Across all TSA facilities on 1st June 2023, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recorded its highest ever passenger traffic being screened in a single day using TSA’s PreCheck or CLEAR.
The agency said on this particular day in June it screened over 2 million passengers at TSA facilities across the country, but the summer of 2023 in general has been typically busy with passengers back in the flow of routine travel passed the most intense 3 years of the pandemic.
The TSA’s passenger security operation was tested on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July holiday weekends which set new records for the number of people screened. The busiest periods at security checkpoints were between 5 a.m. to 11 a.m and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m, TSA stated.
Throughout the endless year for travel, the TSA is committed to delivering passenger screening in less than 30 minutes and through TSA PreCheck screening in less than 10 minutes. In addition, the TSA has optimised the efficiency of the screening operation with the agency’s specially trained canines in explosive detection and TSA officers deployed from the agency’s National Deployment Force. At Identity Week Europe 2023, the key emphasis of improvements to security operations within travel, advocated by the European Border and Coast Guard agency Frontex, was to retain the presence of border control officers on the ground and training for personnel.
Currently the type of screening available at SEA’s checkpoints includes TSA PreCheck® screening only at Checkpoint 1 and 4 and general screening lanes at lanes 2, 3, and 5.
More than 15 million people are enrolled onto TSA PreCheck which expedites easier security screening travel procedures.
Previously, children 12 and under have been permitted to use the TSA PreCheck lane when traveling with an eligible parent or guardian on the same itinerary. Effective immediately, teenagers aged 13-17 can now accompany TSA PreCheck enrolled parents or guardians through TSA PreCheck screening when traveling on the same reservation and when the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the teen’s boarding pass.
With $1 billion of financing behind the introduction of Unique Personal Identifiers, also called “Maisha Numbers”, allocated by the Kenyan government, national ID cards will slowly be replaced by a planned move towards digital identity.
Issued to all younger Kenyan citizens, the Maisha card will have a lifespan for various needs throughout the individual’s lifetime, serving through education, mandatory tax duties and even as a death certificate, when the ID card will expire.
Last month Kenya geared up to the transition from its current identification system by signing a MoU, or Memorandum of Understanding, that confirmed the UNDP’s support of a transformative digital identity rollout across the country, offering technical and financial support in raising funding to deliver a digital ID. Kenya will aim to close the gap of accessibility to services with enhanced digital verification.
Kenya has previously ventured into the reusable ID space before the Huduma Namba was scrapped. The rollout of Kenya’s new digital ID system will occur in three phases, starting with first-time ID applicants, those seeking duplicates, and replacements for lost IDs.
Security documents, PKI, and biometric inclusion continue to be areas of growth and security for Asia, Australia, and surrounding regions.
Speakers from the IOM, UIDAI, GDRFA, Australian Payments Plus, UNICEF, The Alan Turing Institute, and the New Zealand Government lead the discussion across both conference days to examine enhanced security in the face of advanced fraud, inclusive registration, and the robust use of biometrics in national identity.
🎤 Sumnesh Joshi, Director General, UIDAI 🎤 Mohamed Elganiny, Document examination expert, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA) 🎤 Joanne Knight, Identification Consultant; Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand Government 🎤 Andrew Black, Managing Director, Australian Payments Plus 🎤 Kapil Jambhulkar, Director, UIDAI (Govt of India) 🎤 Riccardo Vecellio Segate, Biometrics Researcher, The Alan Turing Institute 🎤 Bhaskar Mishra, CRVS and Legal Identity Specialist, Child Protection, UNICEF 🎤 Laura Scorretti, Programme Manager, IOM
Identity Week Asia provides a unique space to engage in lively discussions, panel sessions, and networking opportunities.
The emergence of decentralised digital identity as a powerful new tool to safeguard personal information is the subject of a new whitepaper published by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
Produced by the CompTIA Blockchain and Web3 Advisory Council, “Decentralised Digital Identity & Self-Sovereignty” examines how this method of sharing personal information is reshaping IT security, giving individuals and organizations greater privacy and better control over where and how their information is used.
The whitepaper’s authors also encourage managed service providers (MSPs) to educate themselves on decentralised digital identity credentials so they are prepared to work with their customers to strengthen security and privacy postures.
