Welcome to FindBiometrics’ digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:
Ghana Opposition Party Calls for Inquiry Into Missing Voter Biometrics Tech
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Ghana has demanded a thorough investigation and a forensic audit of the voters register following the alleged theft of biometric electoral equipment. The call was made by NDC General Secretary, Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, during a press conference in Accra, emphasizing the need for the investigation to be conducted by an independent body with international observers to ensure impartiality and thoroughness. The NDC has also proposed a complete audit of the Electoral Commission’s inventory and security measures, especially concerning the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) and Biometric Verification Device (BVD) equipment. This situation has escalated as three EC staff members and a student have been arrested and charged with theft related to the disappearance of the biometric devices.
Maryland Gets Stringent FRT Law
Maryland has enacted the strictest limitations on law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology in the US. The new law restricts investigations using facial recognition to specific crimes, including violent felonies and child endangerment. It prohibits its use on people engaged in protected activities like protests and limits comparisons to databases maintained by government agencies. The legislation also regulates how facial recognition can be used in court and requires law enforcement agencies to be transparent about their use of the technology.
FRT Can Predict Political Views, Study Says
Researchers led by Michal Kosinski at Stanford University have published a study in the journal American Psychologist demonstrating that facial recognition technology can predict a person’s political orientation from neutral facial expressions with a statistically significant accuracy. The study used a facial recognition algorithm to analyze standardized photographs of 591 participants, controlling for variables such as makeup, jewelry, and facial expressions, to focus purely on facial features. These features were encoded into numerical vectors and analyzed to predict political leanings. The facial recognition system performed with a correlation coefficient of .22—a modest but statistically significant result.
SecureAuth Gets New CEO
SecureAuth has named Joseph Dhanapal as its new Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Dhanapal comes to the company from Ping Identity, where he started as Chief of Staff in 2016 and became VP of PingOne Advanced Services in 2019. Before that, he served in managerial positions with TeleTech and CenturyLink. The appointment follows SecureAuth’s recent strategic acquisition of Cloudentity and is part of a broader initiative to enhance product innovation and customer experience.
iiDENTIFii Gets New Distributor
Tarsus Distribution has entered into a distribution agreement with iiDENTIFii, a biometric technology company based in Cape Town, to bring identity verification solutions to the African market. iiDENTIFii specializes in face authentication technology that is crafted to effectively recognize individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, a significant feature given Africa’s vast ethnic diversity. The partnership aims to enhance identity verification processes across Africa, and allows Tarsus Distribution to extend its offerings in the ICT solutions sector by leveraging iiDENTIFii’s specialized biometric technology.
Audience Engagement Platform Gets ‘Facial Attribution’ Feature
VIDIZMO has announced the addition of “Facial Attribution” technology to its suite of products. The new feature enables the automatic detection of demographic attributes such as age range, gender, and ethnicity within video and image content. Designed to aid organizations in better understanding their audience and making informed decisions, the technology is meant to be integrated across various platforms, including internal communication tools and customer-facing services.
Ant Group Subsidiary Launches Deepfake Detection Tool
Ant Group’s tech subsidiary, Zoloz, has launched “Zoloz Deeper,” a new solution designed to combat the growing threat of deepfakes in facial recognition systems. Zoloz says its new solution uses precise sensor checks and dynamic risk controls that scrutinize a range of factors, such as camera status and network conditions, to ensure the integrity of biometric data. Zoloz Deeper also uses deep learning models to analyze facial movements, distinguishing real human interactions from AI-generated fakes by examining micro-expressions and muscle textures. It is supported by Ant Group’s Tianji Lab, which provides a large dataset for training and continuous testing, as well as external security experts through the Ant Security Response Center.
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April 17, 2024 – by Alex Perala and Tony Bitzionis
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