Biometrics in physical credentials make scanning them secure, or unnecessary

The relationship between biometrics and physical credentials is a theme running through many of the most-read stories of the week on Biometric Update. SITA’s face biometrics technology is enabling travel without passport checks at more airports, Emptech is rumored to be well-positioned for a biometric passport contract, and eTUNNEL has a deal to provide employee access cards to UN affiliate organizations. Idemia I&S is producing West Virginia’s digital driver’s licenses, and an ID card contract in the Philippines goes back for re-procurement.

Table of Contents

Top biometrics news of the week

SITA’s Smart Path and Face Pods are coming to nine more airports across India to implement the Digi Yatra program, and the company is expanding its operations in the country in line with the “Make in India” initiative. Eventually, SITA’s biometrics will be deployed at 2,700 touchpoints across 43 airports in the country. The company says its technology is now used in 95 percent of passenger journeys.

The Philippines is preparing to re-tender a contract for a national ID card supplier, following the cancelation of AllCard Inc’s deal. The BSP has given the PSA the go-ahead, and authorities are hoping to move past the delays that have plagued the issuance of the physical ID documents so far.

The FBI has taken down a botnet that was used by hackers to infect 1.2 million electronic devices around the world with malware. The malware was delivered with the backing of the Chinese government, and used to harvest PII and other sensitive data. A publicly traded Chinese company was openly selling capabilities to hack consumer devices around the world, the FBI found.

Closer to home, the FBI raided Carahsoft offices this week, serving one civil and two criminal subpoenas apparently related to allegations of illegal price-fixing. The company, along with SAP and Accenture, are being investigated for possible violations of the False Claims Act, but a Carahsoft spokesperson says the subpoenas are in regard to another matter. The potential impact for the many biometrics providers partnered with Carahsoft for sales to the U.S. public sector is unclear at this time.

The UN’s Global Digital Compact, part of its Pact for the Future, gives a full section to digital public goods and digital public infrastructure under its first objective to close digital divides and speed up the achievement of the sustainable development goals. The agreement proposes the adoption of open standards and interoperability to ensure the benefits of DPI are realized.

eTUNNEL has won a contract with the ITU to provide biometric smart cards to secure access control for the UN and affiliated organizations. The company anticipates the deal could generate $75 million over a five-year span, with eTUNNEL supplying the cards, fingerprint registration software and card holders.

Emptech is in the mix as a potential biometric passport-maker for Mali, following the departure of the country and two of its neighbors from ECOWAS, though a company representative tells Biometric Update that Emptech is “not yet deeply engaged” in Mali. China-based Emptech already makes the passport for Burkina Faso, and the three AES countries are planning a common passport.

Gabon’s government is undertaking a broad digital transformation initiative that includes digital ID and physical ID documents supplied by IN Groupe. Part of the Digital Gabon project also includes a build-up of network infrastructure and data protection measures, and another involves Huawei smart city technology.

West Virginia’s mobile driver’s license is nearing a launch with the TSA running tests on the credentials supplied by Idemia I&S. Envoc CEO Calvin Fabre discussed how Louisiana took a lead among states in mDL adoption on “The Future of Identity” podcast with Trinsic’s Riley Hughes, sharing some lessons West Virginia would do well to heed.

The American Civil Rights Commission says in a major report that federal agencies should only use facial recognition with effective safeguards in place. The report reviews the use of facial recognition by the DoJ, DHS and HUD, noting federal agencies use tech from Idemia, Clearview AI, IntelCenter, Marinus Analytics and Thorn. Recommended safeguards include a new testing protocol devised by NIST.

The Times of India reports the story of multiple people who have had hand transplants, only to find their medical miracle conflicts with their Aadhaar biometric records. There is a policy in place for what to do when a person’s fingerprints can no longer be used, but not yet one for if they have fingerprints that differ from existing records.

Please tell us if you see any articles, interviews or other content we should share with those in biometrics and the digital identity community, either in the comments below or through social media.