Bumble Doesn’t Get a BIPA Break – 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:

Bumble Must Face BIPA Lawsuit, Court Rules

Bumble is going to have to face a lawsuit over its alleged violation of Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The lawsuit stems from the dating platform’s use of facial recognition technology to verify the identities of its users. Bumble had tried to argue that the case lacked any substantial connection to Illinois — an argument that a federal court has now rejected. The development comes after ClassAction.org and its partner attorneys canvassed for information from Bumble users who uploaded a selfie to verify their identity, with an eye to bringing the platform into mass arbitration.

Indian States Directed to Collect Refugees’ Biometrics

India’s Home Ministry is urging authorities in the states of Manipur and Mizoram to collect the biometrics of “illegal migrants”. The Ministry has set a deadline of September 30, requiring authorities to scan migrants’ fingerprints and eyes. Many of the migrants in question are refugees from neighboring Myanmar, which has seen an ongoing campaign of genocidal attacks against the Rohingya minority ethnic group. Many Rohingya have also fled to Bangladesh, where the United Nations’ refugee agency has been using a biometric identity card system to document the displaced people.

IDEMIA Receives Urgent Passport Order From Nepal

The government of Nepal has reached out to IDEMIA to secure 2.8 million biometric passports as it faces a looming shortage. At the moment, the country only has enough passports to continue issuing them for a few months; the arrangement with IDEMIA is expected to help authorities meet demand for 18 months. At the same time, authorities are moving to issue a competitive tender that will seek six million passports for the next five years. IDEMIA won the country’s previous tender for a passport contract in 2020; its latest deal will see the company paid $10.13 per booklet.

Mexican Presidential Frontrunner Takes Pro-Facial Recognition Stance

One of the frontrunners in Mexico’s presidential race has adopted the use of facial recognition for law enforcement as one of his earliest policy proposals. The candidate, Marcelo Ebrard, is a former Foreign Affairs Minister, and is seeking the nomination to head the Morena party, which is currently in power. Mexico has a serious crime issue, with one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The Morena party is expected to select its next leader in September, with national elections slated for June of 2024.

Sony and Honda Turn to Automotive Biometrics for New EV

Sony and Honda have debuted a prototype electric car under their forthcoming “Afeela” brand. Like a growing number of EVs entering the market, the car features biometric driver identification technology. Facial recognition is used to unlock the car’s doors, and to automatically adjust interior settings based on who is in the driver’s seat. The companies’ joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility, expects to open preorders in 2025, and to start delivering the cars in 2026.

Checkout.com Announces Selfie Verification Solution

Checkout.com has plunged into the selfie onboarding business. First established as “Opus Payments” in Singapore in 2009, the company was renamed and registered in the UK in 2012. It now has a valuation of at least $40 billion, operating as a FinTech company that enables businesses to accept and perform online transactions. Checkout.com’s new “Identity Verification” tool prompts an end user to record video of their face and identity document using their smartphone, with the system’s AI technology verifying their authenticity and matching them together.

Metalenz, Dilusense Team Up On Biometric Locks, Payment Kiosks

Boston-based Metalenz, a specialist in metasurface optics, has teamed up with Dilusense, a supplier of 3D sensing systems based in Hefei, China, to develop ‘Smartlocks’ and ‘Payment Kiosks’ with facial recognition capabilities. The products feature Metalenz’s “Orion” meta-optic dot projector, which, together with Dilusense’s technology, enabling 3D face imaging. The companies are pitching their Smartlocks for high-end residential and commercial buildings, while their Payment Kiosks are offered for use in retail locations and vending machines in China.

Paravision Charts Facial Recognition Progress in FRVT

San Francisco-based Paravision has demonstrated advancement in its facial recognition technology via testing conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The company’s upcoming Gen 6 algorithm claimed the fourth-place ranking for accuracy in NIST’s Face Recognition Vendor Test for 1:N Identification, and the top ranking of all participants based in the US, the UK, and the EU. The rankings are based on accuracy rates as demonstrated in NIST’s 1:N Visa-Border benchmark; and Paravision notes that the next US-based runner-up had an error rate that was 2.6 times higher than its own. Paravision’s Gen 6 solution has demonstrated an error rate that is more than 30 percent lower than that of Gen 5.

Researchers Advance 3D Deepfake Tech

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Fujitsu researchers have pioneered a method of converting a 2D image into a three-dimensional one. The Dynamic Light Field Network (DyLiN) uses artificial intelligence technology to model deformation fields, which describe how each point on an object changes when it transforms. According to the researchers, their method matched the visual fidelity of other state-of-the-art methods while being 25 to 71 times faster in terms of computation times. An enhanced method, dubbed “CoDyLiN”, allows the addition of controllable attribute inputs. Both DyLiN and CoDyLiN offer applications such as modelling 3D human faces based on 2D images.

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July 11, 2023 – by Alex Perala