IBIA

Looking ahead, companies can expect more of the same in 2022, with legislatures across the country continuing to enact new laws to provide tighter regulation over biometric technologies, as well as additional BIPA decisions that will further define the contours of Illinois’ biometric privacy law. With that said, 2022 will likely diverge from 2021 in at least one significant respect: with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) taking a much more active role in holding companies accountable for the misuse of facial recognition software.

Fingerprint Cards AB’s (Fingerprints™) second-generation T-Shape® sensor module and software platform for biometric payment cards have achieved compliance with Mastercard’s new fingerprint sensor evaluation process. Having passed the former specifications last year, Fingerprints has proactively secured this updated approval to simplify the process for card manufacturers to launch second-generation biometric payment cards.

Merkley Urges Transparency on Collecting Americans’ Biometric Data When Entering Country (Channel News21, Jan 11, 2022)
Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., are requesting more information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the use of facial recognition technology to collect biometric data from U.S. citizens for entry-exit programs at airports, seaports, and land borders. In a letter sent to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, Merkley and Blunt urged the agency for more transparency surrounding this program to help ensure American travelers understand the process and their right to opt out of the use of biometric facial recognition technology during reentry to the country.

Fingerprints’ Biometric Module for Payments Passes Security Requirements From Mastercard (Bloomberg Law, Jan 11, 2022)
Fingerprint Cards AB’s second-generation T-Shape sensor module and software platform for biometric payment cards have achieved compliance with Mastercard’s new Fingerprint Sensor Evaluation Process. Having passed the former specifications last year, Fingerprints has proactively secured this updated approval to simplify the process for card manufacturers to launch the second generation biometric payment cards. This development will minimise the time to market, lower related costs and is an essential milestone for deploying biometric payment cards at scale, supporting greater convenience and security for consumers making in-store purchases.

The Foreign Ministry will soon introduce smart electronic passports in the country. Foreign Ministry Secretary Sanjay Bhattacharyya took to Twitter and wrote: “Indian citizens are expected to start getting ePassports soon. The MEA secretary said passports will be secured with biometric data and facilitate smooth passage through immigration posts around the world. The government has given its approval for the purchase of electronic contactless inlays for manufacturing electronic passports to India Security Press (ISP), Nashik. At the same time, MEA and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed an agreement on Friday for the second phase of the Passport Seva program (PSP-V2.0), which envisages the deployment of electronic passports with microchips.

Microsoft Corp. won its bid to seal documents it filed in support of its opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in a biometric privacy action after a Washington federal judge found keeping the information closed would protect children’s privacy. Some images containing the faces of unnamed, non-party individuals that come from an International Business Machines Corp. dataset from which Microsoft allegedly developed facial recognition tools are also sealed, Judge James L. Robart wrote in an order filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Corsight AI Reduces Bias in its Facial Recognition Technology (IFSEC Global , Jan 11, 2022)
Corsight’s newly published algorithm demonstrates excess FPR as low as 10% between white and black males, standing out in comparison to the average excess of 130% for the top 30 leading VISA-Border submissions. Corsight’s algorithm also received top marks in the WILD, VISA-Border and VISA-Kiosk tracks, which aim to simulate common use cases for facial recognition applications.

Identity Week America, October 4 -5, 2022 (Terrapin, Jan 11, 2022)
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.