How to Find Out if Your Dog Is Stressed – 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:

Canadian Judge Revives Biometric Privacy Lawsuit Against Google

A Canadian judge has revived a lawsuit against Google over its use of biometrics to group the faces of individuals in its Google Photos platform. Yeremia Situmorang’s lawsuit had previously been dismissed by a judge in British Columbia, who determined that the lawsuit failed to show that Google broke the law, and to show that a reasonable person would consider its use of biometrics offensive, among other things. But Justice Karen Horsman has now sided with Situmorang’s appeal of the ruling, saying that the matter is properly about whether Google has the right to “control” someone’s biometric data. The case will now go to the B.C. Supreme Court.

Mashgin, Keyo Partner On Biometric Checkout

Palo Alto-based Mashgin has partnered with Keyo on a biometric self-checkout system that the companies characterize as being similar to Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” system but offering “a fraction of the cost, headache, and privacy concerns for retailers.” The system revolves around Mashgin’s touchless self-checkout technology and Keyo’s palm-scanning technology. Though Mashgin is a startup that has conducted a Series B funding round, it’s almost a decade old, and says that its non-biometric checkout systems have been deployed across hundreds of locations.

Cypriot Startup Launches Facial Recognition API

Expertum, a Cyprus-based startup, has launched a cloud-hosted facial recognition API that the company says is designed for rigorous compliance with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation. Expertum also boasts of a high accuracy rate, asserting that its “Face.Match.Expert” system can match faces in milliseconds with 99.98 percent accuracy, and it can simultaneously handle 1,000 requests. “We are proud to offer this innovative tool as a SaaS solution, complete with a user-friendly API integration option,” said co-founder Lukasz Kowalczyk.

Paravision Unveils Liveness Solution for Selfie IDV

Paravision has launched a new liveness detection system tailored for selfie-based images used in remote identity verification. The initial commercial release of Paravision Liveness comprises cloud-based liveness detection and what the company describes as “advanced image quality SDKs” for iOS and Android. It requires only one face image to determine liveness, and its compliance with iBeta Level 2 means that it has demonstrated the ability to detect every spoofing attempt without error. Paravision says the solution shares “strategic synergy” with ongoing work in the area of deepfake detection, with another such tool planned for release later this quarter.

Zwipe Abandons Biometric Payment Card Pursuits

Zwipe is officially dropping its biometric payment card efforts to focus exclusively on access control. In announcing the pivot, Zwipe CEO Robert Puskaric explained that it is “a natural outcome” of the significant market traction its Zwipe Access solution achieved in 2023, with over 30 partnerships signed or in progress last year. Now, the company has 60 proofs of concept in progress, with the EU NIS2 Directive on cybersecurity requirements helping to further drive interest in Zwipe’s compliant solution. A strategic restructuring is now underway, with five employees to be cut from the Zwipe Pay team on a net basis. Zwipe expects to save NOK 40 million in operating costs this year.

Smart Collar Can Scan for Pets’ Heart Disease

A new “smart collar” for pets from the French company Invoxia may be the most advanced wearable yet for non-human animals. The Minitailz’ main function is to serve as a GPS-powered pet tracker, but it also packs biometric sensors that can monitor respiratory and heart information, with an accuracy rate that Invoxia pegs at around 97 to 99 percent. What’s more, it can detect the signs of heart disease, as well as stress and other pathologies. At the moment, it’s only meant for a dogs, but a cat-friendly version is expected to launch in March.

–

January 16, 2024 – by Alex Perala