Biometric Update

Biometric Update

Publication
0 followers

Global biometrics and digital identity news featuring public sector eID, identity wallets, and policy.

Peru Obtains $80M to Boost Access to Civil Registration, Identity Services
NewsMar 2, 2026

Peru Obtains $80M to Boost Access to Civil Registration, Identity Services

Peru secured an $80 million loan from the Inter‑American Development Bank to modernize its National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC). The financing, complemented by $20 million in Peruvian counterpart funds, will expand in‑person and mobile access to civil registration, deploy...

By Biometric Update
Amadeus Emerges as Suitor for Idemia PS, Deal Would Create Airport Biometrics Behemoth
NewsMar 2, 2026

Amadeus Emerges as Suitor for Idemia PS, Deal Would Create Airport Biometrics Behemoth

Amadeus IT SA is in advanced talks to acquire Idemia Public Security for an estimated €2‑3 billion, a move that would combine the airline‑tech group’s travel‑focused biometric suite with Idemia’s law‑enforcement and border‑control capabilities. Idemia PS brings core biometric algorithm IP...

By Biometric Update
Sri Lanka Digital ID Project in Final Stage: Digital Economy Deputy Minister
NewsMar 2, 2026

Sri Lanka Digital ID Project in Final Stage: Digital Economy Deputy Minister

Sri Lanka is set to roll out a biometric national digital ID by the end of 2026, with the first cards expected in the third or fourth quarter. The government has earmarked 35.6 billion rupees (about US$120 million) in the 2026 budget...

By Biometric Update
Tony Allen Previews the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit
NewsFeb 27, 2026

Tony Allen Previews the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit

Tony Allen previewed the 2026 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit, set for April 14‑16 in Manchester. The gathering is the first since the release of ISO‑IEC 27566‑1, the inaugural international standard for age‑assurance technologies. A master class will focus on...

By Biometric Update
World Bank Proposes Conceptual Model for VC-Based Reusable Digital Payment IDs
NewsFeb 27, 2026

World Bank Proposes Conceptual Model for VC-Based Reusable Digital Payment IDs

The World Bank’s new white paper, “ID Meets Instant,” outlines a conceptual model that merges verifiable digital ID with fast‑payment systems via a portable Payments Identity Credential. Built on a trust framework linking national ID authorities and payment providers, the...

By Biometric Update
Gaza Reconstruction Draws Questions on Digital Wallets, Biometric Surveillance
NewsFeb 27, 2026

Gaza Reconstruction Draws Questions on Digital Wallets, Biometric Surveillance

The Hudson Institute released an analysis urging the careful rollout of digital wallets in Gaza to improve financial oversight and limit Hamas’s funding streams. It highlights the sector’s $14.2 million damage, near‑total loss of bank branches, and the scarcity of functional...

By Biometric Update
Identy Joins NIST Fingerprint Biometrics Performance Evaluation with Strong Results
NewsFeb 27, 2026

Identy Joins NIST Fingerprint Biometrics Performance Evaluation with Strong Results

Identy entered the NIST Friction Ridge Image and Features Technology Evaluation (FRIF) TE Exemplar One‑to‑Many test and posted results that rank it among the top three fingerprint recognition providers worldwide. In the Class B (4‑4‑2) border‑crossing scenario it achieved a false‑negative...

By Biometric Update
UK Guidance on Digital ID for AML Compliance Answers and Raises Questions
NewsFeb 27, 2026

UK Guidance on Digital ID for AML Compliance Answers and Raises Questions

The UK Treasury and OfDIA issued guidance linking the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF) to anti‑money‑laundering (AML) obligations, stating that certified digital verification services (DVS) satisfy Regulation 28 customer‑due‑diligence (CDD) requirements. Regulated firms must still retain record‑keeping duties...

By Biometric Update
Europe Formalizes Concerns About GenAI-Enabled Nonconsensual Deepfakes
NewsFeb 27, 2026

Europe Formalizes Concerns About GenAI-Enabled Nonconsensual Deepfakes

European regulators have escalated concerns over AI‑generated non‑consensual deepfakes, issuing a joint statement through the European Data Protection Board that cites 61 authorities worldwide. The statement targets platforms that embed generative image models, highlighting the surge of child‑focused sexual exploitation...

