Musicians Rage Against the Concert Venues That Use Facial Recognition – 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:

Old Dominion Seeks BIPA Dismissal

Old Dominion Freight Line is fighting back against a class action lawsuit alleging that it violated Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) with its use of a biometric time and attendance system. In a filing seeking dismissal of the lawsuit, the company notes, among other things, that the accusations against it include failing to destroy employees’ biometric records after they depart the company — yet several plaintiffs are current employees, so it hasn’t yet faced this obligation. The company also argues that it does, in fact, have a privacy policy in place. But it may have a harder time countering the claim that it failed to obtain written consent for its collection of employees’ biometrics; the company allegedly tried to pay employees to sign consent forms within a week of the lawsuit’s filing.

Zwipe Announces Operational ‘Streamlining’ Plan

Zwipe has officially announced an operational “streamlining” plan that will see 15 employees depart the company, and will also involve the “lessening of R&D-related activities, restructuring of offices and subsidiaries, reduced external marketing activities, and general reductions in other operating expenditures.” All told, the plan is expected to reduce operating costs by about NOK 14 million for this year, compared to 2022; and to lower Zwipe’s cost base by about NOK 35 million annually. The full impact of the plan is anticipated to be felt in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Yoti, Mitek, and Synectics Team Up In ‘Project Shield’

Yoti and Mitek have teamed up with Synectics Solutions to develop a system in which the United Kingdom’s “Identity Service Providers” (IDSPs) can share data about compromised credentials, accounts, and identities. Dubbed “Project Shield”, the aim is to establish a proof of concept “shared signals co-ordination platform” that essentially lets companies providing identity services share intelligence concerning identity fraud. Synectics Solutions is an ISO27001 certified, UK Government Specified Anti-Fraud Organisation. Yoti and Mitek, meanwhile, are both IDSPs (the latter via its subsidiary HooYu) in the United Kingdom’s regulatory framework for identity verification technologies.

Oura Partners With Glucose Monitoring Platforms

Oura, the company behind the eponymous biometric ring, has partnered with three providers of continuous glucose monitoring (“CGM”) devices, and will let Oura users share their biometric data with the CGM platforms in an effort to better understand connections between their fitness activities, data, and glucose levels. “These integrations enable you to gain insights into your sleep quality, activity levels, stress levels, recovery patterns, and glucose regulation,” explains Oura’s Head of Science, Shyamal Patel. “By identifying connections and patterns between these factors, you can make lifestyle adjustments to enhance your metabolic health, energy levels, and overall quality of life.”

Toppan Banking Kiosks Get Selfie Onboarding

Toppan Gravity, a subsidiary of Japan-based Toppan, has integrated facial recognition technology into its Modular Service Kiosk solution for retail banking. The “iDenFace” system, developed by another subsidiary, Toppan IDGate, is meant to enable identity verification, by matching an end user’s selfie image to a scanned passport or other identity document. The company will be on hand to discuss its upgraded “Branch-in-a-Box” solution at this year’s Seamless Asia event, slated for June 27 to 28 in Singapore.

WEF Paper Details Digital ID Risks

The World Economic Forum has published an “Insight Report” on digital ID, in which it outlines benefits and drawbacks of the technology, including “significant risks” such as ““exclusion, marginalization and oppression.” The report also suggests that the use of sensitive data such as biometrics in digital ID systems carries “a high risk of exploitation.” Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

Musicians Join Facial Recognition Boycott

The rights advocacy group Fight for Future has organized a musician boycott of concert venues that are known to use facial recognition technology. A number of artists, including Boots Riley and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha, have signed on. Fight for Future led a similar campaign against the Denver, Colorado venue Red Rocks last year over its plans to open a dedicated screening lane for ticketholders that would use Amazon’s palm scanning technology for customer verification.

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June 22, 2023 – by Alex Perala