India Collects Gig Worker Biometrics – 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:

Indian Gov’t Collects Biometrics for Gig Worker Welfare Program

The Indian government has announced a plan to provide certain social welfare benefits to gig workers employed by companies like Amazon and Uber, with an online portal already inviting potentially eligible candidates to enroll. Over 290 million people have already done so, and submitted biometric data in the process, according to a Reuters report. In the northern state of Rajasthan, a similar system has already been implemented by the opposition Congress party, though it appears that it’s not leveraging the country’s Aadhaar biometric identity database to verify welfare recipients.

Stellar Manufacturing Settles BIPA Lawsuit

Stellar Manufacturing Co., a company that makes specialized particle products used in detergents and chemicals, has reached a settlement of just under $700,000 in a lawsuit filed under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Individuals who used biometric scanners at any of the company’s facilities between May 5 of 2015 and January 28, 2021, are eligible to claim damages from a $692,655 fund, with payments to individuals expected to amount to about $550. Stellar Manufacturing denies wrongdoing, but settled to avoid the risks of a trial.

Biometric Headset Offers Rigorous Take On Concussion Recovery

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have developed a headset in collaboration with Silicon Valley-based MindRhythm that is designed to detect subtle biometric changes on an athlete’s skull during recovery from concussions, arguing that it can be used to more accurately assess whether players are ready to return to the field than simply looking at symptoms. They detailed their findings in a study of young Australian Rules Football players, published on the JAMA Network.

Apple Builds ‘Optic ID’ IP Portfolio

Apple has received approval from the European Patent Office for a pair of filings that appear to be related to the iris recognition technology that is being used in the company’s forthcoming Vision Pro headset. One of the patents describes a ‘multi-camera biometric imaging system’, while the other describes a system for the ‘automatic selection of biometric based on quality of acquired image’, which could aid in detecting spoofing. Apple’s Vision Pro will reportedly feature an “Optic ID” authentication system designed to recognize a user as soon as the headset is put on.

… and Works On Siri’s Lip Reading

Apple has also received a patent from the United State Patent and Trademark Office for a novel technique for speech-based interaction with Apple’s digital assistant, Siri. The patent, ‘Keyword Detection Using Motion Sensing’, describes how motion sensors could be used to detect mouth movements, offering an alternative to relying on audio sensors, which use more power, to detect keywords.

Binance Japan Uses Liquid Onboarding

Binance, the global cryptocurrency exchange, will use Liquid Inc.’s eKYC solution for customer onboarding in Japan. Based in Tokyo, Liquid Inc. is known for its fingerprint scanning solutions; but it has also developed a selfie-based remote onboarding system that delivers “an extremely low user drop-off rate”, according to CEO Hiroki Hasegawa. “In fact, it has been implemented in a wide range of industries, including banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, Web3-related services, telecommunications carriers, antique (second-hand goods) buyers, the sharing economy, dating applications, and metaverse-related services,” Hasegawa added.

India’s Accura Scan Reaches iBeta Level 2

Accura Scan has become the first biometrics company in India to pass iBeta Level 2, the rigorous evaluation program for presentation attack detection systems. The four-year-old startup’s facial recognition technology was tested against sophisticated spoofing attacks that made use of realistic masks and videos of genuine subjects, and fended all of them off, establishing compliance with the ISO/IEC 30107-03 standard. To celebrate, Accura Scan says it’s offering free access to its Identity Verification & Digital KYC Suite “to all start-ups,” with paid plans on offer for more established entities.

Carahsoft Offers Incode a Public Sector Pipeline

Incode has established a partnership with Carahsoft that is poised to extend its visibility in the government sector. In a statement, the companies explained that Carahsoft will serve as Incode’s “Master Government Aggregator”, offering the latter’s identity verification solution through its reseller partners and through its National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint, National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA), and OMNIA Partners contracts. The Incode Omni platform includes document verification, facial recognition, and passive liveness detection technologies.

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August 14, 2023 – by Alex Perala