By Biometric Update
London Testing Facial Recognition App for Police as Another False Match Surfaces
NewsFeb 27, 2026

London Testing Facial Recognition App for Police as Another False Match Surfaces

London’s Metropolitan Police will pilot an operator‑initiated facial‑recognition (OIFR) mobile app, powered by NEC’s NeoFace, with 100 officers over six months. The technology promises on‑the‑spot identity checks, avoiding arrests for station‑based verification. At the same time, a series of false‑match...

By Biometric Update
US Army Renews Clearview AI Facial Recognition Contract for Special Operations
NewsFeb 27, 2026

US Army Renews Clearview AI Facial Recognition Contract for Special Operations

The U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Command has awarded Clearview AI a new contract to extend its facial‑recognition software subscription from March 2026 through March 2027, with options to continue until 2030. The agreement covers five software licenses and maintains...

By Biometric Update
Nordic Council Tender Pursues Cross-Border Digital ID Verification with Baltics
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Nordic Council Tender Pursues Cross-Border Digital ID Verification with Baltics

The Nordic Council of Ministers has launched a 1.6 million Danish‑krone tender to study cross‑border digital identity verification across Nordic and Baltic nations, including the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The analysis will identify legal, technical and organisational obstacles to automated...

By Biometric Update
Idemia PS Deal Brings Growing Number of US mDLs to Trinsic’s Digital Identity Network
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Idemia PS Deal Brings Growing Number of US mDLs to Trinsic’s Digital Identity Network

Trinsic has integrated Idemia Public Security’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) solution into its Digital Identity Acceptance Network, adding support for mDLs issued in New York, Arkansas, Iowa, West Virginia and Kentucky. Idemia, the leading U.S. provider of state‑backed mDLs, also serves three...

By Biometric Update
Milwaukee Cop’s Misuse of Flock ALPR Undercuts Case for Facial Recognition Use
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Milwaukee Cop’s Misuse of Flock ALPR Undercuts Case for Facial Recognition Use

Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) halted its facial‑recognition program while drafting usage policies after a scandal involving an officer who allegedly accessed the city’s Flock automated license‑plate recognition (ALPR) system over 120 times to track a personal acquaintance and 55 times...

By Biometric Update
Idemia Public Security, Elenium Team up to Unify Identity Across Airport Experience
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Idemia Public Security, Elenium Team up to Unify Identity Across Airport Experience

Idemia Public Security and self‑service automation firm Elenium have signed an MoU to combine Elenium’s platform with Idemia’s biometric and baggage‑identification tools, creating a seamless, contactless passenger journey from curb to gate. Melbourne Airport’s CEO is pushing for additional Idemia...

By Biometric Update
$3M FanDuel Fraud Case Shows Why Online Gambling Needs Biometric IDV, Liveness
NewsFeb 26, 2026

$3M FanDuel Fraud Case Shows Why Online Gambling Needs Biometric IDV, Liveness

Federal prosecutors charged two Connecticut men with a $3 million fraud scheme that exploited knowledge‑based authentication on FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM. The perpetrators harvested personal data from roughly 3,000 victims using services such as TruthFinder and BeenVerified to open fraudulent gambling...

By Biometric Update
Eye-Movement Deception Detection Studied as Part of Pentagon’s Vetting Modernization
NewsFeb 25, 2026

Eye-Movement Deception Detection Studied as Part of Pentagon’s Vetting Modernization

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) has been quietly advancing ocular‑motor deception detection research, initially using Converus' EyeDetect platform. By 2022 the technology moved from lab tests to operational trials at the Defense Intelligence Agency and later to field...

By Biometric Update
Set and Enforce Clear Lines for Police Biometrics, UK Commissioner Tells Policymakers
NewsFeb 25, 2026

Set and Enforce Clear Lines for Police Biometrics, UK Commissioner Tells Policymakers

UK Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner William Webster has submitted a 16‑page response to the Home Office’s consultation on a new legal framework for police use of facial recognition and other biometric technologies. He urges lawmakers to define “serious harm,”...

