Identity News Digest – July 25 2024

Welcome to FindBiometrics’ digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:

NIST Updates PIV Standard, Seeking FIPS 201 Alignment

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its PIV standards to align with revisions to the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 made in January 2022. The updates impact NIST Special Publications 800-73-5 and 800-78-5, which address technical specifications and cryptographic requirements for PIV Cards. Changes include removing deprecated authentication mechanisms like CHUID, SYM-CAK, and VIS, and introducing a one-factor secure messaging authentication mechanism for facility access. The use of facial image biometrics has been expanded, and restrictions on activation retries for PIN and OCC attempts have been added.

NEC to Lead NZ Immigration’s ‘Biometric Capability Upgrade’

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has confirmed that its $35 million Biometric Capability Upgrade (BCU) project did not require Cabinet approval, having been approved by delegated joint ministers in July of 2023. The BCU, led by NEC with support from Argonaut and Datacom, aims to enhance the processing speed for verifying the identities of tourists, migrants, and refugees through improved photograph matching, scheduled to go live in October of 2024. Funded by visa fees, the project seeks to detect fraud and trafficking more effectively and will integrate with the Secure Real Time Platform (SRTP) for data sharing among the Migration 5 (M5) nations—Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Philippines Authorities Urge Residents to Use Digital ID, Report Businesses That Refuse It

A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) official overseeing the Central Visayas region is urging residents to use the country’s new digital ID program, especially those awaiting physical national ID cards. The digital ID system was launched to address the backlog, with over 32 million pending physical ID cards as of this year. The PSA, in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), introduced the Digital National ID along with National ID eVerify and National ID Check systems to facilitate digital transactions and identity verification through mechanisms like facial recognition. At a recent press conference, PSA-7 Director Ariel Florendo highlighted the requirement for businesses to accept the digital ID, noting a substantial fine of approximately $8,600 for non-compliance. The Central Visayas region that PSA-7 oversees, which includes Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, plays a significant role in the country’s population and economic activities.

Live FRT Leads to Arrests in England’s Bedfordshire County

Bedfordshire Police deployed Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology during the Bedford River Festival on July 20-21, resulting in the arrests of two individuals with court warrants and the identification of four others subject to court-imposed conditions or notification requirements. Detective Superintendent Aman Dhaliwal praised the effectiveness of LFR in deterring criminal activity, contributing to a total of ten arrests over the weekend. Despite these results, the use of LFR has faced criticism from human rights organization Liberty, citing concerns about privacy, the right to protest, and potential discrimination. Bedfordshire Police responded by assuring that the LFR system protects privacy, with images and biometric data of non-alert individuals being immediately and irretrievably deleted, a measure verified by the National Physics Laboratory.

Trust Stamp Announces Strategic Alliance for Global Identity Consortium

Trust Stamp has entered into a Letter of Intent with Qenta Inc. for a strategic alliance aimed at integrating into a global Identity Consortium. The partnership will support a federated network including cryptocurrency, banking, and other financial services companies. Although non-binding until definitive documents are executed, the collaboration aims to leverage Trust Stamp’s proprietary tokenized identity technology to enhance Qenta’s secure and compliant financial ecosystem. Trust Stamp’s technology, backed by twenty issued patents and nine pending patents, will bolster Qenta’s products by providing secure, tokenized identity services ensuring compliance and privacy. The strategic alliance aims to address data controls, privacy, secure content transfer, and payments, in line with the projected growth in digital transactions and service revenue from tokenization.

UK Media Regulator Fines TikTok £1.875M for Failing to Provide Accurate Information

Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has fined TikTok nearly £1.9 million for failing to provide accurate information about its parental controls in response to a freedom of information request. The inaccuracies and delays in TikTok’s response have postponed the publication of Ofcom’s child safety transparency report, which aims to hold social media companies accountable for their safety measures. Ofcom emphasized the legal requirement for companies to respond to statutory information requests accurately and promptly. The investigation revealed that TikTok’s “Family Pairing” feature data was inaccurate and that the company delayed notifying Ofcom about these inaccuracies and provided only partial information seven months after the initial deadline. Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s Enforcement Director, stressed the importance of accurate and timely data submission for regulatory duties. TikTok acknowledged the findings, accepted the fine, apologized for the error, and confirmed improvements to its internal processes.

Thailand Launches Selfie-based Digital Wallet Registration

Starting July 25, the Thai government is launching a digital wallet initiative, managed by the Ministry of Finance, allowing citizens to receive 10,000 baht (approximately $275 USD) to boost the economy in the fourth quarter. Registration is open until mid-September via the Tang Rat app, available on iOS and Android. The registration process involves downloading the app, using a national ID card, and completing identity verification through facial recognition. Alternative methods include verification at 7-Eleven stores, Thai Post counters, Boonterm kiosks, multi-purpose government service kiosks, and the ThaID app. Boonterm kiosks offer 24-hour e-KYC services at over 2,000 locations. Thai Post and 7-Eleven also provide identity verification services. Once registered and verified, users need to open the Tang Rat app, grant permission for personal data access, accept terms, and wait for approval on September 22. Merchant registrations begin on October 1, with updates on items that cannot be purchased with the digital wallet to be provided by the Ministry of Commerce.

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July 25, 2024 — by Tony Bitzionis and Alex Perala