IBIA

Will California be the Death of National Privacy Legislation? (Brookings Edu, Nov 18, 2022)
Californians are understandably proud of what their state has done to advance privacy protection by enacting comprehensive privacy legislation in 2018. That pride now stands in the way of federal privacy legislation. As a strong bill advanced to the House floor, California officials mounted a full court lobbying press against its preemption of provisions in state laws that are “covered by” provisions in the federal law. Their campaign succeeded with Speaker Pelosi. She aligned herself with the Californian advocates, issuing a statement that H.R 8152, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), “must continue to protect Californians — and states must be allowed to address rapid changes in technology.” As a result, as she prepares to relinquish her role as Speaker, Pelosi now holds the answer to the question asked in the title of this piece. If she chooses to bring this bipartisan bill bipartisan bill to the floor during the coming lame-duck session, it is likely to pass the House. But if Speaker Pelosi insists on carving laws like California’s out of the bill, the answer to the title question will be yes, and the bill will die.”

While apparently attempting to promote the need for its identity verification services, facial recognition company ID.me overstated the amount of fraud around pandemic-related federal funds and understated the delays caused by its processing of applications. Those are among the findings of two Congressional committees that looked into the state and federal contractor after reports of long wait times and concerns about privacy and security, according to a press release issued Thursday (Nov. 17) by the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “Congress acted swiftly at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that 22 million newly unemployed Americans had unemployment benefits to pay their rent or mortgages and keep food on their tables,” Rep. James E. Clyburn, chairman of the committee, said in the release. “It is deeply disappointing that a company that received tens of millions in taxpayer dollars to help Americans obtain these benefits may have hurt their ability to access that critical relief.”

In theory, this will mean passengers can travel through the airport, whilst keeping their passports in their pockets. Customers who sign up to take part in the airline’s trial from London Heathrow Terminal 5 will be invited to scan their face, passport and boarding pass on their smartphone or tablet ahead of travel, with this information being kept safe and secure. When trial participants arrive at the airport, Smart Bio-Pod cameras verify their identity in under three seconds, allowing them to keep their passports safely in their pockets until they reach their destination. The trial will run for six months on British Airways flights to Malaga, Spain. it will not be available on any other international route.s If you decide to opt into the trial, you will be invited to use the Fast-Track security lane and receive complimentary priority boarding.

Football fans attending the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be able to authenticate payments for purchases at three coffee outlets with their face using biometric facial biometric technology being piloted by Visa and Qatar National Bank and apply for a digital prepaid card with animated card art that will be issued instantly to Visa cardholders. Visa is piloting the two solutions as part of a wider rollout of payments technology at the international tournament that also includes enabling merchants and taxi drivers to accept contactless payments on a standard Android NFC smartphone with Visa’s Tap to Phone software point-of-sale solution. The pilot will mark the first time that facial recognition technology has been used for payments in Qatar and will allow consumers to “authenticate payments using just their face without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrolment. It will be piloted at three Flat White Speciality Coffee branches,” Visa says.

British Airways has become the first UK airline to trial the use of biometric technology for international flights, enabling customers taking part in the trial to travel through the airport ‘smartly’ without having to show their passport. Customers who sign up to take part in the airline’s trial from London Heathrow Terminal 5 will be invited to scan their face, passport and boarding pass on their smartphone or tablet ahead of travel, with this information being kept safe and secure. When trial participants arrive at the airport, Smart Bio-Pod cameras verify their identity in under three seconds, allowing them to keep their passport safely in their pocket until they reach their destination. David Breeze, Operations Transformation Manager for British Airways, said: “Not only is this the first time that our customers have been able to register their biometric information at home, but it’s the first time they can use it for British Airways’ international flights. This is a secure and efficient tool that makes for a smarter and smoother airport experience, which will reduce the time it takes us to board aircraft”

Dubai: Millions of passengers who travel through Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3 will soon be able to walk through airport checkpoints without having to take out their passport or plane ticket. This service, which was previously only available to UAE residents and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals, will be extended to international travellers and transit passengers from 2023. This follows the announcement made by Emirates Airlines and Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) on November 15. Originally launched in 2020, the Smart Gates, a project by GDRFA in collaboration with Emirates, enable passengers arriving or departing at Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3 to use a self-service option for immigration. This allows them to be ‘cleared’ by immigration authorities without any human intervention or the need for a physical stamp on their passports.