A White House Appointment, a BIPA Backdown, and More: 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:

Former Palantir Strategist Named White House’s Cybersecurity Deputy

The White House has appointed Anjana Rajan as its new Assistant National Cyber Director for Technology Security. A former Deployment Strategist for Palantir, Rajan more recently served as Chief Technology Officer for Silicon Valley-based Callisto, and as CTO for Polaris, a nonprofit focused on disrupting systems that enable human trafficking. In announcing her appointment, Deputy Principal Director Kemba Walden said Rajan’s “wealth of experience is already a great asset to our team and an important voice in our work.”

Indian Think Tank Seeks Comment On Responsible AI Framework

NITIAayog, the Indian government’s public policy think tank, is seeking public comment on the third of its policy papers concerning the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence technology. The new paper is called “Responsible AI for All: Adopting the Framework – A use case approach on Facial Recognition Technology”, and proposes to focus on facial recognition as a key use case for testing its responsible AI framework.

LogOnPlus Enables Biometric Card Support

LogOnPlus, an access control system used to secure chemical and pharmaceutical facilities, has added support for biometric authentication via the S-Key from Freevolt, an access card featuring fingerprint sensor technology from Fingerprint Cards. “The standard form factor together with common RFID technology make it easy for our customers to switch over to biometrical identification from conventional RFIDs without causing high costs for hardware or system changes,” explained LogOnPlus Product Manager Thomas Häuser.

Guest Messaging Platform Integrates Selfie Onboarding

Akia, the developer of a hospitality-focused guest messaging platform, has teamed up with Veriff to enable biometric guest verification. The system is based on selfie onboarding, with Veriff’s facial recognition technology matching an end user’s selfie photo to an image of their physical ID. “By integrating with Veriff, we’re enabling hosts to automate peace of mind,” explained Akia Chief Operating Officer Ryan Kanoknukulchai.

Facephi Wins Tech Rocketship Award

Biometric onboarding and authentication specialist Facephi has been named one of the four winners of the UK Government’s Tech Rocketship Awards, which are aimed at identifying promising tech companies and helping to fuel their growth by connecting them with UK-based investors and accelerator programs. All of the award winners were from outside of the UK, with Facephi joined on the podium by Turkey’s Enbiosis (which won in the ‘Digital Health’ category), The Netherlands’ Jungle AI (‘Artificial Intelligence’), and Finland’s Resistomap (‘Promoting Diversity in Tech’). Facephi won in the ‘Cyber Security’ category.

SingHealth Visitor Screening Powered By NEC Tech

NEC Asia Pacific is the biometrics vendor behind SingHealth’s new visitor screening system, the company has revealed. Singapore’s largest hospital network made news earlier this week with the deployment of its face-scanning entry system at its Outram Community Hospital and SingHealth Tower, which can automatically identify hospital visitors who sign up for the system, and deny entry to those who arrive with out-of-bounds temperature readings. “We are delighted and privileged to partner with SingHealth, IHiS and GovTech in this trial,” commented NEC APAC Managing Director Teh Chong Mien.

Plaintiff Drops BIPA Case Against Walmart

A plaintiff has dropped his Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) case against Walmart. Illinois resident James Luthe had filed the class action complaint against the retailer over its alleged use of a biometric video surveillance system, arguing that it violated the state’s BIPA by collecting individuals’ biometric data without their consent. Luthe did not provide a reason for the withdrawal of his complaint, and Walmart says it did not reach a settlement with the individual.

ANZ CISO Backs Australia’s Digital ID Efforts

The Chief Information Security Officer for the major bank ANZ is publicly backing inchoate government plans to establish a national digital ID system after the enormous data breach of Australian telecom Optus. ANZ’s Lynne Connick asserted that there are “huge vulnerabilities” in Australia’s “national identity capability,” and called on government to play a leadership role “in a centralised identity plan or a centralised way of checking whether third parties are secure.”

West VA Voters to Decide On Facial Recognition In Schools

Voters in Charleston, West Virginia, will be asked at the polls next week whether they support funding for school security upgrades that could see facial recognition technology deployed at Kanawha County Schools if approved. The security in system has been developed by Newtech Systems, and while it has the biometric capability, its emphasis is on weapons detection.

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November 4, 2022 – by Alex Perala