Digital Infrastructure in the Spotlight – 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:

Google-Made Age Estimation System Approved Under UK’s ACCS

Google has developed a face-based age estimation system that has received approval under the United Kingdom’s Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS). The development comes after the approval of a new Online Safety Bill that requires online publishers to implement age verification processes for access to mature content. The government regulator Ofcom (for “Office of Communications”) confirmed earlier this month that biometric age estimation could be used to verify that users are over the age of 18.

Existing Laws Can Tackle Live Facial Recognition Risks, Academic Paper Argues

A new paper from a researcher at Brunel University London argues that the police use of live facial recognition technology does not demand of new legislation to cover it. Asress Gikay, a senior lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation and Law, instead argues the “existing legal framework tackles most of the risks that are identified with LFR, which includes privacy law, data protection law and civil liability law.” His paper has been published in the Cambridge Law Journal.

Met Make More Arrests in Croydon

The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police have made another round of arrests after deploying live facial recognition technology in the East and West Croydon railway stations. Scanning passersby against a watch list, the technology produced 22 alerts, which led to 10 arrests or individuals wanted for various offences, including death threats, robbery, and bank fraud, among others. Another deployment earlier this month had led to seven arrests.

New Indian Legislation to Mandate Biometric SIM Registration

New legislation will soon make biometric SIM registration mandatory in India. The Telecommunications Bill 2023, set to replace the 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act, requires providers of telecommunications services to identify customers “through use of any verifiable biometric-based identification as may be prescribed.” The move should only serve to underscore the prominence of biometric tech in India, which is already home to the world’s most ambitious biometric national ID program, Aadhaar.

India to Help Sri Lanka With ‘Digital ID Card’

Sri Lanka is poised to benefit from India’s expertise in biometric identity technology, thanks to a new bilateral agreement between the countries that will see them work together on a new “digital ID card” for Sri Lankans. The card will reportedly involve the use of fingerprint biometrics. India has agreed to provide funding for the project, to the tune of 4 billion Rupees, or roughly $48 million. The project can be seen as the latest sign of India’s determination to establish itself as a key provider of Digital Public Infrastructure to other nations.

TECH5, Visa Team Up on ‘Digital Government Ecosystems’

TECH5 has partnered with Visa on a wide-ranging effort to develop “digital government ecosystems” across multiple countries. The effort will encompass a number of programs, including the development of a go-to-market roadmap for a “SuperApp” that will deliver Visa card credentials to individuals; work on preparing regulatory language for digital payments development; and the development of digital identity management solutions, among others. TECH5 is already a well-established vendor in this kind of digital infrastructure; for example, it has worked with the Ethiopian government on a digital ID project, and it provided key technology for a remote voting system in Oman.

Biorithm Raises $3.5M in Series A

Biorithm has raised $3.5 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Adaptive Capital Partners and SEEDS Capital. The startup has developed a biometric remote patient monitoring device specifically for pregnant women, dubbed the “Femom”. The device reads electrophysiological signals to detect the heart rate of both the mother and the fetus, among other analytics. Biorithm has completed clinical trials in Singapore and the United Kingdom, and the company says it will use its new funding to further expand its clinical trial footprint, and to purse further research on how its remote patient monitoring technology can be most effectively used.

ROC.ai Names New VP

ROC.ai has named Susan Amick as its new VP of Business Development, Commercial Markets. Amick is no stranger to the biometrics industry, having previously served in senior sales roles with Imageware Systems, Integrated Biometrics Technology, and, most recently, AuthenticID. The bulk of her career was spent with AFIX Technologies, where she served as VP of Sales from late 2005 to 2017. In a statement announcing her appointment, ROC.ai CEO Scott Swann highlighted her “track record of success in the biometrics and secure credentialing industry,” and especially her “extensive experience advancing biometrics within state and local, federal, and international law enforcement agencies, as well as FinTech enterprise identity proofing solutions.”

VNPay Meets iBeta, BSI Standards

VNPay, a prominent fintech company in Vietnam, has passed iBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection evaluation program, establishing its selfie-based identity verification solution’s compliance with the ISO/IEC 30107-3 standard. The company has also obtained ISO27001 certification of the British Standards Institution (BSI Vietnam), validating its adherence to certain information security specifications.

Accura Scan Announces Contactless Fingerprint Solution

India-based Accura Scan says it is “set to introduce” a contactless fingerprint scanning capability to its biometric portfolio. The system will use a standard smartphone camera to scan “finger vein patterns or ridge patterns” on the fingers of a given subject, and is being introduced alongside “document-liveness checks,” the company says. Accura Scan’s facial recognition technology, meanwhile, reached Level 2 in iBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection evaluation program earlier this year.

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December 18, 2023 – by Alex Perala