Israel’s ‘Red Wolf’, a BIPA Lawsuit Surge, and More: 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:

‘Red Wolf’ Surveillance Program Aims to Collect All Palestinians’ Biometrics: Amnesty

Amnesty International says the Israeli government is collecting the face biometrics of Palestinians without their knowledge in order to establish a population-wide database. According to Haaretz, there is strong evidence suggesting that this “Red Wolf” surveillance program is connected to two other surveillance systems exposed by the Washington Post last year: “Blue Wolf”, which lets Israeli soldiers scan an individual’s face with a mobile device and search for a biometric match; and “Wolf Pack”, which is aimed at collecting the identity data of every Palestinian in the West Bank.

BIPA Lawsuits Swell After White Castle Ruling

The number of lawsuits filed under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) surged 65 percent in the two months following a consequential ruling from the state’s Supreme Court that determined that damages under the Act accrue per biometric scan. According to an analysis by Bloomberg Law, 74 BIPA lawsuits were filed between December 17 and February 17; and between February 17 and April 17, there were 122 suits filed, presumably because of the prospect of enormous payouts. The February 17 decision against White Castle exposed the restaurant chain to damages exceeding $17 billion.

The cryptocurrency exchange operator Coinbase has become the latest major brand to face a lawsuit under BIPA, in its case for using a selfie-based onboarding system without obtaining explicit consent for the collection of users’ biometrics, and for failing to provide a data retention policy as required under BIPA. The lawsuit was filed in a California District Court and is a proposed class action, with plaintiff Michael Massel requesting a jury trial.

Behavioral Biometrics Specialist Gets Canadian Government Funding

Vancouver-based Plurilock has been approved for advisory services and funding of up to $75,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), which it will apply to research and development for its behavioral biometrics platform. In particular, the company “intends to utilize the funds to develop algorithms to detect malware by its actions and behaviour,” it explained in a statement. This is the third time in five years that Plurilock has received assistance through the NRC IRAP.

Expert Webinar to Explore Air Travel Identity Tech

An expert webinar will tackle the use of digital identity technologies including biometrics in the air travel industry on Thursday. Dubbed “How to Build Aviation’s Identity-First Future“, the event will feature NEC Corporation of America’s Jason Van Sice and SITA Americas’ Sherry Stein, and will be hosted by FindBiometrics Editor in Chief Peter Counter. The webinar is slated to begin at 11 a.m. ET, and registration is completely free of charge.

FPC Marks Mobile Biometrics Milestones

The first smartphone to integrate Fingerprint Cards’ optical under-display fingerprint sensor has now launched. The Xiaomi Redmi K60 features the FPC1632, bringing the sensor into the hands of consumers after FPC announced its first design win for the under-display solution last summer. Fingerprints is also marking another big milestone, asserting that 700 different smartphone models have now integrated its sensors. Haiyuan Bu, the President of FPC’s Mobile, PC and Access China division, says the company has “witnessed accelerated demand for biometrics in smartphones over recent years.”

Alcatraz, Genetec Team Up On Enterprise Access Control

Alcatraz AI’s ‘the Rock’ facial recognition system has been integrated into Genetec’s Synergis access control platform, thanks to a new collaborative partnership between the companies. Features of the joint solution include support for video interfacing at access points, tailgating detection alerts, and end-to-end encryption. The companies are pitching their solution to businesses around the world.

Biometric Payments Cut Transaction Times at Dubai Carrefours

Majid Al Futtaim, the operator of Dubai’s Carrefour supermarkets, says that the stores’ face-scanning payment terminals cut transaction times by 75 percent compared to traditional POS systems. The chain implemented face-scanning terminals from California-based PopID in February of this year, allowing customers who register for the system to complete their purchases without having to present cash, a credit card, or any other payment token.

Onfido Tech Comes to Salesforce Financial Services Cloud

Onfido’s identity verification and authentication platform has now been integrated into the Salesforce Financial Services Cloud, a Customer Relationship Management service aimed specifically at the banking and financial services sector. Onfido had previously brought its remote onboarding solution to the Salesforce AppExchange near the end of 2020, allowing Salesforce customers to use its app to reduce friction when registering their own clients. Now, a pre-built solution for the Financial Services Cloud will enable banks and other financial services providers to easily implement biometric and ID checks to their own onboarding systems.

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May 2, 2023 – by Alex Perala