The Voice Clone Wars Begin – 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:

IdriveAI Brings Driver Monitoring to BlackBerry Platform

California-based IdriveAI has entered into an automotive-focused partnership with BlackBerry Limited, agreeing to provide facial recognition and driver monitoring technology to the latter’s BlackBerry IVY, a platform developed in partnership with AWS that is meant to enhance the capabilities of connected vehicles. IdriveAI’s technology will be used to detect the distraction and drowsiness on the part of drivers. The companies are planning to showcase their joint solution at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from booth 4224.

Trust Stamp Applies for Patent for Cryptographic Token System

Trust Stamp has filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for its biometric tokenization technology. The company’s Stable IT2 system is designed to turn a subject’s face biometrics into a cryptographic token, which is then used for authentication. All subsequent authentication sessions revolve around comparisons of the cryptographic token, ensuring that the underlying biometric data is not shared, or even stored. “This tokenized matching is not only secure but also highly efficient, providing quick and accurate identity verification,” says the company’s Chief Science Officer, Norman Poh.

Zwipe CFO Departs, Interim Named

Zwipe’s CFO, Danielle Glenn, is departing the company. An accomplished finance professional with prior experience with Goldman Sachs and Bywater Capital, Glenn joined the company in early 2023, and went on to help Zwipe with two rights issues and high-level strategic planning. She’s leaving the company for a role with a capital markets advisory and consulting firm. In a statement, CEO Robert Puskaric credited her “for her significant contributions to Zwipe in a difficult environment.” The company named Hugo Petit as interim CFO, positioning him as a CFO with over 2o years of experience. Petit will join Zwipe “as soon as possible”.

General Dynamics Wins $386M OBIM Contract

General Dynamics, a Virginia-based aerospace and defense company, has won a contract to operate and maintain components of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Biometric Identity Management’s infrastructure. The 36-month task order is valued at approximately $386 million, and its work will pertain to DHS Data Center 1, one of two major data centers operated by the Department of Homeland Security. General Dynamics was the sole bidder for the project.

Washington County Mulls Clearview AI License

Washington State’s Benton County Sheriff’s Office is exploring the potential purchase of a license to use Clearview AI’s controversial facial recognition platform, which allows biometric searches against a massive database of photos gleaned from the internet. The news comes after the Sheriff’s Office of Hays County in Texas adopted the technology last month. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is hosting public meetings to get feedback on its potential use of facial recognition technology, with the next to take place on January 8. If it moves forward with its plan, it will likely make Benton the first county in Washington to adopt Clearview’s tech.

FTC Wants Help in Fight Against Voice Clones

The Federal Trade Commission has launched an “exploratory challenge” aimed at finding solutions to the growing threat of voice cloning, in which deepfake technology is used to impersonate an individual through their voice biometrics. The Commission is asking for submissions that address any relevant policies, products, or procedures to combat the problem. Submissions should take the form of an abstract and a detailed explanation of the proposed solution, with the option of including an explanatory video supplement. Submissions will be accepted until January 12, 2024.

Italian Engineers Develop Face-Scanning Robot for the Classroom

An Italy-based group of designers and engineers have created a robot for the classroom that has won a 2023 Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum. The ClassMate Robot is equipped with facial recognition capabilities, allowing it to take attendance. It can also record lessons, and act as a kind of avatar for a student who is attending class remotely. In terms of the robot’s design, it’s essentially a screen on a swivel, with its various components taking on a rounded, white and pewter design that has been popularized by Apple and other tech companies over the last decade.

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January 5, 2024 – by Alex Perala