Open-Source Orbs and Brain-Scanning Headsets – 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:

EU Court Approves Fingerprint Mandate for ID Cards

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that mandating the inclusion of two fingerprints in identity cards is in line with fundamental rights to privacy and personal data protection, due to its benefits in combating identity fraud and ensuring system interoperability. However, the regulation enacting this requirement was deemed invalid because it was based on incorrect legal grounds and followed the wrong legislative process. Despite this, to prevent negative impacts on EU citizens and maintain security, the Court has decided to keep the regulation’s effects until a new, correctly reasoned regulation is implemented by December 31, 2026, at the latest. The ruling came about after a German citizen contested the requirement for fingerprints in identity cards, leading to a review of the EU regulation’s validity.

Worldcoin Makes Orbs Open-Source

The Worldcoin Foundation has open-sourced the core software components of its Orb device on GitHub under an MIT/Apache 2.0 dual license. GitHub is a platform for hosting and sharing code, and Worldcoin’s decision to share their Orb software there under an MIT/Apache 2.0 dual license means the code is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute, subject to the terms of these permissive open-source licenses. The iris-scanning Orb is engineered to verify human identity for online interactions, prioritizing user privacy and security by processing images locally and ensuring secure data transfer. Worldcoin’s move towards open-source aims to enhance the system’s transparency and verifiability.

Met Makes More Arrests With FRT

The London Metropolitan Police (Met) is boasting of its use of facial recognition technology this week, pointing to the arrests of 17 people across Croydon and Tooting in three deployments as a sign of its success. These arrests are in addition to at least 45 others, announced in February of this year. The technology scans faces against a watchlist of people wanted for crimes or breaching court orders. Met says the system deletes data if there’s no match and emphasizes fairness and accuracy of the technology. 

Domino’s Gets a BIPA Lawsuit, Others Settle

Famous Pizza chain Domino’s has found itself at the receiving end of a class-action lawsuit.The lawsuit alleges that Domino’s violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by recording customers’ voiceprints when they order pizza by phone using ConverseNow, an AI system. BIPA requires businesses to get informed consent before collecting biometric data, which includes voiceprints, and Domino’s allegedly did not do so. The lawsuit seeks damages of $1,000 or $5,000 per person, depending on whether the violation is found to have been negligent or intentional.

Pathfinder Software LLC has agreed to a $1,175,000 settlement of a class action lawsuit under BIPA. The company had provided fingerprint-based biometric time and attendance tracking technology to a Sky Zone trampoline park franchise operator. The lawsuit argued that Pathfinder Software had failed to notify Sky Zone employees of its collection of their biometric data and that it had not obtained their written consent for biometric data collection, as required under BIPA.

Haemonetics, a medical technology company, has agreed to an $8.74 million settlement over claims of improperly collecting fingerprints from blood plasma donors in Illinois, in violation of BIPA. The lawsuit accused Haemonetics of not obtaining proper consent before using finger scan technology at plasma donation centers, including those operated by Octapharma. While not admitting wrongdoing, the settlement allows affected individuals, who used these facilities between February 4, 2016, and February 8, 2024, to claim a share of the settlement fund, estimated to be between $250 and $570 per person.

Apple Patent Points to Brainwave Sensors for Headset

A new Apple patent suggests the company is developing technology that could integrate brainwave and biometric sensors into its Apple Vision Pro headset or future AR/VR devices, aiming to enhance mental and physical health. The patent outlines a brain-computer interface capable of monitoring various bodily systems, including heart, lungs, and brain activity, to support mental health, mindfulness, and physical training without directly reading thoughts. The envisioned sensors could offer new insights into a user’s health and activity, akin to how the Apple Watch tracks physical metrics. Applications could range from aiding trauma therapy to assisting individuals with neurodivergent learning.

Samsung Galaxy Smartphones Integrate Suprema Biometrics

Suprema has supplied its latest in-display fingerprint recognition technology, BioSign 6.0, to Samsung for the Galaxy S24 series. The technology uses the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 for fingerprint recognition. Suprema has been providing fingerprint recognition tech for Samsung Galaxy S series phones since 2019. BioSign 6.0 boasts significant improvements to both speed and accuracy when compared to the previous version. This is thanks in part to an optimized AI-based fingerprint analysis algorithm. Suprema believes this technology will lead to wider adoption in the market due to its superior performance and user experience.

Precise Adds Palm Recognition to Biometric Portfolio

Precise Biometrics has expanded its biometric technology portfolio to include palm recognition, complementing its existing fingerprint and facial recognition modalities. The technology will be integrated into Precise Biometrics’ YOUNiQ Access and YOUNiQ Visit products, and is designed to work with a range of devices, including IP cameras and tablets. The introduction of palm recognition also enables multi-factor authentication solutions by allowing the use of multiple biometric modalities, enhancing security and providing customizable options for organizations. Precise Biometrics has partnered with Hand.ID, an American company specializing in palm recognition readers, to further develop and deploy this technology.

Trust Stamp White Paper Details Stable-IT2 Tech

Trust Stamp has released a white paper detailing its Stable-IT2 facial recognition technology, designed for secure authentication in areas like FIDO implementations. Stable-IT2 offers enhanced security compared to traditional passkey solutions by generating a renewable cryptographic secret from a user’s facial image. This eliminates the need to store raw biometric data, a key privacy advantage. The system instead regenerates the cryptographic key for authentication, boosting security and offering seamless portability across devices.

HID Report Highlights Rise of Biometric Authentication, Mobile ID

A new report from HID Global finds, among other things, that the adoption of biometrics for identity verification is gaining momentum, with a notable percentage of users employing fingerprint, palm print, and facial recognition technologies. The “2024 State of the Security Industry Report” also asserts that mobile IDs are picking up steam, and are poised to become ubiquitous within five years. Read the full story on Mobile ID World.

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March 22, 2024 – by Alex Perala and Tony Bitzionis