By Biometric Update
FBI Conducts Market Research Into NIR Iris Biometric Cameras
NewsFeb 25, 2026

FBI Conducts Market Research Into NIR Iris Biometric Cameras

The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services division has issued a Request for Information seeking near‑infrared iris cameras that can capture both eyes in a single enrollment. The RFI covers fixed devices for booking stations and mobile units for field use,...

By Biometric Update
PXL Vision Integrates Deepfake Detection Technique From Research with Idiap
NewsFeb 25, 2026

PXL Vision Integrates Deepfake Detection Technique From Research with Idiap

PXL Vision, Idiap Research Institute and Innosuisse have released a deepfake detector integrated into the PXL Ident platform. The tool, developed under the ROSALIND project, targets face‑swapping, reenactment and fully synthetic identities in ID documents. A companion Idiap paper benchmarks...

By Biometric Update
DHS Wants More than Biometrics in US-EU Data Sharing Agreement
NewsFeb 25, 2026

DHS Wants More than Biometrics in US-EU Data Sharing Agreement

The United States and the European Union are negotiating the Enhanced Border Security Partnership (EBSP), which would grant visa‑free travel to EU citizens in exchange for access to European biometric databases. The latest draft does not explicitly prohibit the use...

By Biometric Update
Class Action Challenges DHS’ Use of Facial Recognition Against Protesters
NewsFeb 24, 2026

Class Action Challenges DHS’ Use of Facial Recognition Against Protesters

A class action filed in Maine accuses the Department of Homeland Security of deploying the Mobile Fortify facial‑recognition app to photograph, scan and record protesters documenting immigration arrests, then threatening them with placement on a domestic‑terrorist watchlist. The complaint alleges systematic...

By Biometric Update
CMU-Africa Researchers Develop Biometric PAD Bias Reduction Methods and Metrics
NewsFeb 24, 2026

CMU-Africa Researchers Develop Biometric PAD Bias Reduction Methods and Metrics

Carnegie Mellon University Africa researchers introduced an ethnicity‑aware preprocessing pipeline for face presentation‑attack detection (PAD) that adapts brightness and gamma correction to different skin tones. Using local binary patterns (LBPs) and a balanced stochastic gradient descent classifier, they trained and...

By Biometric Update
ADVP Expects Digital Identity Consultation to Play by Rules of Data Act, DIATF
NewsFeb 24, 2026

ADVP Expects Digital Identity Consultation to Play by Rules of Data Act, DIATF

The Association of Digital Verification Professionals (ADVP) has urged the UK government to shape its upcoming digital‑identity consultation around the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, warning that a single, government‑only wallet would lock out the private sector. ADVP argues...

By Biometric Update
ICE to Outsource Decisions About What Surveillance Tools to Buy Next
NewsFeb 24, 2026

ICE to Outsource Decisions About What Surveillance Tools to Buy Next

Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it will contract a private firm to decide which surveillance technologies to acquire, pilot, or defer. The request for information outlines a mandate that includes identifying enterprise‑wide gaps, scouting emerging tools, and drafting problem statements...

By Biometric Update
Kenya Streamlines Access to Legal and Digital Identity
NewsFeb 24, 2026

Kenya Streamlines Access to Legal and Digital Identity

President William Ruto signed the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024, mandating at least one civil registration office in each of Kenya's 290 sub‑counties. The legislation streamlines birth and death registration, targeting remote and border communities that have struggled...

By Biometric Update
Sri Lanka Launches CROPIX DPI to Bridge Gaps in Agriculture
NewsFeb 22, 2026

Sri Lanka Launches CROPIX DPI to Bridge Gaps in Agriculture

Sri Lanka has launched CROPIX DPI, a national digital platform that consolidates fragmented agricultural data into a single, mobile‑accessible system. The platform integrates the crop registry, yield forecasts and climate analytics, enabling automated data exchange among farmers, officials and policymakers....

By Biometric Update
HID Reports Delicate Opportunity for Biometrics Adoption in Shaky Trust Environment
NewsFeb 20, 2026

HID Reports Delicate Opportunity for Biometrics Adoption in Shaky Trust Environment

HID’s 2026 State of Security and Identity Report, based on a survey of over 1,500 security and IT leaders, shows digital identity management is a top priority for 73% of respondents. Three‑quarters of organizations have already deployed or are evaluating...

