Digital ID in Africa and FinTech for Teens – 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:

TikTok Investigated Over Potential GDPR Violations

European Union regulators are investigating whether TikTok violated the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation by failing to employ effective age verification measures to keep children under the age of 13 off of the social media platform. They are also mulling whether TikTok was transparent enough about how it handled minors’ data, with a decision expected in the coming months. The investigation was triggered by the Irish Data Protection Commission, which gave its mandate to the European Data Protection Board.

Biometric Tech Comes to Another Pakistani Airport

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has deployed a facial recognition system at the Multan International Airport, marking the fourth such deployment in the country after facial recognition systems went live in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. In announcing the deployment, PCAA officials did not name the vendor that provided the airport’s biometric system; but a spokesperson noted that partners from the Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) had trained Pakistani officials. Japan is the home country of NEC Corporation, which is well known for its NeoFace facial recognition solution.

Namibia Pension Fund Requires Biometric Registration

Namibia’s Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) is now registering the biometrics of the country’s pensioners, who are required to submit their data in person at GIPF offices. Monthly benefits payments will be suspended for those who have not undergone Biometric Verification by June 30 of this year.

Kenya’s Digital ID to Take Cues From Pakistan’s NADRA

Kenya’s Principal Secretary of Immigration and Citizen Services, Julius Bitok, says the country will take cues from Pakistan’s digital identity program as it seeks to build one of its own. The comments came after a meeting with Bitok’s Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza, which involved a tour of the National Database and Registration (NADRA) in Islamabad. In 2021, NADRA launched a mobile app enabling Pakistanis to register for the country’s National ID program remotely, in a process that involves face and fingerprint capture. Kenya’s ICT secretary, Eliud Owalo, said earlier this week that authorities are aiming to have a digital ID program in place by March of next year.

Yoti Provides Age Tech for Teen FinTech Platform

San Francisco-based Modak has become the latest company to turn to Yoti to help verify the ages of its end users. Modak is a very new company: It launched its platform, which offers financial services to teenagers, in December of 2022. Since then, 25,000 teens have signed up, with Yoti’s age estimation technology helping to smooth out the process. “Adapting Yoti’s tech has been a great enabler of our growth,” says Modak CEO Madhu Yalamarthi. The news comes after Yoti’s announcement that it was providing age estimation technology for Epic Games’s SuperAwesome last month.

Apple’s MDL Comes to Georgia

Georgia has become the fourth state to welcome Apple’s mobile driver’s license, though the digital ID’s use cases currently remain limited to passenger processing at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — and to those who are members of the TSA PreCheck expedited screening program. The functionality means that travelers can tap their iPhone or Apple Watch at a dedicated reader in order to confirm their identity without having to take out a physical ID. A fingerprint or face scan is required on the iOS device in order to authenticate the transaction, infusing biometric security into the air travel screening process.

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May 19, 2023 – by Alex Perala