COVID Looms Large in This Week’s Top Biometrics Stories Roundup

Many countries around the world have reached a particularly grim stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, so perhaps it’s no surprise that COVID-related stories dominate this week’s roundup of top biometrics stories.

At least the topic brings with it some interesting data, so far as the results of the FindBiometrics Year in Review survey are concerned. Our first in-depth analysis of the results looked at answers to the question of which biometric modality was most exciting in 2020, and found that the pandemic seems to have caused a dramatic change in the top-three rankings:

Year in Review: COVID Shakes Up the Top Biometric Modality Rankings

The week also brought the announcement of a new pair of COVID-19 immunity credential solutions from World Health Access. Both the VAX Passbook and the VAX Passcard are secured by biometric authentication:

WHA’s Immunity Passport Solutions Feature Biometric Security

Meanwhile, American Airlines delivered some news about an immunity credential of its own. The VeriFLY app, which lets users share the results of a COVID-19 test, is now available for use to all travelers on inbound flights to the United States:

American Airlines Offers VeriFLY COVID Credentials on All International Flights to the US

There was also non-COVID news that attracted a lot of reader attention this week. One of the most popular stories on FindBiometrics concerned the news that IDEX had established another strategic partnership with a global payment network scheme, this time one based in the United States:

IDEX Biometrics Forms Card Partnership with Third International Payment Scheme

And a lot of readers were interested in the latest big news stemming from Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. Walmart, which had faced a class action lawsuit over its collection of employees’ biometric data, has reached a $10 million settlement:

Walmart Reaches $10M Settlement with Employees in Class Action BIPA Lawsuit

Stay posted to FindBiometrics next week as we continue to bring you the latest news and interviews from the exciting world of biometrics. To see the hottest stories of the week in mobile digital identity, visit our sibling site Mobile ID World.

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January 23, 2021 – by Alex Perala

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