INTERVIEW: Fabian Eberle, COO & Co-founder, Keyless

Keyless is one of the most interesting players in biometric identity today. It has built a platform designed to create biometric profiles for end users that can be leveraged for authentication across the identity lifecycle—and without the need to store biometric data anywhere, Keyless says. That pioneering approach to identity assurance has generated excitement, including among investors, with Keyless having raised $6 million in a funding round near the end of last year. It also earned Keyless a position as an industry Luminary in the Biometric Digital Identity Prism Report. To learn more about this biometrics innovator and its unique technological approach, read our interview with its Co-founder and COO, Fabian Eberle:

FindBiometrics: What are some of the key decisions you made in the past five years that you attribute to your current leading position as a Biometric ID Platform Luminary?

Fabian Eberle, COO & Co-founder, Keyless: Some of the key decisions we took were to put user privacy first, authenticate the entire identity lifecycle, and focus on specific verticals. For reasons we will detail below, we have understood that there was a need for a system that could authenticate genuine users with high accuracy whilst still safeguarding their privacy. Keyless is the only biometric authentication platform that unifies authentication across the identity lifecycle whilst eliminating the risks that come with processing and storing biometric data.

We encrypt a user’s biometric data before it leaves their device to remove any personal identifiers, or PII. This means that a user’s data cannot be tied back to them if it is intercepted or stolen. In addition to the biometric, we also provide built-in, transparent device binding. We do this by cryptographically verifying the device leveraging zero-knowledge proofs, in tandem to the user’s biometrics, providing two independent authentication challenges in one go (inherence + possession). We apply this methodology across the entire user journey. From enrollment and login to transaction signing, step-up actions, and account recovery, Keyless provides built-in multi-factor authentication with a single selfie, without exposing biometric data to anyone.

We also recognize the importance of trust and security in sectors with higher data privacy and security requirements such as the banking and wider financial services sector. As a result, Keyless was built to cater to these traditionally conservative sectors by protecting their accounts from fraud and help them comply with payment-specific regulations such as PSD2. We’ve attained several key certifications that prove the value of what we’ve achieved so far. These include ISO27001 and ISO9001, as well as the unique combination of both FIDO2 and FIDO Biometrics certifications, of which we are the only company to achieve both. These accolades, alongside recognition from authoritative bodies like Gartner and KuppingerCole, combined with a host of industry awards, have helped bolster our standing as a trusted leader in the biometric ID domain.

Our approach to expansion has been equally deliberate. We’ve diversified our solutions to cover a broad spectrum of use cases, ensuring that our platform is versatile and adaptable. By forming strong partnerships with industry giants like Experian and Microsoft, among many others, we’ve amplified our capabilities and expanded our routes to market.

FindBiometrics: 2023 saw a mainstream push to device-based identity mechanisms like Passkeys, which critics worry will funnel fraud toward vulnerable account recovery mechanisms. What is Keyless’ approach to securing this part of the identity lifecycle?

Fabian Eberle, COO & Co-founder, Keyless: As the industry gravitates toward passkeys, which are tied to individual devices, businesses are encountering the challenge of verifying that passkeys are being used by the legitimate account creator. In short they don’t prove genuine identity.

We offer an end-to-end multi-factor authentication solution that does prove identity across the entire lifecycle, from onboarding, login, transaction signing (PSD2/SCA), step-up actions, and crucially, account recovery. We are able to deliver lightning-fast, banking-grade identity assurance with an authentication time of 500 milliseconds, making it multiple times faster than conventional face-matching technologies. Our integrated approach ensures that authentication remains consistent and secure, from the initial enrollment to the recovery stages.

Our technology is device agnostic – an iPhone user can authenticate on an Android device – and encrypt biometric data so that we don’t need to rely on the security of cloud servers. In essence, we fill the gaps presented by passkeys by providing a robust, device-agnostic, and frictionless authentication technology that guarantees the integrity of the user’s digital identity at every step of the user journey, including during critical recovery
operations.

FindBiometrics: Keyless is uniquely flexible as a biometric ID platform when it comes to deployment options. What is the philosophy behind offering hybrid, cloud-native, and on-prem options to your customers?

Fabian Eberle, COO & Co-founder, Keyless: Our philosophy is centered on customer-centric flexibility. We recognize that our clients come from a myriad of backgrounds with distinct operational needs and security considerations. Whether they’re leaning towards a hybrid, cloud-native, or an on-premise deployment, we’re equipped to deliver. This flexibility underscores our commitment to tailor our solutions to each client’s specific circumstances, ensuring we provide not just a one-size-fits-all product, but a secure, efficient, and bespoke platform that integrates seamlessly into their existing infrastructure.

FindBiometrics: Budget, privacy concerns, cybersecurity, internal resistance, and executive buy-in are the most imposing digitization obstacles cited in our survey data. How have you helped your customers to overcome implementation challenges and deploy biometric digital identity technology?

Fabian Eberle, COO & Co-founder, Keyless: To address these common challenges, we’ve made our biometric identity solutions exceptionally easy to integrate. Our technology is not only proprietary but also comes fully vetted and certified, which simplifies the adoption process for our customers. We offer seamless, plug-and-play integrations with a wide array of ecosystem players such as identity providers, core banking systems, and cybersecurity firms, among others. We further support any device that comes with a simple 720p camera, completely independent from any hardware manufacturer or operating system, unifying authentication experiences across the user base.

A key to overcoming budgetary constraints and internal resistance is demonstrating tangible ROI. Keyless eliminates costs associated with account recovery, fraud, SMS OTPs and password resets, whilst significantly improving the authentication experiences across the board. We deliver significant, tangible business value to our customers across the identity lifecycle, from seamless onboarding to instant and selfie-service account recovery.

Additionally, we tackle privacy and compliance concerns head-on, with our technology undergoing independent legal reviews to assure compliance with stringent data protection standards such as the GDPR and associated consent requirements. This commitment helps ease executive concerns and secures buy-in by aligning each business with necessary global data protection and sovereignty requirements.

Read Keyless’ Dedicated Report

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February 29, 2024 – by the FindBiometrics Editorial Team