Biometric ID in Belize, an FCC Robocall Rule, 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:

Belize Government Preparing Biometric National ID Program

The government of Belize is working on a national ID system that will prominently feature biometrics. Its efforts were outlined in comments from Jose Urbina, the CEO of the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, and E-Governance, who was quoted at length by a domestic broadcaster. Urbina explained that a “national biometric strategy” is being pursued that is tied to a planned national ID that will incorporate biometric data, but many aspects of the overarching system’s architecture still need to be sorted out, including the matter of whether it will be centralized or involve distributed data. Urbina added that the government is “engaging international financial institutions” on the matter of financing for the project.

FCC Bans AI-Generated Robocalls

The Federal Communications Commission has announced a ban on robocalls that feature AI-generated voices, framing them as a violation of the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The FCC now has the authority to fine any company using such synthetic voices, and may also block service providers from carrying them. “Bad actors are using AI-generated voices in unsolicited robocalls to extort vulnerable family members, imitate celebrities, and misinform voters,” explained FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

Texas School District Gets Grant for Biometric Security Upgrade

Bullard Independent School District, a public school district in Texas, has obtained a $950,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency to update school security. Bullard ISD administrators plan to use some of the funding to acquire facial recognition technology for school surveillance cameras, while other funding will go to things like replacing old doors and improving fences. As the local outlet KETK reports, a new school safety law passed in Austin has mandated stronger security requirements in school districts.

Strong Showings for NEC, Neurotechnology in NIST Testing

NEC’s facial recognition technology took the highest ranking for accuracy in National Institute of Science and Technology testing for 1:N identification, demonstrating an accuracy rate of 99.88 percent. The company’s technology also took the top spot in three other testing categories, including one in which a subject’s face is matched against a 10-year old image of the same subject. Rounding out its strong showing, NEC says its technology also reach the top-three rankings in all categories of the Face Recognition Technology Evaluation (FRTE) 1:N Identification leaderboard that are posted on NIST’s website.

Neurotechnology, meanwhile, got some strong results in NIST’s Proprietary Fingerprint Template III (“PFT III”) evaluation program. NIST posts testing results across two datasets from criminal investigations and two datasets from border control, displaying the False Non-Match Rates at each of three distinct False Match Rates. The Neurotechnology+0011 algorithm demonstrated “the lowest FNMR values at nearly all measured FMR values across the datasets,” Neurotechnology says. The news comes just after the company’s announcement of two new biometric tools for law enforcement.

Met Police Use Facial Recognition to Track Down Stabbing Suspect

A detective with the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police is crediting facial recognition technology for playing an important role in apprehending an individual who stabbed a bus driver in the back last year. The assailant, Bradley Peek, has now been convicted of the crime and is serving a sentence of more than five years in prison. “The use of facial recognition technology and CCTV footage allowed officers to quickly identify and locate Peek,” said Detective Inspector Jonathan Potter. The driver sustained a punctured lung and a tear to his heart, but survived thanks to emergency medical care.

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February 8, 2024 – by Alex Perala