for the hospitality industry, has partnered with Portugal-based Yoonik on a guest check-in system based on facial recognition. The system would confirm a hotel guest’s identity by matching their face to a passport or photo ID. The partnership marks the entry of another selfie-based identity verification specialist into the hospitality industry, where rivals like NEC and Incode have been making inroads in recent months.

Yale Maintains Smart Safe Trend

Yale, a smart lock specialist owned by ASSA ABLOY, has announced two new smart safes featuring support for biometric security. Both the Yale Smart Safe and the Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi feature built-in keypads and traditional locks; but they also enable users to unlock them with a biometric scan on a paired mobile device. The same kind of functionality can also be found in the newly announced Trova Home smart safe unveiled at this year’s CES, signaling a growing trend.

New Kiosks Leverage Selfie-based Identity Verification

Arizona-based Boxx has unveiled a new alcohol vending machine that uses facial recognition to compare a customer’s face to their official photo ID presented at the kiosk, thereby verifying that the customer is of age to purchase alcohol. Boxx says it can complete the age validation process in just 15 seconds. The company showcased the solution at this year’s CES.

South Korea-based Braindog, meanwhile, takes the same approach with its access control kiosk, leveraging facial recognition technology to match an individual against their photo ID. The Passbot kiosk also features a built-in security pass dispenser, and an integrated temperature sensor for health screening.

SecureAuth Granted Seven US Patents

SecureAuth has been granted seven new patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company says that the group of patents is broadly concerned with enabling frictionless user authentication via “automated risk-based control and behavioral modeling”. The patents support functionality delivered in SecureAuth’s Arculix platform.

Robot Interprets Emotions of Kids With Autism

Researchers at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) have developed a humanoid robot that uses AI technologies to help teachers and therapists understand the emotions of children with autism. The robot, called Kaspar, tracks things like facial expressions, voice, posture, and eye movement when interacting with children, who are also outfitted with smart bracelets to track certain physiological data. The researchers say that their solution is being used in the UK, Poland, and North Macedonia, as well as Turkey.

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January 11, 2022 – by Alex Perala

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