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:
NZ Grocery Chain Says FRT Prevented 130 Serious Incidents
A six-month trial of facial recognition technology at 25 Foodstuffs North Island supermarkets in New Zealand has shown promising results, preventing 130 serious incidents and improving safety for staff and customers. The technology, trialed in New World and Pak’nSave stores, helped deter repeat offenders by generating 1,747 alerts, with store staff taking action in nearly half of the cases. Despite the success, the trial has raised concerns about potential biases, particularly after a Māori woman was misidentified, prompting Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster to call for further investigation. The final evaluation by research firm Scarlatti and the Privacy Commissioner is expected later this year, with the future of the technology depending on these findings.
ENISA to Establish Cybersecurity Certification Program for EU Digital Wallet
The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has been tasked by the European Commission to develop a cybersecurity certification scheme for the EU Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI), a digital solution enabling individuals to store and use personal identification data securely across the EU. ENISA’s role will be crucial in ensuring these wallets meet stringent security and privacy standards, allowing them to handle sensitive information like ID documents, medical records, and financial credentials. Certification will also guarantee interoperability across member states, making EUDI Wallets a reliable and standardized tool for accessing services throughout the EU. The EUDI Wallets are expected to be available by 2026, following the Digital Identity Regulation that came into effect in May.
Idemia Provides ‘Industry-first’ Cloud-native ABIS to Kansas Bureau of Investigations
Idemia North America has confirmed that it is the technology provider behind the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s (KBI) upgraded Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), powered by its Storm ABIS technology. The $6.9 million overhaul, implemented in May 2024, modernized Kansas’ biometric capabilities, enabling faster and more accurate fingerprint and palm print searches. The system stores over two million fingerprint records and 590,000 palm prints, enhancing local law enforcement’s ability to solve complex cases while integrating seamlessly with the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) database and the Missouri AFIS for cross-jurisdictional investigations. Positioned as the industry’s first cloud-native ABIS, Idemia’s Storm ABIS operates through Amazon Web Services (AWS), offering up-to-date biometric algorithms, security features, and reduced reliance on dedicated hardware.
Gartner Forecasts 500 Million Mobile ID Users by 2026
Gartner forecasts that by 2026, over 500 million smartphone users will regularly use digital identity wallets (DIWs) to make verifiable claims, marking a significant shift in identity management. DIWs will streamline verification processes by storing key identity data, such as names, birth dates, educational qualifications, and healthcare information, in a portable format. The evolution towards Portable Digital Identity (PDI) is expected to replace repetitive identity document submissions with a more user-friendly, secure approach. Governments, like the EU through its eIDAS Regulation, are taking steps to promote DIWs, while businesses are also adopting these solutions to enhance security and improve user experience.
SITA Partners with Airports Authority of India to Deploy Biometric Solutions Across Airports
SITA has partnered with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to deploy its Smart Path biometric technology across nine Indian airports as part of the DigiYatra initiative, aimed at enhancing passenger experience and operational efficiency. Through this collaboration, airports will offer contactless, paperless boarding using biometric facial recognition technology, improving passenger flow and reducing wait times. The initiative aligns with India’s vision of modernizing its aviation infrastructure and supports the “Make in India” initiative. The deployment follows SITA’s previous deal in 2023, providing technology for 43 major Indian airports, marking one of the largest biometric solutions rollouts in the country.
Police Scotland Mulls Live Facial Recognition as Essex Cops Make More Arrests
Police Scotland is exploring the potential adoption of live facial recognition (LFR) technology to identify violent criminals, with Chief Constable Jo Farrell emphasizing its potential to enhance public safety by removing offenders from the streets. The initiative aligns with efforts by other UK police forces, including Essex Police, which recently used LFR in Southend, resulting in seven arrests for serious crimes. While the technology has proven effective, concerns about privacy, human rights, and potential biases are being carefully considered, with assurances that images of those not on watchlists are deleted immediately to safeguard privacy.
ETUNNEL Anticipates $75M in Sales Through UN Biometric Card Partnership
ETUNNEL Inc., a Seoul-based company, has partnered with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN affiliate, to supply biometric smart cards, potentially generating $75 million in sales over five years. The smart cards, which combine traditional identification with biometric authentication features like fingerprint recognition, will be deployed across ITU’s 193 member nations and over 1,000 corporate members. The cards also support functions such as PC authentication, email encryption, and electronic voting. ETUNNEL’s technology is driven by its P2N2 AI engine, which supports multiple biometric authentication methods.
Fraunhofer IGD Works to Counter Face-Morphing Threat
The Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD) is developing new methods to detect and prevent face-morphing attacks that compromise biometric security systems. Face morphing blends facial features of multiple individuals into a single image, creating counterfeit identification documents that can deceive both humans and biometric algorithms, allowing criminals to cross borders undetected. To counter this threat, Fraunhofer IGD researchers are using deep learning and artificial intelligence, including generative adversarial networks, to simulate attack methods and generate morphed images for training detection systems. They are also focusing on integrating biometric authentication into everyday technologies like smartphones and augmented reality devices to enhance security. The institute will present its findings and a simulated airport scenario demonstrating the challenges of detecting morphed passport photos at the it-sa Expo & Congress in Nuremberg from October 22 to 24.
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September 25, 2024 — by Tony Bitzionis and Alex Perala
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