‘We Urgently Need to Wake Up’: 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:

UK Surveillance Commissioner Issues Wake-up Call for Parliament

The United Kingdom’s Biometric and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Fraser Sampson, has delivered his office’s latest annual report to the country’s Parliament, and is urging lawmakers to establish a clear and coherent framework for “increasingly inter-related” biometrics and surveillance technologies. “I believe that many of the issues raised in my report show that we urgently need to wake up to the opportunities presented, and the threats posed by, the explosion of capability in AI-driven biometric surveillance,” he said.

Packaging Company Reaches $1.5M BIPA Settlement

Packaging company BWAY has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in a lawsuit brought against the company under Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The company had used a fingerprint-scanning time and attendance tracking system, and was accused of failing to get employees’ written consent for the collection and use of their biometric data. Each member of the class action lawsuit is entitled to a payout of about $790.

SITA, NEC Bring Curb-to-Gate Biometrics to Frankfurt Airport

SITA and NEC Advanced Recognition Systems are implementing a curb-to-gate biometric passenger processing system at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany, with the system expected to go live this spring. The system will enable travelers to check in using face biometrics, with NEC’s I:Delight facial recognition technology in place throughout each of the following passenger touch points, right up to boarding. The system will complement the Star Alliance biometric security screening and boarding systems already in place for Lufthansa customers.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Zwipe Make Moves in India

LexisNexis Risk Solutions has launched its first data center in India. The new data center will enable companies doing business in India to access LexisNexis ThreatMetrix, the company’s enterprise-focused identity and access management platform, as well as LexisNexis BehavioSec, its behavioral biometrics solution. In a statement, LexisNexis Risk Solutions said that the data center “will serve customers in India exclusively,” but characterized its launch as a first step in an expansion into the Asia Pacific region.

Biometric cards specialist Zwipe is also getting traction in the India market. The company has partnered with Antworks Money, a financial services startup based in Gurugram, which will promote Zwipe’s fingerprint-scanning payment card technology through its partner network. “Our partnership with Zwipe will enable us to start offering Zwipe’s products to banks, credit card issuers and PPI card issuers,” explained Antworks CEO Rajeev Mahajan, adding that his leadership team “believe that Zwipe’s products are well suited for the Indian market and will help to eliminate the fraudulent use of contactless payment cards.”

FacePhi Reports Best Year Yet

FacePhi brought in revenues of €22.2 million in 2022, an increase of 69 percent over 2021. The figures are an indicator of the best fiscal year in the company’s history, with FacePhi also posting a positive EBITDA of €4.31 million. Much of the credit goes to FacePhi’s biometric identity platform, which revolves around the use of facial recognition for authentication, and has proven especially popular in the financial services sector. FacePhi also noted that its customer base rose by about 100 clients in 2022, bringing the total over 250.

Neurotechnology Upgrades Face Verification Solution

Neurotechnology has released an upgraded version of its facial recognition platform, Face Verification 13.0. With a facial recognition algorithm that has attained strong rankings in testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at its core, Face Verification 13 delivers a new, iBeta-tested Presentation Attack Detection algorithm. It also features a ‘small footprint’ version of the algorithm designed for use in mobile and web apps.

Passkeys in Reach of 1Password Users This Spring

Password manager 1Password says its users will be able to start accessing their password vaults through passkeys in the spring of this year, marking the latest sign of adoption for the post-password authentication concept. Rival password managers NordPass and Bitwarden also recently announced their support for passkeys, which essentially lock a given user’s various passwords behind the biometric authentication systems of the user’s smartphone.

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February 9, 2023 – by Alex Perala

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