By Biometric Update
Media Authentication an Emerging Front in Battle Against Deepfakes: Microsoft Report
NewsFeb 20, 2026

Media Authentication an Emerging Front in Battle Against Deepfakes: Microsoft Report

Microsoft released a report on media integrity and authentication (MIA), detailing techniques such as C2PA provenance, imperceptible watermarking, and soft‑hash fingerprinting to verify digital content origins. The study concludes that no single method can stop deepfakes, urging a layered approach...

By Biometric Update
One Billion Identity Records Exposed in Unsecured ID Verification Database
NewsFeb 20, 2026

One Billion Identity Records Exposed in Unsecured ID Verification Database

A cloud‑based identity verification database tied to IDMerit was found exposed without password protection or encryption, leaking roughly one billion personal records across at least 26 countries. The trove, estimated at one terabyte, contained names, dates of birth, addresses, phone...

By Biometric Update
FBI’s AI, Biometrics Boom Is Accelerating, but Paperwork Isn’t Keeping Up
NewsFeb 20, 2026

FBI’s AI, Biometrics Boom Is Accelerating, but Paperwork Isn’t Keeping Up

The FBI’s AI inventory more than doubled from 19 cases in 2024 to 50 in 2025, with nine high‑impact tools embedded in law‑enforcement workflows such as facial recognition and data triage. The rapid expansion outpaces the DOJ’s transparency requirements under...

By Biometric Update
AI Agents and How to Govern Them: Tailscale, Sayvint Offer Solutions
NewsFeb 18, 2026

AI Agents and How to Govern Them: Tailscale, Sayvint Offer Solutions

AI agents are moving from occasional chat tools to always‑on assistants, prompting enterprises to confront identity‑governance gaps. Tailscale introduced Aperture, an open‑alpha governance layer that ties AI usage to user or workload identities, offering policy controls, audit‑ready session logs, and...

By Biometric Update
Milwaukee Sheriff Moves to Integrate Biometrica Despite MPD Facial Recognition Freeze
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Milwaukee Sheriff Moves to Integrate Biometrica Despite MPD Facial Recognition Freeze

Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has signed a letter of intent to partner with Biometrica, aiming to access its UMbRA facial‑recognition database. The draft contract would let the sheriff’s office search a de‑identified collection of mugshots, felony warrants and missing‑person images,...

By Biometric Update
Pakistan Super App for Gov’t Services, Document Verification Advances Toward Launch
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Pakistan Super App for Gov’t Services, Document Verification Advances Toward Launch

Pakistan’s government is set to launch a mobile "Super App" that will consolidate public services, document verification, and digital payments into a single platform. The initiative builds on NADRA’s National Digital Identity system and the existing Pak ID app, leveraging...

By Biometric Update
EMudhra Self-Certified as MOSIP System Integrator for Digital ID Projects at Scale
NewsFeb 18, 2026

EMudhra Self-Certified as MOSIP System Integrator for Digital ID Projects at Scale

Indian digital‑ID specialist eMudhra has completed self‑certification as a Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) system integrator, joining the MOSIP Marketplace. The certification confirms its software and hardware meet MOSIP’s rigorous technical, operational and security standards, enabling it to deliver...

By Biometric Update
Identy Joins Africa’s Push for Digital Identity in Humanitarian Healthcare
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Identy Joins Africa’s Push for Digital Identity in Humanitarian Healthcare

Identy is partnering with the volunteer NGO HumanCoop to roll out offline facial‑recognition tools for undocumented patients in northern Mauritania, creating portable digital medical IDs that work without internet. The initiative will initially cover the Bir Mogrein community of over 2,500...

By Biometric Update
Texas on the Sidelines as Digital Driver’s Licenses Expand Nationwide
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Texas on the Sidelines as Digital Driver’s Licenses Expand Nationwide

Texas continues to lag behind a growing national movement toward digital driver’s licenses, as more than 20 states and Puerto Rico already allow state IDs in mobile wallets. Apple’s latest Digital ID rollout lets users store U.S. passports for TSA...

By Biometric Update