Face biometrics popularity comes with opportunity and risk

Face biometrics are increasingly the preferred way for people to complete processes from international travel to attending concerts, as seen in several of Biometric Update’s most-read articles of the week. Air and sea port deployments of NEC, Idemia and Vision-Box biometrics in Asia demonstrate the growing popularity of facial recognition. But could the technology become a victim of its own success? Its use at UK borders and police stations has caused a transparency scandal, London police are taking a step towards normalizing live facial recognition and a biometric event management app has been caught leaving IDV data exposed.

Top biometrics news of the week

The UK Home Office was busted this week for requiring the nation’s airports to match the face biometrics of all passengers boarding domestic flights. The secret facial recognition checks have been going on for at least 15 years. The National Police Chiefs’ Council, meanwhile, told UK police forces not to share information on the use of banned surveillance software like PimEyes when responding to FOI requests.

China’s government, perhaps ironically, has moved to limit the indiscriminate use of face biometrics in the private sector with new regulations. New rules taking effect in June will require data protection impact assessments, explicit and informed consent and for companies handling large volumes of biometric data, registration with cybersecurity authorities.

Event ticketing and access is a growth area for face biometrics, but a data exposure by Brazilian app FacePass shows the risk to consumers of poor data storage practices. Researchers found 1.6 million files, including PII and selfies used in biometric identity verification, vulnerable. The data was not protected with either encryption or segmentation.

Live facial recognition in public spaces was long considered solely the domain of China, but London police are planning to install fixed cameras running LFR when officers are nearby on lampposts or building exteriors in June or July. The ICO has warned the guidelines for police use of the technology are lacking, in one of a series of cautions about gaps in regulation, oversight, and public engagement.

Real-time remote biometric identification technology has been approved for public deployment in Hungary, in direct violation of the AI Act and possibly other EU laws, as part of a ban on LGBTQ+ Pride events, ICLG writes. The country’s government argues its use of live facial recognition for surveillance of demonstrations will protect traditional cultural values.

Toronto police are seeking to upgrade their retrospective facial recognition system with software capable of handling eight to ten thousand annual image searches for a five-year contract. TCG Digital, Cumberland Strategies, Facia, GenVis, Idemia, IMDS, NEC America, ROC, Securaglobe Solutions, Shufti Pro and Tech5 have each expressed interest.

Three of Japan’s largest airports will have walkthrough face biometric gates from NEC installed just weeks from now, as Asia’s ports continue to charge ahead with seamless travel process makeovers. Vietnamese airports are expanding their rollout of Vision-Box biometrics and a sea port in Singapore is expanding its deployment of Idemia’s tech.

Reactions to IATA’s call for digital identity adoption in the aviation sector is welcomed by executives with Dock and SITA, who site the security and interoperability gains such a move would yield. Alan Goode of Goode Intelligence says the tech is ready and proven, and IATA’s call will be an accelerant to change.

DHS has made the specification for interacting with the IDENT database available to vendors and developers so they can build products that interact with the biometric system. OBIM has built an automated tool for evaluating if queries match the IXM spec.

The U.S. Social Security Administration has reversed course on a change that would have required all Americans attempting to file new claims who cannot complete online identity proofing to do so in person at an SSA office. With 47 field offices closing down, a broad backlash forced another update to accommodate rural and vulnerable people.

A new report from ABI Research says biometric payment cards will not reach mass-market adoption any time soon, in part due to costs ten times higher than standard contactless payment cards. That leaves vendors like Idemia, Thales and Idex Biometrics looking for new opportunities. Goode Intelligence notes certification and enrolment challenges, in addition to the high costs. Idex’ new CEO says the company is not abandoning payments, but will focus more on access control.

Digital IDs for businesses are gaining traction, with the UK exploring its options and Hong Kong planning a launch for 2026. Financial services are a key constituency for both, and CFIT has been leading a collaboration to develop a prototype Digital Company ID app for the UK.

London’s municipal government has proposed that a digital ID verification service should be put in place to unlock billions in economic opportunity over the next six years, in an analysis which also suggests collaboration with CFIT on the Digital Company ID.

The EU is expanding its EUDI Wallet scheme to include mobile driver’s licenses by 2030. Thales believes the move will help make regional travel and digital transactions easier for 440 million people. A blog post from Dock says that Amazon is committed to mDLs and EUDI Wallets as the future of identity verification.

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Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  week in review