Google Wants Videos of Teens in Hats – 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:

UK Police Have Been Searching Searching Passport Records With Facial Recognition

Police agencies in the United Kingdom have been conducting facial recognition searches through the country’s database of 46 million passport holders, according to documents obtained by The Telegraph and the advocacy group Liberty Investigates through a freedom of information request. The vast major of the previously undisclosed searches occurred in 2023, which saw over 300 searches. In total, 391 searches have been conducted since 2019. After being alerted of the search program, the Information Commissioner’s Office said it was engaging with the Home Office on this issue, with respect to data protection.

Google Pays for Video Clips of Teens

Google is paying parents to submit video clips of their teenage children in an effort to train a face verification system, according to a report from 404 Media. The project is being carried out in partnership with the Canadian telecom Telus, which is offering parents $50 per video. The program’s terms and conditions explain that Google’s team is interested in eyelid shape, skin tone, and “facial geometry” more broadly. Participating parents are asked to provide 11 short videos of their kids, aged 13-17, wearing props including hats and face masks, presumably to help Google’s AI system better respond to obscuring face wear.

BIO-key’s AuthControl Sentry Gets Another Win

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is upgrading its digital security through BIO-key Europe’s AuthControl Sentry solution, thanks to the latter’s partnership with IT2Trust, which was selected by the Danish government to implement the solution. It’s the latest sign of momentum for AuthControl Sentry, which was brought into BIO-key’s portfolio through its acquisition of Swivel Secure Europe in 2022. The announcement arrives on the heels of the news that the Judiciary Police of Portugal had deployed a VPN secured by AuthControl Sentry. The Danish deployment is expected to extend secure authentication to some 4,500 end users.

Trust Stamp Meets Year-End Goal for Orchestration Layer

Trust Stamp has announced that 45 customers had either integrated its ‘Orchestration Layer’ for biometric identity verification, or were in the process of integrating it, at the end of 2023. That’s a considerable jump from the 22 customers implementing the solution in January of 2023, and a win for the company’s management after President Andrew Gowasack said he was aiming to get 45-50 financial institutions onboard by 2023’s end in August of last year, when the figure sat at only 29. “Although our primary marketing focus is on US financial institutions, the design of the Orchestration Layer allows for its implementation in many other sectors, both in the United States and overseas, and we are working actively on a number of domestic and international opportunities,” Gowasack said in Trust Stamp’s latest update.

Biometric Ring for Women Wins CES Award

Movano’s Evie Ring has won a 2024 CES Innovation Honoree Award, and begins shipping this month. The biometric wearable is primarily aimed at women, leveraging sensors to track a range of signals relating to mood and menstrual cycles, in addition to counting steps and other physical activities. The ring currently operates in conjunction with an iOS app, but Movano says it plans to introduce Android support in the second quarter of this year.

Samsung Pushes Smartwatch in Healthcare Through Partnerships

Samsung Electronics is looking to extend the use of its Galaxy Watch in healthcare applications through strategic partnerships, thanks to its Privileged Health Software Development Kit together with the smartwatch’s biometric sensors. Partners include Biofourmis, which has integrated the Galaxy Watch into its remote patient monitoring platform; Kencor Health, which leverages the Galaxy Watch in a platform designed to predict hyperkalemia in chronic kidney disease patients; and Oova, which uses smartwatch data to remotely monitor women’s hormone levels and menstrual cycles.

Bardados Aims for Digital ID Rollout This Year

Barbados’ Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Davison Ishmael, has announced that the government is aiming to launch a digital ID for citizens this year. “We are working assiduously to get the digital ID delivered within the course of this year,” Minister Ishmael said. “There are a lot of things to be put in place relative to this. There is the technology, the processes and more importantly the people that are all part of the moving parts that we need to settle down before I can give a more specific date.” Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

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January 8, 2024 – by Alex Perala