Product Launches, Demographic Detection, and How Travelers Really Feel About Airport Biometrics: 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:

Product Launches and Deployments

Socure has added a new offering to its solutions portfolio. Known for its selfie-based identity verification technology, the company has now announced “Socure Account Intelligence”, a solution designed to instantly verify a domestic bank account’s active status and ownership. Socure says the solution is “ideally suited for any client or industry in which an ACH payment is being made”, and that it marks its entry into the payment risk space. The announcement comes soon after the news that Socure is expanding its business operations into Canada, the UK, and Europe.

BioIntelliSense has launched a new, FDA-approved pulse oximetry (SpO₂) sensor chipset that is capable of monitoring blood oxygen levels across the full spectrum of skin tones, the company says. In a statement, the biometric wearables specialist called it “a significant advancement in the field of oximetry which has historically been challenged by reduced accuracy during activity and in people with darker skin.” The news comes after BioIntelliSense’s announcement of its acquisition of AlertWatch last month.

First Abu Dhabi Bank, the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates, has launched the country’s first biometric payment card in partnership with retailer Majid Al Futtaim. The card was developed by IDEMIA and features IDEX Biometrics’ fingerprint sensor technology. In a statement, IDEX said the launch confirms an “expected commercial acceleration in 2022” for the nascent biometric payment cards market, and said it points to “a market inflection in 2023.”

VSBLTY Gets Patent for Biometric Ad Targeting System

Smart signage specialist VSBLTY has been awarded its first patent – designated No. 11,481,809, from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent concerns a biometric ad display system that will tailor video content based on a target subject’s demographic criteria (eg. age and gender), as well as based on how close or far the individual is to the screen. VSBLTY says the system described in the patent is mainly intended for vending machines, with further applications to be developed in the future.

Travelers Embrace Biometric Screening

Three quarters of respondents to the International Air Transport Association’s 2022 Global Passenger Survey said they support the use of biometrics to replace passports and boarding passes at airports. Over a third of the more than 10,000 respondents indicated that they have already used such a system, and 88 percent of them reported being satisfied with their experience.

NSW Lawmakers Punt On Facial Recognition Regulations

Legislators in the New South Wales government have delayed discussion of a bill regulating the use of facial recognition in pubs and clubs to 2023. Nevertheless, ClubsNSW, the lobby group representing the Australian province’s clubs industry, is expected to move forward with planned additional deployments of the technology at its members’ venues, according to a report from The Guardian.

UK Slot Machines Get Biometric Age Verification Tech

Regal Gaming Technologies, which operates about 15,000 slot machines across the United Kingdom, is implementing selfie-based age verification technology in partnership with Yoti in order to prevent minors from gambling. Its slot machines will use Yoti’s age estimation technology to regulate access, with Yoti claiming that its technology can guess the age of an individual between 13 and 19 years of age to within 18 months of their true date of birth. Customers will also have the alternative option of verifying their age using the Yoti identity app.

Cleveland Browns Expands Wicket Partnership

Cleveland Browns fans will be able to verify that they are of age for alcohol purchases thanks to an expansion of the sports franchise’s partnership with Wicket, whose facial recognition technology is already being used at the FirstEnergy Stadium for biometric ticketing. Interested fans can upload a selfie photo and a picture of their ID to the Browns’ mobile app for age verification, and then pick up their orders at a Cleveland Cold Ones kiosk after a face scan.

Noseprint Tech Enables Doggie ID

South Korea’s iSciLab has developed a noseprint recognition system for dogs. Dubbed “Anipuppy”, the system can operate through a standard smartphone camera, and iSciLab says it has an accuracy rate of 99.9 percent. As Euronews reports, the company has been working with the South Korea government to establish its solution as a replacement for microchipping, and to help ensure that pet owners can easily comply with the country’s mandatory pet registration rule.

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November 1, 2022 – by Alex Perala