Ekemp Takes Liberia’s Election Commission to Court: 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:

Product Launches

Veritone has announced a new person-tracking computer vision system that does not rely on facial recognition. In a statement, the company explained that Veritone Tracker identifies people as “human-like objects”, and is capable of tracking individuals across different segments of video footage. In so doing, the solution skirts the “privacy concerns” that tend to plague individual-tracking surveillance solutions based on facial recognition technology.

California-based ABBYY has launched a selfie-based onboarding solution. Operating since 1989, the company is primarily known for its document reading technology. Its new ABBYY Proof of Identity solution builds on that technological foundation, adding a facial recognition component that ABBYY says is based on a top-rated algorithm under National Institute of Standards and Technology testing.

Strategic Partnerships

Indue, an Australia-based Approved Deposit-taking Institution, has partnered with BioCatch. The arrangement will see Indue offer the latter’s anti-fraud behavioral biometrics technology to its network of financial institutions, retailers, and non-profits. “We want to minimise the risk and maximise the security of online banking and embedding BioCatch’s best-in-class behavioural biometrics technology into our end-to-end payment solutions will create a seamless and safe digital experience for users,” explained Indue Chief Risk Officer Jane Hinton.

Cipher Skin has partnered with Medistics, the developer of a data-focused patient care platform. The partnership will give Medistics access to the motion and biometric data collected through Cipher Skin’s BioSleeve wearables. The news comes after Cipher Skin’s partnership with AI and Machine Learning specialist Striveworks last month.

Promo Espacio, a Mexico-based, advertising-focused digital media company, has agreed to become a reseller of Winkel Media’ in-store ad network in the country. Winkel Media is a joint venture between Anheuser-Busch InBev, Retailigent Media, and VSBLTY, and offers the latter’s face biometrics technology through its portfolio. The partnership means that Promo Espacio could add smart signage to its in-store screen network that is capable of analyzing consumers’ demographic characteristics, such as age and gender.

Licensing Agreements

MSP Recovery has signed a $7.5 million licensing agreement for the use of its LifeWallet, a healthcare analytics platform that supports a number of technologically-driven administrative solutions for healthcare providers, including a biometric check-in system based on facial recognition. The company did not name its client, but added that the deal is also expected to deliver an anticipated $1 million in annual fees.

CBDCs

IDEMIA and Barbados-based digital currency specialist Bitt have won the 2022 G20 TechSprint global CBDC competition, organized by BIS Innovation Hub and Bank Indonesia. The competition assessed over a hundred submissions of digital currency prototypes; the winning solution combined Bitt’s Digital Currency Management System with IDEMIA’s solution for offline CBDC payments.

Biometric Time and Attendance

Authorities in India’s Telangana state have made biometric time and attendance tracking mandatory at higher education institutions including universities and both public and private colleges. Attendance tracking will be tied to Aadhaar, India’s expansive biometric national ID program. The mandate applies to students, teachers, and non-teaching staff.

Liberia and Ekemp

Ekemp is taking Liberia’s National Elections Commission to court. Together with its partners, the company has filed a Writ of Prohibition with the Supreme Court of Liberia concerning the country’s biometric voter registration project. It’s the latest twist in a messy procurement process in which the Commission was first accused of showing favoritism toward Ekemp, and was then accused of essentially sabotaging Ekemp’s bid in a do-over of the Commission’s vendor assessments, with Ekemp Managing Director Yan Liu complaining that his company’s demonstration was interrupted by an unexpected technical demand from the evaluation committee.

BIPA Cases

RelaDyne, a provider of automotive, commercial, and industrial lubricants, has agreed to a $120,900 settlement over a lawsuit under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. RelaDyne was accused of failing to obtain written consent from workers for its collection of their biometrics with respect to the use of a fingerprint-scanning time clock, as well as failing to provide certain disclosures required under BIPA.

Digital ID

The Japanese government plans to phase out the use of physical health insurance cards in the autumn of 2024, with plans to replace them with the country’s My Number digital ID system. In announcing the decision, the government noted that using My Number would enable healthcare providers to identify patients using facial recognition technology. My Number was first launched in 2016, but so far only about 20 percent of the Japanese population has registered for it.

IoT Security

The White House has set a date for its stakeholder meeting concerning plans to introduce a cybersecurity labelling system for Internet of Things devices, saying it will convene on October 19. “We’ve invited a range of stakeholders from device manufacturers, industry associations … and members of Congress to discuss what is needed to foster an effective IoT security labeling ecosystem,” said Stephen Kelly, the National Security Council’s Senior Director for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology.

So What’s the Deal With Biometrics?

John O’Hurley, the actor who famously played J. Peterman on Seinfeld, has signed on as a brand ambassador for Q5id, the provider of an eponymous biometric authentication app. The app document reading technology and face and palm biometrics to verify user’s identities. An initial version was first launched in early 2020; but with O’Hurley seeking media opportunities to promote the solution, it is starting to see renewed attention and interest.

–

October 13, 2022 – by Alex Perala