Identity News Digest – June 20, 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:

authID Brings Biometric IDV to Syntrove Anti-fraud Platform

authID Inc. and Syntrove have announced an OEM partnership to integrate authID’s biometric identity verification solutions into Syntrove’s risk and fraud technology platform. This collaboration aims to enhance identity assurance and combat AI-driven fraud and cyberattacks, distributing authID’s biometric capabilities to Syntrove’s clients across industries such as banking, insurance, gaming, crypto, and supply-chain enterprises. The integration will leverage authID’s biometric and document-based identity verification, supporting over 13,000 types of government-issued ID documents and featuring Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) technology to counter deepfakes and other attacks.

Vancouver Port Uses Facial Recognition for Onboarding—Literally

Vancouver has introduced biometric face-scanning technology for cruise ship boarding, developed by Pangiam and implemented by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The new system uses iPad-like devices held by CBP agents to capture passenger photos and compare them to pre-trip travel documentation for verification, replacing previous passport-scanning kiosks. The technology, available for Canadian and American citizens, allows passengers to opt-out in favor of manual inspection. This marks the first use of facial recognition for embarkation, though it is already employed at 20 U.S. cruise-ship terminals for disembarkation.

New Laser Tech Could Enable More Power-efficient Facial Recognition

A research team from FLEET in Australia has made a significant advancement in laser technology, achieving an unprecedented level of spectral purity. By using a Fabry–Pérot interferometer, they measured the laser’s linewidth at 56 MHz or 0.24 µeV, which is ten times narrower than previously recorded. This advancement makes polariton lasers comparable to VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers) used in facial recognition and augmented reality but with the advantage of operating at lower power due to their unique light generation method involving a bosonic condensate. It could lead to more energy-efficient facial recognition devices without compromising performance. Polariton lasers also maintain high spectral purity even in the presence of less organized particles, making them practical for various biometric systems.

Corsight AI Delivers Facial Recognition Tech to São Paulo Military Police

Corsight AI has provided its facial recognition technology for a security project at the 14th Battalion in Osasco, São Paulo, in partnership with Segdboa. This Public-Private Partnership (PPP) aims to enhance real-time threat monitoring and rapid response capabilities by equipping Military Police battalions with advanced monitoring rooms. Surveillance poles with cameras have been installed at key locations like shopping centers and parks to detect suspects and alert the police. Segdboa has donated monitoring rooms to five cities and the Civil Guard Corps of Ibiúna city, with plans to extend this to all 380 battalions of the São Paulo Military Police. The project also aims to link each battalion’s facial recognition database with the national Cortex system from the Ministry of Justice, including photos of individuals with legal mandates and records of stolen vehicles.

Amazon Rekognition Quietly Scanned Thousands of UK Train Travelers: Report

A Wired investigation has revealed that Amazon’s AI software, Rekognition, scanned the faces of thousands of train travelers in the UK during trials over the past two years. The system was tested at eight train stations, including major hubs like London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly. The trials aimed to predict travelers’ age, gender, and emotions for potential future advertising use, as well as enhance safety by detecting trespassers, monitoring platform crowding, identifying antisocial behavior, and spotting potential bike thieves. Network Rail oversaw the trials, which included both “smart” CCTV cameras and older cameras connected to cloud-based analysis. Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, which obtained documents about the trials through a freedom of information request, criticized the lack of public consultation.

Switzerland’s Planned e-ID Gets a Technical Roadmap

The Swiss E-ID & Trust Infrastructure technical roadmap has been published on GitHub, detailing the framework for Switzerland’s upcoming national digital ID system. Supported by the UNDP, the Swiss digital ID is designed to be compatible with systems in the European Union and beyond. Key features include the use of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) for enhanced security and privacy, and the consideration of both “Statuslist” and “Accumulators” mechanisms to manage digital ID statuses. The roadmap also explores trust and communication protocols, such as OpenID Federation, and the implementation of Verifiable Credentials (VCs) using SD-JWT and JSON-LD with BBS signatures. The Swiss government plans to finalize the technology by the end of 2024, focusing on a secure and efficient digital ID system that protects user privacy and meets various legal and practical requirements.

ANZ Plus Launches Digital Identity Service with ConnectID

ANZ Plus has launched a new Digital Identity service in partnership with ConnectID, a solution developed by Australian Payments Plus (AP+). ConnectID enhances security by enabling identity verification without the need to share personal documents, protecting against fraud and identity theft. Accredited under the Australian Government’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF), ConnectID adheres to high standards for digital identity management. Gabriel Steele, ANZ General Manager of Customer & Identity Services, highlighted that the service helps protect customers from cybercrime while reducing the risk for business customers by minimizing unnecessary data storage. This follows ConnectID’s recent partnership with RentBetter, further expanding its reach and application in secure digital identity verification.

Google Beefs Up Biomeric Security, Streamlines Passkeys with Android 15

Google has released the third beta of Android 15, reaching platform stability and finalizing APIs, with significant biometric upgrades including a streamlined passkey user interface and enhanced automatic detection of poorly performing biometric models. The Android Beta Program allows developers and tech enthusiasts to test these pre-release versions, offering feedback to refine the platform. A key update in this beta is the improved passkey user interface, which integrates the Google Password Manager prompt with the biometric input screen for a seamless single-step authentication process. Additionally, Android 15 features an automatic system to detect and address poorly performing biometric models by prompting users to reenroll their data, ensuring better performance and reliability.

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June 20, 2024 — by Tony Bitzionis and Alex Perala