“Large organizations are deploying decentralized digital identity credentials to safeguard personal data and information,” said Elena Dumitrascu, Chief Technology Officer, Credivera, and co-chair of the CompTIA Blockchain and Web3 Advisory Council. “Small and medium-sized businesses will soon follow. Many organizations will look to their technology partners and providers for their guidance and expertise.”
As detailed in the whitepaper, a decentralised digital identity is made up of digital credentials, also called verifiable credentials (VC), that are held in a VC wallet. The digital wallet is locked with a PIN or passphrase and is under the full control of the user. Using the decentralised digital identity approach, an individual’s information remains encrypted until they choose to share. When they do so, the place they share this information with receives only a proof token, not the individual’s entire information record, to store on their servers.
“This enables both individuals and organizations to take greater control of their online information and relationships while also providing greater security and privacy,” said Wes Jensen, Blockchain Advisory Council co-chair and Partner at 21Packets.
Several examples of current and future real-world uses of decentralized digital identity, including shopping, employment, government services, education, financial transactions and healthcare, are included in the whitepaper, available at “Understanding Decentralized Digital Identity & Self-Sovereignty.”
CompTIA’s Blockchain & Web3 Advisory Council brings together thought leaders and innovators to identify how technology companies and their customers can leverage blockchain technology in their business cases. Council members have backgrounds in supply chain consulting, software development, legal, marketing, education, business-to-business and business-to-consumer organisations.
Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner for England, has commented that he believes facial recognition will have the revolutionary impact on society that DNA has had since its discovery in the 1980s, in particular for policing.
As an advanced measurement of genetic characteristics, DNA could be considered a form of biometrics. The innovation of biometrics has led to multiple modalities benefiting authentication and identity verification across industries like travel, government and healthcare.
The main difference when a criminal is apprehended is the availability of DNA to keep custody of an offender’s unique identity in the event they may reoffend. It is much more common practice nowadays for DNA and biometric scans of the face, iris and fingerprints to be maintained in police databases for matching purposes.
The Guardian reported Sir Mark Rowley’s comments: “We’ve also shown recently that live facial recognition is massively effective at picking out wanted offenders from crowds of people.”
The capabilities of biometric technologies also enables identities to be matched from dense crowds of people travelling through the airport or in a public places, where back-up databases exist.
CCTV, which can produce blurry images of offenders, will be the focus to leverage facial recognition technology to identify suspects.
“The results that we’re getting are beyond what I expected and I think are going to transform investigative work, potentially, in the way that DNA transformed investigative work 30 years ago.”
Human rights lawyers, which call this technology “dystopian“, are against the invasion of privacy and freedom that biometrics could impose on people in public spaces, equating to surveillance.
The inclusion of CCTV within the scope of biometric operations could result in “scanning hundreds of thousands of innocent Londoners, often with dangerously inaccurate results”.
Just as the law has determined robust rules over DNA use, biometrics technology has been written into developing policies and standards to govern privacy, safety and limit surveillance. More convergence on the approach to biometrics must be taken though within a parliamentary debate.
She added: “We cannot have police making up the rules on such a powerful surveillance technology as they go along, nor monitoring the public with live facial recognition cameras which are at the most invasive, extreme end of the spectrum.”
UK retailers are stamping out shoplifters once and for all that reduce their revenue and customer loyalty, contributing £600,000 each towards using a police facial recognition operation for offenders.
CCTV footage that identifies clear facial images of shoplifters will be submitted to the police national biometric database for comparison. Matches will be determined if the offender has previously committed an offence to be added to the criminal registry database with their biometric data collected.
MP for Policing, Chris Philp has put pressure on police chiefs to enhance databases specifically recording the most prolific shoplifters which will be made available to retailers and police alike.
This collaboration to crack down on unwanted looting between the police and retailers comes as theft has spiked across the UK, Australia and the U.S. amid a cost of living crisis and many people’s financial situations worsening.
Project Pegasus, which will report back to Philp every 6 to 8 weeks, is a “zero-tolerance plan to target shoplifting” leveraging promising biometric technologies in policing.
Retailers such as John Lewis, Waitrose, Co-op, Next, and Sainsbury’s have all agreed to pay up.
Co-leading on the creation of the Health App by The Health Service Executive, Ireland has been on the trajectory of improving patient identity management services, as Maria McCann, Director and E-health Advisor told Identityweek.net in June.
Her LinkedIn was fired up with a new update on developing health passes and verifiable credentials to give empowerment to patients over their care services.
The e-health app development has been manifested, she writes by healthcare professional colleagues Gar Mac Críosta, Ben Cloney,Greene Richard and Bernard Gloster and co-designed with patients’ input along the whole process.
Previously stressing that personelle and training is a first passion to drive digital transformation, the e-health app seems to allow patients to have control over accessing health services, maintain their data privacy and grant permission to use their health data as a founding principle. Solving the skills gap not only in joining meaningful digital collaborations with the HSE and public, healthcare and private partners but providing skill sets to patients to verify themselves.
The patient empowerment programme has been continued from the success of testing and tracing and the vaccine programme during the pandemic to patient identifiers across different healthcare systems, including now the e-Health App.
A cross government collaboration took place with OGCIO Barry Lowry and Tony Shannon and DEASP nurturing an “agile approach” where “continuous feedback” from patient users guided and supported the next iterations of the app, she said.
Maria commented: “It is utilising digital identity credential technologies, that support privacy for us citizens, supports access to information and will continue to grow in its capabilities.”
Patients are being shown and given the tools to manage their own care and safely submit their data. The pace at which technology is introduced to healthcare settings is a pain point to public institutions, the government and patients but convergence with identity management is beginning to be pushed. After a cyber attack that compromised HSE systems in May 2021, Bernard Gloster told the Irish Examiner that cyberattacks should be a high priority 1 as the “huge challenge” of rebuilding infrastructure after the attack is still being felt.
Gloster said he wanted to see wider expansion of digital for direct patient outcomes next year bringing together doctors and nurses to achieve simpler services that the NHS App has delivered.
While Ireland’s response from the pandemic was complementary, ICT and digital infrastructure was lacking and it is expected care that everyone, and older people often isolated by digital advances, should access healthcare services outside of hospitals through a mobile app.
Indicio helps companies build trusted digital ecosystems by implementing decentralised identity and verifiable credentials.
The credentials are used to facilitate peer-to-peer connections between both parties so they can mutually authenticate each other to create a privacy-minding ecosystem.
Together amassing 100 years of experience in decentralised identity, the Indicio team will be presenting their technology enabled by a depth of experience presented through each individual.
Indicio’s CEO, Heather Dahl who we interviewed at Identity Week America 2022 reconnected their unique trade-off between advanced security and privacy for customer satisfaction to the importance of exhibiting at the show. In this ID:60, sweeping through the company’s offerings in just 60 seconds, she answers…
What is Indicio’s mission to advance decentralised identity?
How is the architecture designed with privacy in mind?
Have you partnered with travel, the public sector, healthcare to establish trusted digital ecosystems?
Starting August 15, 2023, Vietnam has implemented a new electronic visa (e-visa) system for all nationalities. The sudden ease in travel convenience will bring a major boost to the country’s tourism and allied sectors, which have struggled to find pre-pandemic success in part due to bureaucratic regulations.
Furthermore, citizens of select countries will be granted a privilege of visa exemption, enabling them to explore Vietnam for a prolonged duration of up to 45 days.
Legal basis for expansion of Vietnam e-visa access
The Vietnamese e-visa system has been implemented under Resolution No. 127/NQ-CP, dated August 14, 2023.
This resolution signifies a remarkable expansion in the availability of e-visas to citizens from all countries and territories, a substantial relaxation from the previous list of 80 exempted nations.
The core objective of this strategic move is to bolster tourism and position Vietnam as a more accessible and appealing destination for global travelers.
Extended ‘visa-free’ privileges for select countries
Of noteworthy significance, the implementation of the e-visa entails a standardised 90-day permissible stay, encouraging extended and more immersive business trips.
Travellers from certain Western European countries, as well as Japan and South Korea, are significant contributors to Vietnam’s tourism economy. Presently, these individuals are granted a visa-free entry for a duration of 15 days.
Thus, the extension of the visa-free days to threefold, that is 45 days, is designed to lure in a higher number of visitors from these countries, which will augment lagging tourism revenue and foster greater cultural interchange.
