IDEMIA Does What GSA Failed to Do: 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:

GSA Falsely Claimed to Meet Biometric Standard

For years, the General Services Administration falsely claimed that its digital identity proofing system adhered to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s “Identity Assurance Level 2” standard, according to a report from the agency’s Inspector General. IAL2 would have required the GSA to use some sort of biometric identifier, but it did not—yet its billing for access to purportedly IAL2-compliant Login.gov services amounted to $10 billion between September of 2018 and January of 2022. GSA is currently conducting a “top-to-bottom review” of Login.gov, reports FCW.

IDEMIA, On the Other Hand…

IDEMIA is attained compliance with NIST SP 800-63 rev. 3 Component Service at Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), as verified by testing through the Kantara Initiative. IAL2 certification attests to an identity proofing solution’s adherence to best practices for high assurance results, as outlined in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specification. Kantara, meanwhile, concerns itself with the development and proliferation of such standards and practices; “We welcome IDEMIA to the Kantara ‘Trust Status’ list of service providers and congratulate them for the hard work and team effort that goes into achieving IAL2 approval,” said the organization’s Executive Director, Kay Chopard.

FBI, DoD Developed Secret Facial Recognition System

FBI and Defense Department officials worked with academics specializing in computer vision technology to develop refined facial recognition that can be applied through camera systems in public places, according to documents retrieved by the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information request. The bulk of the research was conducted under a program called “Janus”, funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA). It led to a facial recognition system called “Horus” that is now managed by the Defense Department’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, and has been offered to at least six federal agencies.

Alcatraz Partners With Axis Communications

Alcatraz AI has partnered with Axis Communications, a Sweden-based video surveillance specialist, which will promote Alcatraz’s The Rock access control solution through its Axis Technology Integration Partner program. It’s more than a promotional partnership, however. The companies have worked together to enable interoperability between their solutions, with The Rock being configured for communications with Axis’s access control management software. Read our full story.

New Partnership Elevates Digital ID in UK Construction Industry

A new partnership between Pagabo and Construct.id is poised to make digital identity even more prominent in the United Kingdom, via the construction sector. Pagabo offers a procurement service for public sector organizations, seeking to connect them with EU-compliant solutions across a range of potential areas, from professional services to furniture to utilities supplies. Construct.id, meanwhile, is a digital platform aimed at the construction industry that is meant to collect a given worker’s identity information and professional credentials into a single, trusted digital ID. The companies’ collaboration will require all construction companies involved in a Pagabo-led project to use Construct.id for worker background checks by the end of this year.

Mercedes Enables In-car Biometric Payments

Mercedes-Benz is letting drivers make in-car payments using biometric authentication. The “Mercedes pay+” system is now in place in new car models in the EQS, EQE, S-Class, C-Class, and GLC series. The system uses Visa’s “Delegated Authentication and Cloud Token Framework” to turn the car’s IT system into a payment channel, and confirms payments using an in-car fingerprint scan. The system is currently only available in Germany, but Mercedes aims to bring it to additional European markets this year.

Microsoft Launches Computer Vision Tools

Microsoft has launched a preview version of a new computer vision solution featuring support for “responsible” facial recognition. Azure Cognitive Service for Vision is meant to give developers tools to let them add capabilities like image analysis, text extraction, and face detection (in addition to facial recognition) to their apps. Microsoft says the social platform Reddit is already using the system to add captions to images posted on its message forums.

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March 8, 2023 – by Alex Perala

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