FaceTec’s BIPA Victory, the FTC’s Biometrics Policy, and More – 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:

BIPA Plaintiff Drops Case After Reviewing FaceTec’s Privacy-focused Architecture

A lawsuit filed against FaceTec under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act has been formally dismissed without a hearing, at the direction of the plaintiff, McGuire Law, PC. Like so many others, FaceTec had been accused under BIPA of failing to obtain explicit, written consent for its collection of biometric data, as required under the Act. But FaceTec’s privacy-by-design architecture means that the company itself never actually collects end users’ biometric data – a point that the Plaintiff’s legal counsel were forced to concede.

FTC to Enforce Against False Claims of Biometrics Accuracy: Policy Statement

In a new policy statement, the US Federal Trade Commission is warning that false claims about the accuracy or efficacy of biometric technologies may violate the FTC Act. Other considerations will also factor into FTC deliberations about potential violations of the Act, including failures to address foreseeable harms to consumers, failures to assess the practices of third parties that are given access to consumers’ biometric data, and failures to conduct ongoing monitoring of biometric technologies, among others.

French Court OKs AI-powered Security at 2024 Olympics

France’s highest constitutional court has cleared the use of an AI-powered security surveillance system in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The proposed system is the result of negotiations in France’s parliament, and entails the use of computer vision technology to detect things like unsupervised luggage and suspicious behaviors, while eschewing the use of biometrics. The latter provision is crucial to the Constitutional Council’s new ruling, which rules out the possibility of later implementing biometric capabilities in the surveillance system.

UIDAI Seeks New CTO

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which manages the country’s sprawling biometric ID program, “Aadhaar”, is looking for a new Chief Technology Officer. The desired CTO would have more than 20 years of experience, would be stationed in Bengaluru, and would receive a salary in the range of 1-1.5 crore rupees, or roughly $121,000 to $181,000 USD. Among the executives responsibilities will be the establishment of a “Biometrics Research Centre”, according to the UIDAI posting, as well as a mandate to guide and direct a biometrics research project being carried out by IIIT Hyderabad as well as other R&D efforts.

CCIA Warns Against ‘Broad Definitions’ of Nevada Privacy Bill

The Computer & Communications Industry Association has submitted comments to the Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor concerning SB 370, a health and biometric data privacy bill. The CCIA says the bill is disconcertingly similar to Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), with a broad scope that could harm businesses. CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender says the state should use “narrower definitions” than those outlined in the bill.

Smart Engines Upgrades ID Reader

Smart Engines has announced its next-generation identity document scanning solution, Smart ID Engine v2.0.0. The company says the new version of its software, which enables the scanning of IDs including passports and driver’s licenses, is 15 percent smaller, with a 30 percent reduction in RAM consumption. It can be integrated into a mobile or desktop application, and can be supplemented with a face scanning solution that matches the end user to their ID. Smart Engines has also added support for additional documents from a number of countries, including Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Brazil, China, Mexico, the US, and the UK, among others.

Kyndryl, Credence ID Support Mobile ID Reading at Arizona MVD

IBM spinoff Kyndryl and Credence ID have delivered mobile ID reading technology to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division, starting with an initial deployment in Scottsdale. Their solution lets residents check into the MVD by scanning or tapping their device at a “Tap2iD” digital reader. The companies say that the reader can scan all International Organization of Standardization (ISO18013-5)-compliant digital wallets. The Arizona MCD became one of the first such agencies in the country to adopt mobile driver’s license technology in 2021, through a partnership with IDEMIA.

–

May 18, 2023 – by Alex Perala