First, They Banned Facial Recognition. Now They're Not So Sure
(CNN Business, Aug 05, 2022)
Over the past few years, a number of cities and some states enacted rules banning or restricting local police use of facial-recognition software. Now, in a handful of locations around the country, the controversial technology is making a comeback. The city of New Orleans, which in 2020 passed an ordinance banning its police department from using facial-recognition software, decided in July to change course and allow its police officers to request permission from a superior to use facial-recognition software for violent crime investigations. The state of Virginia, meanwhile, outlawed local police and campus law enforcement use of facial recognition technology in 2021 and then approved a bill in March allowing its use by police in some situations. And in California, a law that went into effect in 2020 that temporarily forbid state and local law enforcement from using facial-recognition software in body cameras expires at the end of the year (it was enacted as a three-year rule, and an effort to make it permanent failed in the state's senate).
Facial Recognition Smartwatches to be Used to Monitor Foreign Offenders in UK
(The Guardian, Aug 05, 2022)
Migrants who have been convicted of a criminal offence will be required to scan their faces up to five times a day using smartwatches installed with facial recognition technology under plans from the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. In May, the government awarded a contract to the British technology company Buddi Limited to deliver “non-fitted devices” to monitor “specific cohorts” as part of the Home Office Satellite Tracking Service. The scheme is due to be introduced from the autumn across the UK, at an initial cost of £6m.A Home Office data protection impact assessment (DPIA) from August 2021, obtained by the charity Privacy International through a freedom of information request, assessed the impact of the smartwatch technology before contracting a supplier. In the documents, seen by the Guardian, the Home Office says the scheme will involve “daily monitoring of individuals subject to immigration control”, with the requirement to wear either a fitted ankle tag or a smartwatch, carried with them at all times.
Why It’s Easy for Cops to Take Your Biometrics Now
(MSN, Aug 05, 2022)
Under the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, that came into force on Thursday, police can take biometrics of people arrested for or convicted of any criminal offence. Here’s how the old and new prisoner data laws differ. The original Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 allowed police to take bodily measurements of prisoners, including fingerprints and footprints, besides photographs. But the Criminal Procedure (Identifi cation) Act, 2022 that came into force on Thursday additionally allows the collection of iris and retina scans, physical and biological samples, signatures and handwriting samples. The old law allowed police to collect physical identifiers of people who were convicted of or arrested for an offence punishable with at least one year’s rigorous imprisonment. The new law does away with the rigorous imprisonment condition. Identifiers of any person convicted of any offence can be collected. But for biological samples, it must be an offence against a woman or a child, or the sentence must be of at least 7 years.
Biometric Vitale Card: Towards the End of Social Security Scams?
(Wire News, Aug 05, 2022)
Will the biometric Vitale card soon put an end to Social Security scams? The Senate, with a right-wing majority, voted on the night of Tuesday August 2 to Wednesday August 3, as part of the draft amending budget (PLFR) for 2022, 20 million credits to launch the implementation of a vital card biometric. Objective, to fight against social fraud with the Vitale card which would reach “6 billion euros according to the lowest estimate”. The senators indeed adopted by 242 votes against 95 an amendment carried by Philippe Mouiller (LR) providing for “the first credits allowing to launch from the fall of 2022 (this) site”. The idea did not fall on deaf ears. “We must ensure that benefits are paid correctly, that social security contributions and contributions are collected comprehensively,” said the new Minister of Health, François Braun, in July.
Canada Provides Biometric Processing for Visa Applications in Grenada
(Loop, Aug 05, 2022)
The Government of Canada has announced that Canadian officials will be in Grenada from August 16 to 20, 2022 to carry out biometric processing for persons wishing to obtain visas. As part of the visa application process, Grenada nationals must provide biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) when applying for a Canadian visitor visa, study, work, or temporary residence permit, or for permanent residence. During the upcoming August dates, Grenada visa applicants may take the opportunity to provide biometric information in Grenada rather than travelling abroad. Outside of this visit, standard procedures remain for Grenada nationals to travel to biometrics collection points in Barbados, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, or Trinidad and Tobago at all other times.
Identity Week America, October 4 -5, 2022
(Terrapinn, Aug 05, 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.
