NIST Validation, Strategic Partnerships, 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:

Fime Gets NVLAP Certification

Fime, the French security consulting and testing agency, has become the first European lab to be accredited under the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for biometric testing (“NVLAP Lab Code 600365-0”). The accreditation means that Fime can now assess clients’ solutions against the ISO/IEC 19795 standard for biometric matching accuracy, and against the ISO/IEC 30107 standard for presentation attack detection. The testing can encompass a range of biometric modalities, including face, fingerprint, voice, and palm vein, among others.

Thales Gets Top Ranking in NIST ELFT

Thales is reporting impressive results from its latest performance in NIST’s Evaluation of Latent Friction Ridge Technology (ELFT), which assesses biometric algorithms for latent fingerprint identification. Thales’ algorithm took the top ranking with a hit rate of 91.9 percent, while being over 50 percent faster than any other vendors’ algorithms. The company also delivered a 44 percent improvement in its algorithm’s Detection Error Tradeoff, a measure of the balance between false positives and false negatives.

Washington Think Tank Publishes Biometric Data Risk Framework

The Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based policy group, has published a “Risk Framework for Body-Related Data in Immersive Technologies”. Broadly speaking, the framework does not diverge far from other biometrics-related guidelines emerging from regulatory bodies and advocacy groups around the world: Organizations are advised first to understand how they are handling sensitive data, then to study relevant laws and regulations to ensure compliance, and then to assess potential risks to individuals and society with respect to their use of sensitive data, before finally implementing their own best practices.

Georgian Healthcare Group Teams With Biometric Earbud Specialist

Northeast Georgia Health Ventures (NGHV), part of the Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), has entered into a strategic partnership with Georgia-based Aware Custom Biometric Wearables, agreeing to co-develop a “biometric hearable” device for potential use in therapeutics and medical research. Aware Custom Biometric Wearables was founded by United Sciences Chairman and CEO Sam Kellett, Jr., in early 2019, and has developed an earbud concept that doubles as a headphone and hearing aid, with biometric sensors positioned to collect data from the second bend of the ear canal.

Lava and Wicket Explore Fan Experience Synergies

Lava, a San Francisco-based firm that offers a digital customer engagement platform to sports and entertainment companies, has partnered with Wicket, the face-based venue entry pioneer. The companies see synergies in their respective platforms, which are both aimed at enhancing the fan experience. At the Cleveland Browns Stadium, the companies have already worked together to deploy an “Express Beer” service that lets fans use face-scanning kiosks to buy alcoholic beverages, with Lava’s system alerting them to any special offers or loyalty discounts.

HID Brings Recycled PVC to Zwipe Pay

Zwipe has partnered with HID Global to integrate a recycled PVC prelaminate into its biometric smart card solution, Zwipe Pay. In announcing the move, Zwipe emphasized that it will give card manufacturers access to the components needed to make eco-friendly cards that meet the Mastercard Card Quality Management (CQM) requirements; Mastercard announced earlier this year that by 2028, all newly-produced Mastercard payment cards would need to be made from relatively sustainable materials like recycled or bio-sourced plastics such as rPVC, rPET, or PLA. The recycled PVC prelaminates for Zwipe Pay are available now.

Delta Expands Biometric Digital ID Program

Delta has brought its Digital ID solution for passenger processing to Los Angeles and New York, with the complete roster of participating airports now including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW). The solution enables passengers to set up a digital ID in the Fly Delta mobile app that is linked to their face biometrics, allowing them to check bags and pass through security screening without the need to present physical ID. Delta says that on average the system reduces the time needed for bag drop from two minutes to 30 seconds, and that it has resulted in substantial upticks in passenger satisfaction ratings.

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December 12, 2023 – by Alex Perala