More EU Border Delays Make Belgians’ Case – 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:

Biometric Border Delays Push Back EU’s ETIAS Implementation: Report

The European Union’s planned European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) has been postponed to 2025 due to delays in the implementation of the bloc’s biometric Entry-Exit System (EES), according to a new report citing an unnamed EU official. The latter project has seen multiple delays, prompting a group of Belgian EU affiliates to float the idea of decoupling ETIAS from EES earlier this year. EES is concerned with securing the border of the Schengen free travel area, whereas ETIAS is meant to register foreigners who don’t need a visa to enter Schengen. The EU official reportedly said that ETIAS has now been pushed back to May of 2025, though no official announcement has yet been made.

UAE Prepares Biometric Passport Renewal Kiosks

The United Arab Emirates is looking to enable self-service passport renewal with biometric kiosks. The project is being led by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), which plans to deploy the kiosks at prominent locations such as airports and malls. Residents would be able to renew both passports and Emirates IDs, with the kiosks able to print the documents on the spot. The kiosks would also be capable of printing visas for visitors.

Pakistani City Implements Biometric Time and Attendance System

Administrators in Multan, one of Pakistan’s most populous urban centers, have reportedly ordered the implementation of a biometric time and attendance tracking system for city workers. The directive came from Commissioner Engr Aamir Khattak, who directed that the biometric system should be linked directly to workers’ salaries, ensuring that staff will only be paid for time spent at work.

Researchers Train AI to Detect Pain in Patients’ Faces

A research team led by University of California San Diego’s fourth-year medical student Timothy Heintz has developed an AI-powered tool that uses face biometrics to assess a patient’s experience of pain during a medical procedure. The tool was trained on 143,293 facial images labeled as depicting patients in pain or not in pain, and can now make predictions that align 88 percent of the time with Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), a manual diagnostic method. They are presenting their findings at the annual American Society of Anesthesiologists this week.

Dubai to Get Robot Cops, Face-Based Fare Payments

The Dubai Police have unveiled an autonomous patrol vehicle equipped with facial recognition technology and a detachable, paired drone. The four-wheeled vehicle is specifically designed for deployment in residential areas, and can not only recognize faces but read license plates using a camera with a 360-degree viewing capability. According to the police force, the vehicular robot’s AI system allows allows it to “detect criminal behaviour”. The device is being displayed at this week’s GITEX Global 2023 event in Dubai.

At the same event, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority revealed plans to enable biometric fare payments on public transportation. Commuters will be able to register their faces for fare payment on Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, buses, marine transport, and even taxis. The government agency did not reveal a timeline for the biometric payment system’s launch.

Sports Betting Kiosk Features Face, Fingerprint Readers

A new sports betting kiosk features a biometric user registration system. Showcased at last week’s American Gaming Association expo in Las Vegas, the Bet Booth supports both fingerprint and facial recognition, and enables customers to sign up and start placing bets on a self-serve basis. Bets can be placed on Bet Booth’s online gaming site.

After Shooting, Maryland University Implements Facial Recognition

Administrators at Bowie State University in Maryland are implementing a facial recognition system in an effort to boost security after a shooting on campus earlier this month that injured two people. Bowie President Aminta Breaux told CBS News that the school is “already working with a vendor” to implement the technology. The school is also reportedly consider the implementation of an AI-driven weapons detection system.

IDEX Partner Gets Mastercard Letter of Approval for Biometric Card

One of IDEX Biometrics’ card partners has received a Letter of Approval from Mastercard for its fingerprint-scanning card based on the IDEX Pay platform. The company describes its unnamed partner as a “leading card manufacturer”, and notes that its LoA comes “only a few weeks” after IDEX Biometrics’ own Mastercard certification at the end of August. IDEX says its partner has placed a production order in anticipation of the certification. IDEX posted rising revenues and shrinking expenses in its last quarterly update as the company made its way toward a mass commercialization phase of its biometric card solution.

FIDO Finds Biometrics Enthusiasm in Latest ‘Barometer’

The FIDO Alliance has published findings from its third annual Online Authentication Barometer, based largely on a survey of about 10,000 consumers across several countries. The use of passwords remains widespread, but biometric authentication took the top ranking when consumer were asked which authentication method is most secure and most preferred, with support rising five percent compared to last year’s polling. Biometric authentication also narrowly beat passwords in real-world use when it comes to authentication in the financial services sector.

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October 16, 2023 – by Alex Perala