Taiwan Cracks Down On Biometrics Talent Poaching: 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:

CCPA Gets New Consumer Protections

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CCPA) is expected to implement new regulations today that will add further protections to the California Privacy Rights Act. The amendment was passed through a 2020 ballot measure, and could affect up to 66,000 businesses at a cumulative compliance cost of $2.8 million, according to one analysis. Among the new protections for consumers is the right to set limits on how organizations use or disclose their sensitive personal information.

Taiwanese Authorities Investigate ‘Talent Poaching’ of Biometrics Experts

Authorities in Taiwan are investigating a China-run company for allegedly trying to poach AI engineering talent. Taiwan strengthened laws against ‘technology theft’ last year in an effort to prevent China-based actors from siphoning off its advanced technologies. Yesterday, authorities in Taipei and New Taipei City searched the offices of RogersAI Technology Co, which they allege is secretly owned by China-based crypto miner Bitmain Technologies. RogersAI executives had allegedly sought to recruit experts in facial recognition and biometric authentication, among other AI technologies.

India’s Biometric Boarding Program to Expand

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation says that the DigiYatra biometric boarding program is currently being deployed at four additional airports in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada. DigiYatra enables Indian travelers to pre-register their information, including a selfie photo and their credentials under the Aadhaar national biometric ID program, through a mobile app, and to then confirm their identity via face scan when boarding at participating airports. The program started rolling out last year.

Poll Finds Agreement on Tech Regulation, With Police Exception

There’s a considerable consensus among Democrats and Republicans about the need to regulate AI tech and data collection, with facial recognition being the one exception, according to survey data from YouGov. The poll found asked about various proposals including requiring companies to minimize the amount of consumer data they collect (79 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of Republicans agreed) and requiring companies to get explicit consent before collecting biometrics (71 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans agreed). But only 50 percent of Democrats agreed with the idea of banning police from using facial recognition, and they were joined by a minority of 40 percent of Republicans. It’s the one regulatory proposal in YouGov’s list that did not find a majority in favor.

Anker Admits to Eufy Security Flaws

Anker has confirmed that its Eufy cameras did not always produce encrypted video streams for its web portal as it had advertized, but the company says that the issue is now fixed with end-to-end encryption, and that it’s working to set up a third party audit of its Eufy brand practices, and launching a bug bounty program. The admission and promise of fixes come after security researcher Paul Moore posted a YouTube video last year detailing how his Eufy Doorbell Dual camera compromised his face biometrics data.

Texas Startup Raises $3M in Seed Funding

Texas-based startup Wink has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by Cerracap Ventures, with participation from Flying Point Industries and smaller family offices in Texas and California, reports CityBiz. The company offers a multi-factor biometric authentication system that combines facial and voice recognition, via a mobile app, which Wink is pitching as a tool for payments and authentication in financial services applications. Wink previously raised $2.85 million in a “pre-seed” funding round.

Thai Mobile ID Approved for Airport Boarding

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has approved the use of mobile IDs for identity verification in the flight boarding process at airports. Initially, the government aimed to ensure that Thai residents could use the new D.Dopa mobile ID app to access government services under the Internal Affairs Ministry. It’s now supported by several agencies including the country’s Revenue Department, having just been launched last month.

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February 3, 2023 – by Alex Perala

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