Healthcare Biometrics in the Spotlight – 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:

White House Bans Biometric Data Sales to China, Russia

The White House has issued an executive order restricting bulk transfers of Americans’ sensitive data to “countries of concern” including China and Russia. Such data includes biometrics, health and financial information, and geolocation data. The order is aimed at data brokers, who are selling Americans’ data to countries where it is used “in a variety of nefarious activities including malicious cyber-enabled activities, espionage and blackmail,” officials said.

TSA’s Face-based Screening Comes to O’Hare, LAX

The Transportation Security Administration has brought its face-based security screening system to Chicago’s O’Hare (ORD) airport and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in partnership with United Airlines. The “Touchless ID” system is meant for TSA PreCheck members, who can sign up using United Airline’s mobile app in a process that requires users to upload images of their passport. Once enrolled, they can move through a Touchless ID lane via a facial recognition scan, without the need to present a passport, ID, or boarding pass. The TSA has been consulting with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) research arm to ensure the effectiveness and accuracy of the technology.

Hospital Network Settles BIPA Lawsuit for $2.6M

The St. Louis-based hospital network Ascension has reached a $2.6 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act—originally against Presence Health, which was acquired by Ascension in 2018. The lawsuit alleged that the organization failed to obtain written consent from employees before collecting their biometric data in a fingerprint-based time and attendance tracking system, contrary to the requirements of BIPA. The settlement is particularly noteworthy for arriving after the Illinois Supreme Court reaffirmed BIPA’s exemption for healthcare applications of biometric data collection late last year.

Partnership Aims to Register Real Estate Agents in Nigeria

NeGSt-TAS Technologies Ltd, a Nigerian e-government services and digital transformation consultancy, has partnered with the Estate Rent & Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (ERCAAN), a group for real estate professionals in the country, to develop a digital registry of real estate agents. The organizations say they will use a biometric enrollment system to establish a database of certified agents who are endorsed by ERCAAN. They have not yet disclosed what kind of biometric technology will be used in the process.

Caribbean Island Gets More Biometric Security

Additional biometric surveillance cameras have been installed in the picturesque Mexican island of Cozumel. Twenty new face-scanning cameras have now been deployed, set up atop posts at strategic locations throughout the island city. The move comes after an initial batch of 33 face-scanning cameras were deployed last October. A senior official with the Cozumel government asserted that the municipality had fully acquired the facial recognition cameras, rather than rented them; though the vendor of the cameras has not been disclosed.

Rebranded ‘Secure Passage’ to Launch Security Intelligence Platform

Kansas City-based Haystax is rebranding to “Secure Passage” and will have a renewed focus on converged security, the company has announced. To that end, Secure Passage plans to launch new security solution in the second quarter of this year, including Truman, which it describes as a platform that will collect “inbound intelligence from Cyber Physical security solutions.” This data will be collected from a range of sources including facial recognition cameras and “behavioral and physical assessments,” among others.

New Healthcare Kiosk Features HID’s Facial Recognition

HID Global and Certify Health have teamed up with kiosk manufacturer CTS on a biometric patient check-in kiosk. HID and Certify first announced their partnership last September, explaining that its aim would be to develop a biometric patient engagement solution using HID’s U.Are.U facial recognition camera solution and Certify Health’s patient management system. Their joint solution has now been implemented in a self-service kiosk made by CTS, which will be showcased at the HIMSS 2024 event slated for March 11-15 in Orlando, Florida.

Corsight, ISEG Bring Biometric Security to Mexican Hospitals

Corsight AI has partnered with ISEG, a Peru-based security company that operates across the west coast of South America and in Mexico. The latter has already integrated Corsight’s facial recognition technology into a security system for the Auna Healthcare Network’s three hospitals in Monterrey, Mexico. Corsight’s technology is being used to regulate access to certain areas, such as administrative offices and infant care units, and to watch for known security threats. “Their facial recognition technology has profoundly improved our security strategy,” said ISEG CEO Gabriel Lerner.

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February 28, 2024 – by Alex Perala