IBIA

In line with its “Press Pause on Face Surveillance” campaign, the ACLU of Massachusetts gave testimony at a hearing Nov. 23 for the state Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of bills moving through the Massachusetts legislature that would limit use of facial recognition technology. The companion bills H.135 and S.47 would strengthen legislation passed last session as part of a police reform bill. The 2020 legislation instituted limits on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology and required documentation of those uses. If passed, the new law would prohibit use of facial recognition technology by all government agencies and officials except in a handful of specifically identified situations.

Experts Survey: Iris Biometrics Market Boosting the Growth Worldwide | Thales, IDEMIA, Iris ID (Open Pr, Dec 02, 2021)
Latest released the research study on Iris Biometrics Market, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope. Iris Biometrics Market research report shows the latest market insights, current situation analysis with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services. The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Iris Biometrics. The study covers emerging player’s data, including: competitive landscape, sales, revenue and global market share. The current market players are adopting various strategies, such as strategic alliances, to expand their regional footprint in growing economies.

Facial Recognition Technology at 4 Airports to be Introduced by March Next Year (India Times, Dec 02, 2021)
Singh said FRT has not yet been introduced at any of the airports in India. However, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is working on a project of FRT-based Biometric Boarding System as part of the first phase of Digi Yatra Implementation at four Airports (Varanasi, Pune, Kolkata, and Vijayawada). He added that the proposed Digi Yatra Central Eco-system is planned to go live in March 2022. It is to be scaled up in a phased manner for adoption across various airports of the country.

Automation technology provider Elenium Automation has raised A$10m (US$7.1m) in growth capital for its biometric solution, Faceway. The recent capital raise was led by Thorney Investment Group along with existing investors NRMA and Acorn Capital. Manufactured in Australia, Faceway is designed to be scalable and affordable facial recognition technology that creates access passes from customers’ pictures. This technology enables secure, touchless access for passengers, without the need for them to use their phones or QR codes to check in.

Bank Pocztowy announced that it will provide customers with a biometric card in the coming days. This is a novelty not only in Poland, but also in most European markets. The card is equipped with a fingerprint reader, which is to increase the security of payments. What else do we know about the new product? The biometric card was developed by Thales. Initially, it will be issued to institutional clients, i.e. companies. It looks like an ordinary payment card, but has an additional element – a fingerprint reader. To make a payment, you will no longer need to enter your PIN code – you only need to put your finger on the reader. This does not mean, however, that the PIN will be completely redundant – it will be useful, for example, for cash withdrawals from ATMs. The manufacturer ensures that the card guarantees safety. If it is lost or stolen, it will be useless without the owner’s fingerprint when authenticating a contactless transaction.

Facebook says its highest-risk users will soon need to start protecting their accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA). According to several published reports on Thursday (Dec. 2), this change will — for now — apply to “high-risk” accounts: journalists, politicians, activists and others who are part of the Facebook Protect program.
“We aren’t currently planning on rolling it out to everyone, but we can slowly expand within the communities where it’s most critical — communities where people could be most targeted and where the consequences would be most significant,” said Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy for Meta, Facebook’s parent.

IDENTITY WEEK is the most important identity event in the USA. IDENTITY WEEK is a conference and exhibition bringing together the brightest minds in the identity sector to promote innovation, new thinking, and more effective identity solutions. Key areas of focus include secure physical credentials, digital identity, and advanced authentication technologies, such as biometrics.