Mastercard, Biometric Payments, and a Car Chase in Florida – 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:

Mastercard Deepens Biometric Payment Partnership With NEC

Mastercard and NEC have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding that will accelerate their collaboration on biometric payment technology. It’s an expansion of a pre-existing partnership. Mastercard announced a pilot “Biometric Checkout Program” in May of last year, teaming up with a number of biometrics specialists to see how such technology could be used to facilitate fast and secure in-store payments. NEC, Aurus, Fujitsu Limited, PaybyFace, PopID, and Payface were all signed up to help in the effort. The payments giant has evidently been impressed by NEC’s sophisticated facial recognition technology, and is looking to further collaborate “to drive global scale.”

IDVerse Joins ‘Mastercard Engage’ Program

Mastercard has also welcomed IDVerse to its “Mastercard Engage” partner program, giving other organizations in the program access to the latter’s selfie-based identity verification technology. In announcing the development, IDVerse explained that it “will support Mastercard customers in quickly building and deploying identity verification solutions at scale,” highlighting potential opportunities in “Mastercard Digital First”, a program meant to help Mastercard partners develop seamless customer experiences on digital devices like smartphones. IDVerse rebranded from its previous name, “OCR Labs”, earlier this year, to better reflect the breadth of its solutions portfolio.

PayEye Gets PCI Certification

Poland-based biometric payments specialist PayEye has received PCI certification, which attests to compliance with global standards for the safeguarding of payment-related data. The certification concerns PayEye’s new eyePOS 3, an iris-scanning point-of-sale device that can also accept contactless payments from traditional cards and mobile wallets. PayEye got a big boost as a startup through a grant from Poland’s Agency for Enterprise Development in 2021. Earlier this year, the company obtained FIDO Biometric Component Certification for its eyePOS platform.

OneSpan Launches Biometric Security Key

Boston-based OneSpan has announced the Digipass FX1 Bio, its latest fingerprint-scanning security key. The device supports USB, Bluetooth, and NFC connectivity, and is ‘built on FIDO technology’, according to OneSpan’s announcement. Its launch follows the Digipass CX solution announced about a year ago, which is no longer listed on the company’s website. “We are committed to continuous innovation, delivering diverse and secure solutions for organizations while keeping customer experience and security at the core of what we do,” said OneSpan President and CEO Matthew Moynahan.

New Toyota SUV Features Driver Recognition

The new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid features a facial recognition system designed to recognize different drivers who share the vehicle and automatically adjust in-car settings to their preferences. As such, it joins a growing trend, with rivals like the electric car maker Mullen having also introduced driver recognition technology to their vehicle lineups. Toyota’s Grand Highlander Hybrid also supports the use of a smartphone-based digital key for car access.

Florida Man Robs the Wrong Pizza Joint

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office used facial recognition technology to help identify a man accused of a string of robberies. Among his targets was a Domino’s Pizza outlet, where camera footage was recorded that later enabled police to identify him with a high level of confidence. Police went on to corroborate the search with witnesses and photos of the suspect. His actual apprehension, however, came after a car he had stolen was spotted, with detectives giving chase. The suspect ultimately was hit by a bus and subsequently crashed into a parked car in the parking lot of a liquor store.

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November 14, 2023 – by Alex Perala