Labor Department Responds to Facial Recognition Red Flags: 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:

Labor Department to Issue Facial Recognition Guidance

The Labor Department will issue new guidance on state workforce agencies’ (SWAs) use of facial recognition technology by September 30 of this year, in response to last week’s report from the Office of Inspector General, which flagged certain equity issues in the use of facial recognition, and a lack of guidelines among SWAs employing the technology. The guidance, to be issued through the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration, is expected to require SWAs to provide users with an alternative option to facial recognition, and to test facial recognition for indications of bias, according to FedScoop.

NECAM Welcomes Back Former Exec, Renews WIN Contract

NEC Corporation of North America is welcoming back one of its former executives, with Kris Ranganath being named to the role of Senior Vice President of Digital Platform (DPF). While Ranganath had most recently served as Paravision.ai’s SVP of Innovation, he had previously been with NEC for 16 years, with roles including Chief Technology Officer and VP of Technology and Solutions. In his new role at NECAM, Ranganath will head a division the company describes as “the Center of Excellence for NEC’s global digital platform business for identity and vision AI,” and will report to NECAM President and CEO Chris Jackson.

The news comes alongside NECAM’s renewal of its contract with the Western Identification Network, a consortium of western US states and law enforcement agencies for which NECAM provides a shared Multimodal Biometrics Identification System (MBIS), dubbed the “Integra-ID5”, that enables WIN members to search criminal and civil biometrics records. NEC and WIN have been working together since 1989; the latest contract will extend that relationship until at least 2032.

Anchorage, Alaska, to Vote On Facial Recognition Ban

Municipal lawmakers in Anchorage, Alaska, will hold a public hearing tomorrow on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the city from buying or using facial recognition technology. The hearing is expected to a entail a vote on the proposed ban, which would pre-empt any use of the technology on the part of the Anchorage Police Department.

Enterprise Franchises Settle BIPA Lawsuit

A pair of franchises for the Enterprise car rental company have reached a settlement of almost $505,000 in a legal action under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The franchises had been accused of failing to obtain employees’ consent and to make the proper disclosures in their use of a fingerprint-scanning time and attendance system. They have not admitted wrongdoing.

India to Develop Mobile Fingerprint Capture System for Aadhaar

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) laying out a research partnership aimed at developing a mobile-based biometric capture system for fingerprints, to be used in the country’s Aadhaar biometric ID program. The system will be designed to capture multiple fingerprints at once, using a mobile camera system. Research will be undertaken through the National Centre of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security (NCETIS), a joint initiative by IIT Bombay and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Schools Pilot Cafeteria Biometrics

IdentiMetrics fingerprint scanners will be used in a biometric payments pilot undertaken at four schools in northern Colorado’s Poudre School District from mid-April to May 25. The scanners will be used to identify students at the Point of Sale in school cafeterias, with the aim of enabling school administrators to quickly process cafeteria lines. In announcing the pilot, school district officials suggested the biometric technology could help the schools to accommodate the hundreds or possibly thousands of students who will be eligible for a new free school meals program.

Cambodian Bank Launches Face-scanning App

Cathay United Bank of Cambodia has launched a new mobile banking app that features facial recognition for user authentication. In announcing the CUBC mBanking App, the financial institution’s President, Alice Chuang, said it adheres to FIDO Alliance standards.

Japanese Pilot Uses Face-scanning Drone to Deliver Medical Supplies

An innovative pilot in Osaka, Japan, saw the use of drone and biometric technology to deliver medicine to an authorized individual. The project was undertaken by medical and pharmaceuticals wholesaler KSK Co., with drones provided by NTT Communications, and was the result of a change to urban laws allowing civilians to program autonomous flights beyond their line of sight. A drone carried temperature-controlled medicines from a launch site to a rooftop 1.5 km away, using facial recognition to confirm the identity of an official stationed to receive the delivery. The pilot’s organizers imagine this approach to the delivery of medicines could be particularly important during disaster events.

–

April 10, 2023 – by Alex Perala

Want to get the identity news digest early? Become a member and get the digest sent straight to your inbox, before it’s published on FindBiometrics: