DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital to Fund National Security Tech: 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:

New DoD Office to Deploy ‘Strategic Capital’ to National Security Tech

The Department of Defense has established a new “Office of Strategic Capital” to connect private capital with companies working on “critical technologies vital to national security”. “By working with the private capital markets and by partnering with our federal colleagues, OSC will address investment gaps and add a new tool to the department’s investment toolbox,” explained Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a statement announcing the OSC.

Australia Launches Mobile ID Wallet

The Australian government has launched a mobile wallet app featuring biometric security. At its outset, the myGov app allows end users to store virtual versions of their Healthcare Card or Seniors Healthcare Card, with support for additional documents expected to arrive in the future; and Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten says the app enables access to 15 different government services, using mobile fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, or a PIN for authentication. A planned QR code system will enable users to prove their identity with the app in the future.

University of Ottawa Report Flags Proctoring Biometrics for Privacy Issues

A report from the University of Ottawa has concluded that online proctoring tools that use biometrics to verify students taking remote exams may violate Canadian privacy and anti-discrimination laws. Funded by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the report raised concerns about whether such software systems were getting clear consent from students with respect to the collection of their biometric data, and about data security given that many of the vendors are based in the US, and data must be transferred to their servers.

Saudis Launch Biometric Registration App for Pilgrims

Saudi Arabian officials have announced that Muslim pilgrims from the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Bangladesh can be issued online Umrah visas by submitting biometrics through the Saudi Visa Bio mobile app. The app is designed to collect face, fingerprint, and iris biometrics; completing registration will enable expedited border screening for those who come to the country for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Criminals Spoof Biometrics to Target Aadhaar Payment Systems

Police authorities in the Indian state of Haryana are investigating reports of criminals using copied fingerprint credentials to fraudulently withdraw money using Aadhaar-Enabled Payment Systems. Speaking to The Indian Express, one law enforcement officer said that cybercriminals are “cloning thumb impressions from sale deeds available on various websites” in order to facilitate the schemes. The criminal activities could represent a serious security vulnerability in payment systems designed to use Aadhaar, India’s national biometric identity program, for identity verification.

NYC Men Drugged and Robbed Using Phones’ Face Unlock

An individual or group of criminals has been drugging gay men in New York City and using their phones’ facial recognition systems to access their financial accounts while they were passed out. The New York Times has uncovered five separate cases, with each of the victims attesting that they were drugged at a gay bar by someone whom they don’t remember meeting, only to wake up to find that their accounts had been emptied.

Meta Deploys Yoti’s Age Tech On Facebook Dating Platform

Meta is expanding its use of Yoti’s age estimation and verification technology, this time bringing it to its Facebook Dating platform in the US. In a blog post, the company explained that it will use age estimation technology to detect cases in which a user may be under the age of 18 – the minimum age at which a user is permitted on the platform. In such a situation, the user in question will have the option of either submitting a video selfie, from which a still will be analyzed by Yoti’s technology, or uploading an image of their official ID. The move comes after Meta brought Yoti’s age estimation and verification technology to Instagram in the UK last month.

HYPR Raises $25 Million

HYPR has raised $25 million in a Series C funding round led by Advent International, via the latter’s Advent Tech fund. Known for its passwordless authentication platform, HYPR also attracted further investments from .406 Ventures, RRE Ventures, Top Tier Capital, and Comcast Ventures in the recent funding round. HYPR has now raised investment funding totalling $97 million.

Cognitec Promotes EMEA Sales Director to VP Position

Cognitec has appointed Mikael Fagerlund as its new VP of Sales and Marketing. It’s an internal reshuffling: the position was previously held by Cognitec Systems co-founder Jürgen Pampus, who has now retired. Fagerlund, meanwhile, had served as the company’s sales director for the EMEA regions since 2011. “While Cognitec, and the biometrics community at large, will truly miss Jürgen Pampus, I am confident that Mikael Fagerlund will seize his new role with great competence and motivation,” said Cognitec CEO Alfredo Herrera.

FacePhi Wins Important Certification for Spain’s Banking Market

An external audit conducted by Certeidas has certified that FacePhi’s technology is compliant with the requirements of Spain’s Executive Service of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offenses (SEPBLAC). In a post on the company’s website, FacePhi Quality and Systems Director Jorge Félix explained that the certification “will allow us to offer our solutions to all banks operating in Spain and to position ourselves as a leading supplier.”

NEC Asia Pacific Approved as Hotel Check-in Vendor in Singapore

NEC Asia Pacific’s ‘Smart Check-In’ solution has been certified EVA-Ready by the Singapore Tourism Board. The STB’s “E-Visitor Authentication” system uses facial recognition to match a hotel guest against the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s databases; and the EVA-Ready designation means a given vendor is able to access the EVA application programming interface in order to develop and launch a self check-in solution.

Dubai Future Labs Signs Biometric Robot MoU With Emirates Airline

Dubai Future Labs has established a Memorandum of Understanding with Emirates Airline that will promote the development of a check-in robot that features facial recognition technology enabling it to recognize travelers. Dubai Future Labs is an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation, an economic development agency chaired by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai.

More Florida Counties Embrace BIO-key’s PortalGuard

Florida’s Citrus and Sumter counties have become the latest to contract the use of BIO-key’s PortalGuard Single Sign-On solution to help secure elections operations. The news comes after BIO-key’s announcement in October of similar agreements with county governments across Kansas, Virginia, New Mexico, New York, and South Dakota, as well as Florida, where seven counties are now using BIO-key’s tech. The latest deal was established in partnership with the National Association of Counties.

Startup’s AI System Assesses Heart and Metabolic Conditions Using Video Selfies

Toronto-based NuraLogix has developed an AI system that can measure various health metrics from a 30-second video selfie. Its ‘Anura’ app is designed to perform cardiovascular disease risk assessments by monitoring blood flow in the user’s face; and NuraLogix has now added capabilities enabling the system to assess HbA1c – a blood sugar test that can help to diagnose diabetes – as well as fasting glucose, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia.

Researchers Collaborate On Robot to Manage Sick Kids’ Pain

Researchers from the University of Alberta, Toronto Metropolitan University, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University of Glasgow, and Heriot-Watt University are working together on an AI system for robots designed to help young hospital patients manage pain. “The robot will do some facial recognition stuff and work and speech recognition work to figure out how to react if the child is upset or not engaged,” one researcher told CBC News.

Chinese Surveillance Tech Goes to School

Education authorities in China are piloting a face biometrics system that is designed to monitor students in the classroom. According to a video from the World Economic Forum, the AI system can detect when students raise their hands, stand up, or lean on their desks, and can read their facial expressions to see if they’re distracted – in other words, things that a human teacher would generally be expected to do.

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December 5, 2022 – by Alex Perala