Could Biometrics Fight Famine in Ethiopia? – 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:

UN, US Call for Biometric Checks to Fight Aid Theft in Ethiopia

The United States and the United Nations are calling for the removal of Ethiopian government officials and the deployment of biometric authentication systems in the wake of large-scale thefts of food aid for the region. The US and UN paused the delivery of food earlier this year after discovering that food sent to the country had been marked for sale, possibly with the involvement of military and government officials. Hundreds of deaths from starvation have ensued. US and UN officials are hoping to resume deliveries of food aid as early as July.

ACLU Backs Lawsuit Over False Arrest Via Facial Recognition

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is backing a lawsuit against Minnesota’s Bloomington police force and Hennepin County over a false arrest prompted by facial recognition technology. Plaintiff Kylese Perryman was held for five days and compelled to wear an ankle bracelet for months after being charged for a carjacking and several robberies. The ACLU contends that if police had done the most basic investigation beyond a facial recognition match, they would have quickly discovered they had targeted the wrong suspect: Perryman was working a night shift at a Target warehouse at the time of the carjacking, and had other credible alibis concerning the other crimes.

Microsoft Begins Rollout of Passkey Support in Windows 11

Microsoft appears to be preparing to roll out passkey support across its Windows 11 operating system. The authentication system is now live in “Insider Preview Build (23486)”, enabling select users to beta test an authentication mechanism that lets them sign into certain online accounts using a fingerprint or face scan, or via PIN. This week has also seen PayPal announce plans to roll out passkey support in Canada, and the publication of new FIDO Alliance papers exploring how passkeys can be used for enterprise security.

Daon Fights Deepfakes With ‘AI.X’

Daon has launched a new package of Presentation Attack Detection solutions aimed at countering the threat of deepfakes. Offered as a complement to Daon’s IdentityX and TrustX platforms, “AI.X” features newly patented algorithms that look for signs of synthetic faces and voices. Daon says it has been working on PAD technology for facial recognition for eight years, and that it has a new set of high-performing algorithms to detect voice deepfakes based on distinctive voice patterns that are unique to this particular form of synthetic biometrics, even when they are indistinguishable from genuine voices to human ears.

NEXT Biometrics Tech to Support Taxi Payments in Africa

NEXT Biometrics has received another design win and purchase order from its China-based client, “XM Holder”, this time for a Point of Sale terminal featuring NEXT FAP20 fingerprint sensors that will be used in taxi vehicles in multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The company says the devices will facilitate cashless payments. The initial purchase order is valued at NOK 1 million, with first shipments anticipated for Q4 of this year. The news comes after NEXT Biometrics’ announcement of an order from XM Holder valued at NOK 2.4 million last summer.

ZKTeco Facial Recognition Integrated Into Telaeris Handheld

Telaeris has integrated facial recognition technology from ZKTeco USA into its XPID200 handheld biometric scanner, adding another modality on top of the device’s fingerprint scanning function. The device has proven popular as a mustering solution in industries that require such safety protocols, such as cruise lines and industrial plants. While the XPID200 also has a badge scanning feature, its biometric capabilities allow for the fast and reliable identification of individuals who might have left their identity documents behind in the event of an emergency. The device runs on Telaeris’s XPressEntry software, which is compatible with more than 30 access control systems; support for Galaxy’s Cloud Concierge platform was added earlier this year.

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June 29, 2023 – by Alex Perala