It’s Tough Sledding for Data Privacy Bills in Maine
(Government Technology, Apr 18, 2024)
The Maine Senate rejected the stricter of the two data privacy proposals, voting 18-15 Wednesday morning against L.D. 1977, a bill opposed by Maine business owners and advocates because it takes a tougher approach to limiting personal data collection and targeted online advertising.
Changes Proposed to State's Biometric Privacy Law
(Illinois Times, Apr 18, 2024)
The legislation, which passed 46-13, would change BIPA's violation accrual so that each initial collection of a fingerprint or other biometric data would amount to one violation, rather than a violation occurring for each individual scan. Employees might scan their fingerprints dozens of times per shift if they're unlocking doors or cabinets with those scans.
NNCVS to Integrate authID Biometric Platform for Notary Verification
(Investing.com, Apr 18, 2024)
The integration of authID's platform promises real-time identity verification, capable of detecting deepfakes and other sophisticated fraud techniques. By utilizing biometric and document-based identity verification, the system will verify new notarial agents and clients quickly and with high assurance. Notably, authID's platform can process identity verification in as fast as 700 milliseconds, which is considered the quickest in the market.
Barely Any of Us Are Choosing Fingerprints Over Passwords Yet
(Tech Radar, Apr 18, 2024)
Many Americans still prefer using passwords over biometrics, out of concerns their intimate data might be stolen by hackers. A report from NordVPN has found only 21% of US citizens favor using their fingerprints over passwords to protect the apps on their smartphones. The firm believes that this illustrates a need for alternative methods of passwordless authentication, with Thomas Smalakys, CTO of NordPass - the password manager sibling to NordVPN - comments, "while biometrics are technically considered the more advanced technology compared to passwords, many people still question it and may have reasons for not using it."
New Google Play Biometrics Warning Issued to All Android Users
(Forbes, Apr 18, 2024)
On the afternoon of April 18, I received an email from Google informing me that it’s possible to configure Google Play purchase verification to use biometrics on suitably equipped smartphones. “If you set biometrics,” the email stated, “it means that you'll be asked to verify that it's you with biometrics each time that you make a purchase through Google Play.”
