Tag Archive for: biometric

Biometric access control options grow with new partnership, launches and integrations

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Biometrics are being built into an ever-increasing range of access control solutions, with the latest crop covering fingerprint, face and iris modalities. SentryCards are expected to roll out late this year with Idex Biometrics sensors to secure access control for a range of settings, while Ayonix has launched a new platform and Hikvision a new terminal for face and iris biometric access, respectively. A new software integration brings Idemia fingerprinting to Telaeris software, and Precise Biometrics has been certified for Genetec’s access security platform.

Idex Biometrics partners with Sentry

Idex Biometrics is contributing its Trustedbio Max fingerprint sensor solution to the SentryCard biometric access control platform from U.S.-based Sentry Enterprises.

SentryCard is certified for multiple access control technologies, including FIDO2, and an order has been placed with Idex to support the solution’s initial production ahead of a planned market launch in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Sentry Enterprises as we continue to capture the increasing demand for digital authentication in the United States and across the globe, as the SentryCard will be secured by our TrustedBio Max sensor solution with integrated MCU and PMU,” comments Vince Graziani, CEO of Idex Biometrics. ”We are confident this biometric card solution will deliver increased performance and cost efficiency for customers while providing a seamless and secure user authentication experience.”

SentryCard is intended for access control use by enterprises, governments and individuals, without relying on PINs or passwords.

“The Idex Biometrics technology was a natural complement to Sentry’s growing ecosystem of identity-based solutions,” says Mark Bennett, CEO of Sentry Enterprises. “We believe absolute trust of identity is a fundamental necessity for any secure interaction, whether it’s an employee badging through the front door or logging into a computer system. The challenge is providing resilient solutions that are both secure and respect people’s privacy. The SentryCard biometric identity platform is one of the first solutions in the world…

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Is Passwordless Authentication Secure? Why Do We Still Use Passwords?

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IRS To Ditch Biometric Requirement for Online Access – Krebs on Security

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said today it will be transitioning away from requiring biometric data from taxpayers who wish to access their records at the agency’s website. The reversal comes as privacy experts and lawmakers have been pushing the IRS and other federal agencies to find less intrusive methods for validating one’s identity with the U.S. government online.

Late last year, the login page for the IRS was updated with text advising that by the summer of 2022, the only way for taxpayers to access their records at irs.gov will be through ID.me, an online identity verification service that collects biometric data — such as live facial scans using a mobile device or webcam.

The IRS first announced its partnership with ID.me in November, but the press release received virtually no attention. On Jan. 19, KrebsOnSecurity published the story IRS Will Soon Require Selfies for Online Access, detailing a rocky experience signing up for IRS access via ID.me. That story immediately went viral, bringing this site an almost unprecedented amount of traffic. A tweet about it quickly garnered more than two million impressions.

It was clear most readers had no idea these new and more invasive requirements were being put in place at the IRS and other federal agencies (the Social Security Administration also is steering new signups to ID.me).

ID.me says it has approximately 64 million users, with 145,000 new users signing up each day. Still, the bulk of those users are people who have been forced to sign up with ID.me as a condition of receiving state or federal financial assistance, such as unemployment insurance, child tax credit payments, and pandemic assistance funds.

In the face of COVID, dozens of states collectively lost tens of billions of dollars at the hands of identity thieves impersonating out-of-work Americans seeking unemployment insurance. Some 30 states and 10 federal agencies now use ID.me to screen for ID thieves applying for benefits in someone else’s name.

But ID.me has been problematic for many legitimate applicants who saw benefits denied or delayed because they couldn’t complete ID.me’s verification process.  Critics charged the…

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Biometric cards rolling out for national and refugee ID systems, boosting company earnings

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Biometrics and digital ID

Biometric cards for payments, digital ID and refugee benefits are the theme of the week’s top industry news. Idex Biometrics shares are now available to more U.S. investors, and both Idex and Zwipe announced 2020 results showing positive earnings trends. National digital ID cards with embedded biometrics are coming for Finland, while the government of Pakistan and UNHCR are working to maintain service access for refugees by registering biometric cards.

Most read biometrics news this week

Digital ID plans in Finland, Germany and Mexico made up the most-read story of the week on Biometric Update. Finland is working on a digital ID card for easier identity credential access and authentication to services, while Germany is planning to allow mobile device-based version of government IDs to be used from the fall of this year, and new legislation brings Mexico one step closer to introducing a digital ID card.

U.S. investors will be able to buy Idex Biometrics stock through the Nasdaq as of March 1, giving them a relatively direct way to invest in biometric payment cards, after 800,000 American Depository Shares (ADSs) were registered with the SEC. Each ADS consists of 75 ordinary shares, which are up over 50 percent on the Oslo Børs in the last three months.

Idex and Zwipe’s earnings reports for the fourth quarter and full-year 2020 show revenue gains and narrowing losses compared to the previous year, as both companies cut operating costs. In addition to the biometric payment cards opportunity, Idex’ Graziani notes the potential for biometric hardware wallets for China’s digital currency as a potential growth opportunity.

Russia’s government continues to work towards opening up its biometric banking registry, but it is facing significant adoption challenges. The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reported major growth in downloads for its app with biometric security since it launched new account registration six months ago, while Cambodia’s Acleda Bank has adopted biometrics for account opening and bank card printing at ATMs, and DBS Bank has adopted Singapore’s SingPass for online business account opening with biometrics.

As trials and production…

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