ID Tech Digest – November 8, 2024

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:

ActorShield Raises $3M to Protect Actors from AI Deepfakes

ActorShield, a digital identity protection startup, has raised $3 million in seed funding to develop technology that safeguards actors and content creators from unauthorized AI-generated impersonations. With AI-generated deepfakes and fake endorsements on the rise, ActorShield’s platform will enable creators to detect and prevent unauthorized usage of their likeness in AI-generated content. The solution aligns with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed regulations, which call for transparency in AI content creation and liability for misuse. ActorShield’s technology, using blockchain verification and content analysis, aims to authenticate legitimate content while flagging impersonations. Initially targeting professional actors and prominent creators, ActorShield plans to expand to general consumer protection applications.

ICE Seeks Partner for Biometric-Based Non-Citizen Supervision Program

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking an industry partner to develop a biometric-based non-citizen supervision program, aiming to expand its current biometric data collection capabilities, which include fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scans. The initiative is part of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) program, which has faced scrutiny and legal challenges related to data management and privacy practices. In May 2024, digital rights advocates filed lawsuits over ICE’s data-sharing practices with Latin American governments, spotlighting potential Fourth Amendment violations linked to database inaccuracies. A federal court in California recently flagged issues with ICE’s databases, citing errors from shared names and birthdates that led to false positives. ICE’s data-sharing agreements, particularly with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have also raised privacy concerns, especially regarding the storage and exchange of biometric data.

SMX, FinGo ID Look to Add Biometric Verification to Ethical Gold Sourcing

SMX and FinGo ID have partnered to introduce biometric tracking within artisanal small-scale (ASM) gold mining, integrating SMX’s molecular marking technology with FinGo’s VeinID platform to enhance transparency and ethical sourcing. SMX’s molecular marking enables tracking of physical materials through unique microscopic markers, while FinGo’s VeinID, which uses infrared scanning to identify unique vein patterns, will verify individuals involved in the supply chain. This combination aims to create an auditable, end-to-end system that documents both human participants and materials, addressing transparency challenges in the ASM sector, which supports over 100 million workers globally.

IDEMIA Enhances INTERPOL’s Biometric Capabilities with New MBIS 5 System

IDEMIA Public Security has delivered an upgraded Multibiometric Identification System (MBIS 5/MBSS) to INTERPOL, enhancing its biometric identification capabilities for international law enforcement. The MBIS 5/MBSS integrates with INTERPOL’s Bio HUB infrastructure, allowing member countries to query the database using multiple biometric modalities, including fingerprints and facial images. IDEMIA’s new system incorporates algorithmic solutions, with its latent fingerprint identification algorithms recently ranked top by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for forensic identification accuracy.

Hong Kong to Test Privacy-Preserving Digital ID for Mainland Chinese Users

Hong Kong’s financial regulators are trialing a privacy-preserving digital identity verification system to facilitate anonymous Know Your Customer (KYC) processes for mainland Chinese citizens accessing cross-border financial services. The initiative builds on Hong Kong’s digital identity framework, launched in 2020, and incorporates cryptographic methods such as threshold signatures, fuzzy cliques, and zero-knowledge proofs, enabling identity verification without exposing personal data. The trials leverage decentralized identity technology with features like biometric liveness detection and blockchain-based credential verification to prevent fraud and ensure secure, compliant identity validation. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) anticipates completing the initial phase of testing by mid-2025, with plans to support cross-border regulatory frameworks and seamless, privacy-preserving financial operations.

Precise Biometrics Expands Portfolio with Crunchfish’s Gesture Recognition Technology

Precise Biometrics has partnered with Crunchfish to integrate hand gesture recognition technology into its authentication solutions, enhancing contactless interaction capabilities. Precise Biometrics will pay SEK 0.2 million (about $22,000 USD) for the initial integration, support, and technology transfer. This collaboration aligns with Precise Biometrics’ strategy to diversify its portfolio, following the appointment of Joakim Nydemark as CEO in August 2023. Crunchfish, previously focused on augmented reality and mobile applications, is now extending into security and authentication. The collaboration allows both companies to retain independence while combining technological expertise, with potential for further partnership based on successful integration and market reception.

British Care Homes Trial Face Biometrics for Pain Management

Care homes in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes are trialing facial recognition technology for pain management through a 12-month pilot initiated by the Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme at Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (BLMK ICS). The pilot, launched in February 2024, uses PainChek, an AI-driven tool that analyzes facial micro-expressions to assess pain levels, particularly benefiting residents who struggle to communicate their discomfort. PainChek uses smartphone cameras to capture brief facial video sequences, which are processed by machine learning algorithms to detect pain indicators. Seven care homes are involved, with initial data from six homes showing a 55 percent reduction in pain medication use over two months. The pilot, which now extends to 1,000 residents, received £1.1 million in funding from NHS England’s Adult Social Care Technology Fund, supporting the PainChek project and the deployment of Robopets for enhanced resident care.

Kenya Drops IMEI Declaration for Tourists, Focuses on Residents and Importers

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reversed its IMEI declaration requirement for tourists and short-term visitors, refocusing the system on Kenyan residents and commercial importers under the Enterprise API Integration (EAPI) project, set to start on January 1, 2025. Foreign devices on roaming numbers are exempt from declaration, and visitors purchasing local SIM cards will have dedicated support for compliance. Kenyan residents returning with devices valued under $2,000 for personal use can bring them tax-free upon IMEI declaration. The system, managed by the KRA with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), uses unique 15-digit IMEI identifiers to verify devices and combat counterfeit phones, which account for 30-40 percent of devices in Kenya. For commercial imports, non-compliant devices will be held until taxes are settled, with strict measures in place to detect cloned or misused IMEIs.

UAE Implements India’s UPI for Cross-Border Payments

The UAE has launched support for India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, allowing seamless, real-time transactions for Indian nationals and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the UAE. Enabled through a partnership between India’s NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and UAE’s Network International, this cross-border payment system integrates biometric authentication and digital identity verification, aligning with the UAE’s digital infrastructure for secure financial transactions. Indian users in the UAE can access UPI services through banks like Federal Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, South Indian Bank, and AU Small Finance Bank, streamlining remittances in light of India’s status as the largest global remittance recipient.

DoD Issues RFI for Advanced Biometric Wellness Solution

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), via the Defense Health Agency (DHA), has issued an RFI under Notice ID HT0011-24-RFI-0220 to evaluate a biometric wellness platform. This new system aims to integrate data from wearable devices, gathering physiological metrics like heart rate variability, sleep, and stress indicators, to enhance workforce wellness interventions. The DHA’s requirements highlight a holistic platform combining physiological data with other metrics to support individualized, group, and role-based wellness programs, while ensuring compliance with federal data security standards. The platform must feature real-time, enterprise-level data visualization for monitoring wellness metrics across organizational layers, supporting DHA’s data-driven approach to decision-making. Responses from vendors are due by November 19, 2024, and should address how their solutions meet these specifications.

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November 8, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis and Alex Perala