They Scan Horses, Don’t They? – 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:

Israeli Security Ministries Seek Biometric Access Extension

Israel’s Ministry of Interior and its Ministry of National Security have jointly proposed a legal amendment that would extend emergency access to the country’s biometric database, which contains information pertaining to about 7 million people. Temporary access had been granted as part of emergency measures implemented in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, allowing police and military agents to access the biometric database in an effort to identify victims of the attacks. The proposal would extend access for a period of one year.

Background Screening Specialist Acquires Trustmatic

British Columbia-based Certn has announced its acquisition of Trustmatic. Founded in 2016, Certn specializes in background screening solutions. In announcing its purchase of Trustmatic, the company highlighted the latter’s identity document reading tool and its biometric technology, including liveness detection. “Trustmatic’s innovative technology complements our existing offerings and helps us better serve clients like those in financial services,” said Certn co-founded and CEO Andrew McLeod. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ExpressVPN Launches Password Manager

ExpressVPN has launched a password manager, ExpressVPN Keys, that can be integrated into its Virtual Private Network app. The tool is available to all ExpressVPN users at no additional cost, and is available on iOS, Android, and desktop. Among the tool’s features is a biometric unlock mechanism on mobile devices.

Major NZ Bank Deploys Behavioral Biometrics

Westpac NZ, one of New Zealand’s largest banks, has implemented behavioral biometrics technology from Biocatch. In a post on the bank’s website, CEO Catherine McGrath offered some insight into the deployment process for BioCatch’s solution. “We turned on Biocatch in early September and it’s currently collecting behavioural data to help it learn how each individual customer behaves online,” she said. “We hope to have it fully operational by the end of the month.”

Biometric Fitness Tracking Comes to the Racetrack

Pin Oak Stud, a prominent American horse farm known for its racehorses, has implemented a new policy mandating its horses to be outfitted with biometric sensors in their breezes—workouts in which horses run at moderate speed to build fitness. The move comes after one of the farm’s star horses, Geaux Rocket Ride, suffered a serious injury during a breeze last month, and ultimately had to be euthanized.

Cigars Get Biometric Security

The trend of biometric locks has extended to the world of cigar aficionados. General Cigar Co. has launched a special edition cigar humidor, equipped with 106 cigars, that can be unlocked with a fingerprint scan (or, alternatively, a key). There will only be 130 Cohiba Biometric Humidors produced, with each one retailing for $5,500.

British Land Gets Mobile Access

HID Global has worked with New York-based connected access specialist SwiftConnect to bring a mobile access solution to 100 Liverpool Street in London. The latter is a commercial office building owned by the real estate company British Land, which requested the implementation to allow office workers to access the building with a contactless tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch. The joint solution is based on the interoperability of SwiftConnect’s AccessCloud solution, British Land’s access control system, and the HID Origo platform for mobile credential management.

Iris ID Launches ‘Complementary’ Time Tracking System

Iris ID has launched IrisTime Management Service (iTMS) Cloud, billed as a complementary solution to its IrisTime iT100 Time Clock that will automate its integration with human resources management systems (HRMS). The iT100 Time Clock supports both iris and facial recognition for contactless time and attendance tracking.

Mobile Student ID Comes to Toronto’s York U

Toronto’s York University has become the latest post-secondary education institution to embrace digital ID, allowing students to store a virtual version of their “YU-card” student identity card on their smartphone. The mobile ID can be used to gain access to libraries and recreational facilities across the school’s three campuses, and can be linked to a meal plan. Administrators expect the card to cut more than 12,000 hours from queue times per academic year, and so far more than 65 percent of incoming students have embraced the solution.

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November 7, 2023 – by Alex Perala