Big Biometric Moves In Europe and Beyond – 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:

EU to Vote On LFR Ban

Members of European Parliament will vote tomorrow on a proposed ban on the use of live facial recognition for street surveillance in the European Union. Part of a broader set of proposed AI regulations, the proposed LFR ban is expected to face a challenge from center-right MEPs who believe the technology is useful for security. The legislation also includes a ban on emotion recognition technology.

Clearview AI Gets Another French Fine

France’s privacy regulator, CNIL (for “Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés”), has issued another fine for US-based Clearview AI. The latter had received a €20 million penalty last year over its indiscriminate collection of individuals’ face biometrics from across the internet, and is now facing a further penalty of €5.2 million for its lack of cooperation.

Enterprise Reaches BIPA Settlement

The Enterprise car rental company has reached a $505,000 settlement of a class action lawsuit under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The lawsuit concerned Enterprise’s use of a fingerprint-scanning time and attendance tracking system, alleging that it collected and shared employees’ biometrics without obtaining explicit consent to do so, as required under BIPA. The settlement has been approved by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and will be paid out to 715 class members.

Arlington County Police to Trial Biometric Inmate Health Monitor

The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) in Virginia will trial a new biometric inmate monitoring system from Silicon Valley startup 4Sight Labs that officials hope can offer immediate alerts about any potential health issues being experienced by prisoners at the Arlington County Detention Facility (ACDF). The Custody Protect bracelet can be worn on a wrist or ankle, and is designed to monitor an individual’s heart and respiration rate. County officials will begin trialling the device with a limited rollout across particularly vulnerable inmates in the ACDF’s medical unit.

Ōura Acquires Digital Identity Startup

Ōura has acquired Proxy, a San Francisco-based startup, in an all-equity deal. Founded in 2016, the latter had been working on digital identity solutions including its flagship offering, the Proxy ID app, which is meant to turn an end user’s smartphone into an authentication device. In announcing the acquisition, Ōura highlighted that it includes Proxy’s “smart ring patent portfolio”, which presumably has some overlap with Ōura’s own biometric smart ring technology. As part of the deal, Proxy’s team will join Ōura as full-time employees.

IDEMIA Wins Singapore Border Control Contract

Government authorities in Singapore have selected IDEMIA as the country’s Automated Border Control System provider for all air, land, and sea checkpoints. The company has already provided face-scanning traveler processing terminals for Singapore’s innovative Changi Airport, in a relationship dating back to 2017; it has also provided automated gates for the Tuas and Woodlands land crossings. The latest contract has been awarded under the authority of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), and will see IDEMIA provide solutions including its Augmented Borders Suite.

Feedzai Adds Behavioral Biometrics to RiskOps Platform

Feedzai has upgraded its RiskOps Platform, which is aimed at helping financial institutions to fight fraud. Among other things, the platform now offers alerts about digital signals, including those based on behavioral biometrics, that may suggest fraudulent activity. Feedzai acquired behavioral biometrics specialist Revelock in the summer of 2021.

‘Wink’ to Showcase Multimodal Authentication Solution at FinovateSpring

A Texas-based startup called “Wink” will showcase its biometric payments and identity platform at the upcoming FinovateSpring event in San Francisco, slated to run May 23-24. Operating through a mobile app, Wink’s solution uses both face and voice recognition for user authentication. The company was founded in 2021, and has raised $5.9 million in seed funding.

Czech Partner Extends iProov’s European Reach

iProov is looking to extend its reach in the Czech Republic through a new partnership with Wultra, a cybersecurity firm serving the country’s banking sector. Wultra has embraced iProov’s selfie-based digital identity verification solution, which uses facial recognition to match an end user to their official ID. Wultra will offer the solution to its clients, with one prominent bank – Raiffeisenbank – having already deployed it. The bank is now using iProov’s solution to let customers remotely reactivate their bank accounts, with no need to visit a physical bank branch.

Colombian Authorities Look to Face Biometrics to Boost Mobile ID Use

Colombians who use the country’s mobile-based digital ID, La Cédula Digital Colombiana, can now open a bank account with a face scan, thanks to a trial that has been undertaken by the National Registry of Civil Status. The biometric identity verification technology can also be used in loan applications, at ATMs, and for other transactions on banking apps. Government authorities are hoping that the functionality will help to combat fraud, and inspire more Colombians to start using the digital ID app, which has so far seen 2 million activations.

–

May 10, 2023 – by Alex Perala