Welcome to ID Tech’s digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:
CLEAR Partners with Stripe to Transform Digital Identity Payment Systems
Stripe has partnered with CLEAR to manage payments and subscription billing for the identity verification company’s 30 million-plus members, significantly expanding CLEAR’s digital transaction capabilities. Through Stripe’s infrastructure, CLEAR will offer diverse payment methods, including digital wallets, and introduce new services like CLEAR Mobile, enabling one-time QR codes for expedited security. Stripe Terminal now supports card payments at CLEAR’s facial recognition airport pods, and Stripe’s fraud prevention solution, Radar, reduces false declines and fraudulent transactions.
Police Scotland’s Custody Photos Too Poor for Facial Recognition Use
Police Scotland’s custody images collected between 2019 and 2024 have significant quality issues that severely limit their effectiveness in facial recognition technology, according to Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr. Brian Plastow. A software issue reduced image sizes below recommended standards, with further compression degrading quality and causing about 98 percent of facial searches through the Police National Database (PND) to fail. The report calls for improved policies, training, data collection methods, and public transparency regarding biometric technologies, cautioning that attempts to fix image quality retrospectively could further compromise data reliability.
Facial Recognition Firm Corsight AI First to Achieve ISO AI Transparency Standard
Corsight AI has become the first facial recognition provider to receive ISO 42001 certification, emphasizing transparency and explainability in AI algorithms. This certification requires Corsight to clearly demonstrate how its AI models arrive at decisions, addressing widespread concerns over AI’s traditionally opaque “black box” processes. The achievement underscores Corsight’s commitment to accountability and regulatory compliance amid growing scrutiny of biometric technologies.
Hopae Launches $1M Developer Bounty to Support eID Integration
Hopae has launched the Hopae Bounty Challenge, a developer initiative offering a $1 million prize pool to accelerate the integration of electronic ID (eID) systems into its blockchain-based identity verification API, hConnect. The challenge invites global developers to submit code integrating various eIDs, aiming to enhance decentralized, secure, and scalable digital identity solutions compliant with frameworks like eIDAS 2.0. Founded by former COOV developers, Hopae focuses on decentralized identifier (DID) technologies and has recently expanded globally, including U.S. and European operations targeting esports, travel, and logistics markets.
Trust Stamp Secures Patent for Anti-Deepfake Biometric Verification System
Trust Stamp has received USPTO allowance for its patent on “Shape Overlay for Proof of Liveness,” a new technology designed to counter deepfake and injection attacks in biometric authentication. The innovation uses interactive, randomly-generated shape overlays in a challenge-response system, enhancing protection by requiring real-time user engagement. Compatible with standard smartphones, this method provides accessible, cost-effective biometric security without specialized hardware.
South Africa Modernizes Digital ID System with Major Speed and Accuracy Upgrades
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has significantly upgraded its digital verification system, reducing error rates from 50 percent to under one percent and achieving near-instantaneous response times. The improvements support government entities like the National Treasury and SASSA, as well as private sector services including banking and insurance. Starting April 1, 2025, private sector users will face increased fees—the first rise in over a decade—while public sector access remains free. This initiative aligns with South Africa’s broader five-year digital transformation plan to fully digitize Home Affairs services by 2029.
Precise Biometrics’ Anti-Spoofing Tech Approved for India’s Aadhaar ID System
Precise Biometrics’ BioLive anti-spoofing solution has received approval from India’s UIDAI for integration into Aadhaar’s biometric verification systems. BioLive combats presentation attacks during identity checks, bolstering Aadhaar’s security as India expands biometric authentication across multiple sectors, including financial trading. This approval strengthens Precise Biometrics’ market position in India and highlights growing opportunities for biometric security solutions in national ID programs worldwide.
Regula’s ID Document Database Hits 15,000 Templates, Sets Industry Record
Regula has expanded its identity document database to a record 15,000 templates, covering documents from 251 countries and territories in 138 languages, making it the industry’s largest collection. The latest additions include biometric passports from India, Sri Lanka, and Guyana, updated documents from several countries, and a notable shift towards polycarbonate-based IDs enhancing anti-counterfeiting measures. The expansion responds to increasing global demand for precise verification of complex, multi-format identity documents.
Serenity Debuts Password-Free Biometric App for Crypto Security
Serenity has launched sAxess, a biometric-only access app on the App Store, using fingerprint authentication via a physical card to eliminate password vulnerabilities in cryptocurrency and secure data management. Integrated with Serenity’s blockchain-based sBox and enhanced by the company’s Decentralised Data Survivability Protocol (DeDaSP), sAxess offers secure digital wallet access and protects crypto seed phrases. Targeting industries like banking, healthcare, and real estate, the app builds upon Serenity’s recent global deployments and partnership with IDEMIA, promoting broader adoption of decentralized, biometric-secured technologies.
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March 25, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis and Alex Perala
