ID Talk: Year in Preview with Danielle VanZandt and Alan Goode

The latest episode of ID Talk brings together Danielle VanZandt, Industry Manager for Frost & Sullivan’s Security Practice, and Alan Goode, CEO and Chief Analyst of Goode Intelligence, to discuss key trends shaping digital identity in 2025. Hosted as always by Alex Perala and Tony Bitzionis, the conversation covers the European Union’s Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI), which is set for rollout in 2026, with pilot programs and regulatory developments expected to take shape this year. The discussion also touches on the UK’s renewed push for digital identity, with the government’s recent mobile driver’s license initiative raising questions about its impact on existing identity verification frameworks.

Age verification remains a major topic as governments introduce new regulations for social media, online commerce, and adult content. The conversation examines recent developments in the UK, Australia, and the US, as well as the growing role of biometric authentication in regulatory compliance. In retail, biometric payments continue to gain traction, with new deployments of face and palm vein recognition systems. However, widespread adoption remains dependent on merchant buy-in and integration with existing payment infrastructure.

The travel industry continues to expand its use of digital credentials, with biometric boarding, digital passports, and partnerships between airlines and identity solution providers driving innovation. The conversation highlights successful implementations and the potential for broader applications beyond air travel. Meanwhile, the rise of AI-driven fraud, including deepfake and synthetic identity attacks, remains a pressing concern. The discussion covers the latest countermeasures, such as liveness detection and AI-driven fraud prevention, and considers the long-term impact of rapidly advancing generative AI models.

The episode concludes with a bit of lighthearted speculation about a major and oft-delayed biometric project in Europe—drawing, of course, on the expertise of the interlocutors.

Listen to the full episode through the media player below, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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January 29, 2025 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team