Tackling the increasingly lucrative dumping of the biometrics market in court

iProov is the latest winner in the biometrics investment competition, but is also being sued by FaceTec for alleged violations of vividness detection patents in one of the week’s most read industry articles. A new biometric selfie partnership for Yoti and a new biometric passport provided by IN Groupe reflect the challenges of the market. National digital ID projects are also advancing in Ethiopia, Malaysia and Greece, as are authentication technologies for the automotive sector with an innovation from LG Electronics and a pair of contracts for Precise Biometrics.

Top biometric news of the week

iProov has made headlines twice this week; once for a series of FaceTec allegations regarding misuse of protected life sensing technology. In a lawsuit, FaceTec accuses its competitor of stealing intellectual property and violating the terms of its biometric spoofing bounty program. The plaintiff’s legal efforts will be directed by its new CLO, and will seek an injunction and damages.

The next day, iProov announced a $ 70 million growth investment from a Silicon Valley-based company that it plans to use to advance its biometric authentication and vitality detection technology in U.S. markets. and international. A partner from Sumeru Equity Partners will join the company’s board of directors. iProov has also publicly denied FaceTec’s claims.

Ethiopia and Malaysia each plan to make their digital identity systems widely accessible for the benefit of citizens. Ethiopia’s planned digital ID card program targets 95% coverage within four years to help people access services and trade across borders, while a Malaysian government agency has said it intends to issue digital identities and digital signature infrastructure to expand access to online services.

Greece is considering expanding its digital identity system from the current vaccine certificate verification function to a complete digital wallet solution that stores digital IDs and mobile driving licenses. The GR wallet is expected to launch in the coming months and eventually provide access to a wide range of government services and other institutions requiring identity verification.

The UK government is preparing to certify private sector digital identity verification services for use by employers and landlords reviewing applicants, opening another front for the growth of identity verification. Identity verification providers are busy pending, with a new partnership for Yoti, details of Blinking’s European expansion plans revealed and iDenfy launching an improved phone verification tool.

LG Electronics has developed a system that allows drivers to start their vehicles with facial biometrics, as well as perform driver monitoring and gesture recognition. Also in the automotive field, Precise Biometrics has entered into two licensing agreements with original design manufacturers to provide its fingerprint algorithms.

The startup Somalytics has invented a capacitive sensor that it says offers new possibilities for gesture recognition, with an ultra-thin form factor and the ability to detect a person from a distance. Meanwhile, a team of university researchers contributed to a new method of recognizing gestures in the field, with the intention of bringing the technology to mainstream devices.

IN Groupe is providing Seychelles with its first biometric passports, due to be issued this year, and has been recognized for its past work on identity documents. An industrial group rewarded the work of IN Groupe on digital ID in France but also on Residence permits in Monaco.

An IPO with reduced ambitions was just the start for SenseTime stock, which doubled in its first days of trading. The obvious investor interest contrasts with the experience of many Chinese publicly traded peers of the facial recognition and computer vision giant.

Mitek is the latest biometrics provider to be sued under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, for biometric verification of selfies used by a customer of the rideshare service. The client is alleging violations of BIPA’s informed consent requirements. Recent regulations reinforce the idea that the safest winners are lawyers.

Women in Identity Co-Founder and Executive Director Emma Lindley has been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen of England for her contribution to inclusion and diversity in digital identity in the Kingdom United and around the world.

Please let us know of any content we should convey to people in the biometrics industry and the broader digital identity community in the comments below or via social media.

Articles topics

biometric alertness detection | biometrics | digital identification | digital identity | facial biometrics | financing | identity verification | lawsuits | Research and development

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