South Africa’s Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has called for a High Court review following concerns about IDEMIA’s role in a controversial biometric driving license system tender, citing data protection and technical capacity issues among other irregularities.
The concerns emerged as part of a broader investigation into the tender process for new driving license card machines, in which an Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) audit revealed significant irregularities, including IDEMIA’s failure to meet key technical requirements despite winning the bid.
Minister Creecy specifically requested the AGSA to examine whether adequate measures were in place to protect citizens’ personal data, given the sensitive nature of the biometric information involved. While the audit found that data protection requirements were properly included in the bid specifications, other aspects of the tender process raised red flags.
The investigation also scrutinized IDEMIA’s technical capabilities following reported challenges with the company’s biometric systems at three South African airports. This comes as IDEMIA continues to expand its global presence in digital identity solutions, including recent implementations of mobile driver’s licenses in West Virginia and facial recognition systems for law enforcement in Canada.
Minister Creecy has instructed the Department to seek a declaratory order from the High Court on how to proceed given the audit findings. The legal review will determine the next steps for South Africa’s driving license system modernization efforts.
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March 5, 2025 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team
