The NFL Adds Face-Based Access to Its Playbook – 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:

Pakistan’s Former NADRA Head Calls for Biometric Voting Tech

The former head of Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Tariq Malik, is calling on government authorities to incorporate more sophisticated technologies, including biometrics, in electoral processes. And he has done so through an op-ed in Development Advocate Pakistan, a publication issued by the United Nations Development Program. NADRA itself has shown increasing interest in the use of biometrics for identity verification, having recently engaged in initiatives to implement biometric IDV in real estate transactions and remote onboarding for startups.

Police Scotland Seeks £400M for Five-Year Digitization Plan

Police Scotland has prepared a five-year plan for its digital strategy, for which it is seeking approval for about £400 million in funding. Concerning ’emerging’ technologies like facial recognition, the plan says “it is essential that these are only considered for introduction into operational policing after the appropriate Data Ethics assessments have taken place.” The plan will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority Board on Thursday, and is expected to be approved.

NFL Tests Face-Based Credentials for Stadium Staff

The National Football League has begun testing a face-based authentication system for staff at six stadiums. The system is meant to replace physical ID cards, with officials ultimately aiming to establish mobile-based credentials for employees. The face-based authentication system is being provided by Wicket, whose technology has already been deployed for expedited fan entry at Cleveland Browns Stadium, resulting in considerable cost savings thanks to its much more efficient throughput.

Veridas Joins OIX

Veridas has joined the Open Identity Exchange (OIX), a consortium seeking to promote digital identity infrastructure and solutions. The company is known for its voice and face biometrics technologies, with the latter having attained a fourth-place global ranking in one-to-many matching in testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) earlier this year. “OIX brings together key stakeholders to collaborate and solve common challenges in the identity space,” said Veridas CEO Eduardo Azanza. “This is a powerful space where we will form strategic alliances, as well as share our knowledge, best practices, and insights with other OIX community members.”

Former Meta Researcher Is ROC.ai’s New Senior Scientist

Garrick Brazil has become a Senior Scientist at ROC.ai. Brazil completed his PhD at Michigan State University’s Computer Vision Lab, where he studied under the renowned computer vision and machine learning expert Xiaoming Liu. Brazil has also served in research roles at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Meta, working in the latter’s Fundamental AI Research lab. Brazil’s appointment comes after biometrics industry veteran Benji Hutchinson joined the ROC.ai team this past July, as its new Chief Revenue Officer.

Avaya Adopts Journey.ai’s Biometric Login for Contact Center Workers

Contact center solutions provider Avaya has adopted biometric authentication technology from Journey.ai, enabling organizations using its Avaya Hybrid Cloud Service to log into their stations with a face scan. Journey.ai’s solution also features a “Continuous Biometric Authentication” option that will periodically check for contact center agents’ faces through the workday, further securing the facility. Avaya made a strategic investment in Journey.ai back in 2021, with the latter having been co-founded in 2016 by former Avaya executive Brett Shockley.

Renee Launches Selfie-Based Health Screening App

Los Angeles-based medical technology startup Renee has launched a mobile app that is designed to use face biometrics to detect various health metrics based on an end user’s selfie photo. Such metrics include blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels. Renee was founded in 2021, and has so far raised $8.2 million in seed funding.

Canadian Bank Launches Digital ID Platform

ATB Ventures has launched a new digital identity management platform aimed at small and medium enterprises. The “Oliu” platform revolves around a digital ID wallet called “Proof”, which asks users to register their selfie biometrics, PIN, phone number, and email. They can then share their ID credentials with participating businesses through the use of a QR code, enabling passwordless login. ATB Ventures is the R&D arm of ATB Financial, the largest financial services organizations based in Alberta, Canada.

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August 22, 2023 – by Alex Perala