Even Worldcoin Couldn’t Stay Away from Selfie Authentication – 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:

Worldcoin Launches ‘World ID 2.0’

Worldcoin has expended into selfie-based authentication with the launch of the next generation of its digital identity platform, World ID 2.0. The company, which was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is known for its use of iris-scanning “Orb” devices in its user registration process. The aim is to establish irrefutably unique identities on the platform that are tied to real human beings. Now, with World ID 2.0, the company is starting to integrate its platform with others, including Reddit, Discord, Shopify, Minecraft and Telegram—all of which will accept World ID logins. And Worldcoin has established three different “Levels” of authentication adjusted to different risk scenarios: The simplest one, “World ID Device”, relies on a trusted device for authentication, while the next Level, “World ID Orb”, makes sure that the device is registered to someone who has been scanned by an Orb. A third Level, “World ID Orb+”, requires face-based authentication on a registered device.

Toronto Startup Launches Digital ID for Online Marketplaces

Confirm, a Toronto-based startup, has launched a new digital ID solution. Dubbed “ConfirmID”, it uses facial recognition to match an end user’s selfie to their government-issued ID; and to add an extra layer of trust, it asks users to link their Facebook account. The digital ID solution is primarily aimed at securing transactions in online marketplaces. Previously dubbed “Qui Identity”, Confirm was founded in the spring of 2022 by Kirk Simpson and Peter Carrescia, who previously worked together at Wave Financial.

Onfido Enhances Onboarding for InbestMe

Onfido is now providing its selfie-based onboarding technology for InbestMe, a Barcelona-based digital investment platform. The integration of Onfido’s tech means that new InbestMe users can verify their identity when setting up a new account simply by uploading a photo of their government-issued ID and using the app to scan their face in a brief video session. The new process will both streamline account opening and help to fight fraud. News of the integration comes after Onfido published its “2024 Identity Fraud Report” near the end of last month.

Hitachi, Concordium Team Up on Web3 Wallet

Hitachi Solutions will work with the Concordium Foundation on a Web3 wallet that will leverage Hitachi’s Public Biometric Infrastructure (PBI), which combines biometric authentication with digital signature technologies based on Public Key Infrastructure. Based in Switzerland, the Concordium Foundation says its mission is to provide a Layer1 blockchain focused on self-sovereign data ownership and secure transactions. Concordium and Hitachi say they will pursue a proof of concept that will “explore the possibility of having a seed phrase generated when a wallet is created, triggered by a PBI, using only biometrics when restoring the wallet, and operating without storing the seed phrase anywhere under users’ management.”

PimEyes Faces BIPA Lawsuit

A group of five individuals have jointly filed a lawsuit against the facial recognition company PimEyes, alleging that it violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) through its collection and use of their face images without their consent. PimEyes essentially operating a web-based face search tool, having collected the images in its database from the internet. The lawsuit has been filed against not only the company itself but also its co-founders Lucasz Kowalczyk and Denis Tatina, its current CEO Giorgi Gobronidze, and another company, “Public Mirror”, that was founded by Kowalczyk and Tatina and has similar capabilities, according to Business Insider. The lawsuit seeks damages of $15,000 per complainant.

Dashlane Launches Passwordless Login System

Dashlane has launched a passwordless login system that leverages end users’ mobile devices to enable authentication via PIN and face or fingerprint recognition. It’s somewhat similar to the passkey concept; but as other tech platforms were embracing passkeys earlier this year, Dashlane announced that it was working on its own custom solution, which establishes a unique encryption key that is stored on the user’s device at the time of account creation. This, the company says, adheres to its zero-knowledge architecture. The passwordless login option is available only for new users, across compatible iOS and Android devices.

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December 13, 2023 – by Alex Perala