This transformative visa policy reform extends its benefits beyond major aviation hubs, such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. With a network of 13 airports, encompassing Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, in addition to 16 land border gates now facilitating e-visas, the journey to Vietnam promises to be streamlined and seamlessly efficient, providing an optimal environment for conducting business activities.
Attracting high quality talents, business travellers, tourism boost
Vietnam has implemented this shift in a strategic move aimed at boosting tourism and attracting international investments.
The extension of the e-visa validity period is important for both business travellers and tourists, offering them an enhanced opportunity to fully immerse themselves in Vietnam’s offerings.
Moreover, this adjustment will facilitate the entry of skilled professionals and experts, making substantial contributions to the growth of Vietnam’s economy.
In addition to the extended e-visa duration, the National Assembly has approved the introduction of multiple-entry visas.
Policymakers anticipate that these decisions will streamline administrative processes, resulting in notable time and cost savings for both the Vietnamese government and visa applicants.
A three-month E-visa will effectively address the requirements of foreign visitors seeking to extend their stay for the purpose of exploring potential investment prospects. – Le Tan Toi, Chairperson of the National Assembly Committee for Defence and Security
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would allow the continued use of mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) at TSA airport security checkpoints beyond the 2025 REAL ID implementation deadline.
This proposed rule would allow for continued use of mDLs at participating TSA checkpoints after May 7, 2025, when passengers will be required to show REAL ID-compliant identification.
The temporary waiver created by this rule would permit federal agencies to continue accepting mDLs for official federal purposes from individuals with a valid and unexpired REAL ID-compliant physical driver’s license or identification card that is issued by REAL ID-compliant states to whom TSA has issued a waiver. TSA intends to issue a subsequent rule-making to set more comprehensive requirements for mDLs after emerging industry standards and federal guidelines are finalised, and at that time would repeal the waiver provisions established in this rule-making.
An mDL is a digital representation of a state-issued physical driver’s license that is typically installed through an application on the user’s smartphone and stored in its digital wallet, similar to how many users currently store their physical credit cards on their smartphones. The information from the digital wallet is read after the smartphone is tapped against a reader to establish the validity of the mDL.
“TSA fully supports the integration of digital identity technology, including mobile driver’s licenses, as part of our transportation security framework,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
“This incremental approach balances security and passenger experience, encourages digital identity innovation and investment and ensures that we honour the intent of the REAL ID Act. This rule-making will establish a path for states to continue partnering with industry in developing secure digital identity for use at TSA checkpoints.”
TSA currently accepts mDLs issued by the following states and wallet/app providers for limited testing purposes at TSA PreCheck® lanes in participating airports:
Discover the future of digital identity in the Philippines as PSA Director, Rene Mendoza takes the stage at Identity Week Asia 2023.
Join us for an enlightening keynote session that unveils the transformative power of the country’s eID system and its impact on the global identity landscape.
Rene, from the Philippines Statistics Agency will share PSA’s success with citizen onboarding, the rollout of their ID card, and the inclusion of biometrics in physical identity cards. This session will be free to attend, so register for your free expo pass and join us at our keynote stage on the mornings of both days!
As part of our commitment to delivering an enriching and first class event, we have secured the participation of hundreds of industry expert speakers who are at the forefront of shaping the future of identity management and authentication.
The speakers will bring diverse perspectives and insights from a wide range of industries and are sure to elevate the discussions at Identity Week America to new heights
Check out some of our latest speaker announcements below from the finance, government and travel sectors.
FINANCE & BANKING
🎤 Tiffany Bacha, Director, Enterprise Chief Controls Office, The Bank of New York Mellon 🎤 Denny Prvu, Director of Architecture: Innovation & Technology, R.B.C Royal Bank 🎤 Titilayo Robinson, CIAM Capability Owner, Nationwide 🎤 Brian Russell,SVP – Head of Enterprise Platform for Identity Management and Authentication, U.S. Bank 🎤 Esther Scott – Esther Scott, Director of Product Management, Capital One 🎤 Greg Williamson, VP, Digital Identity, PNC Bank 🎤 Brook Ybarra,SVP Innovation and Strategy, American Bankers Association
GOVERNMENT
🎤 Carolyn Bayer Broring, Senior Forensic Document Examiner, US DHS Homeland Security Investigations Forensic Lab 🎤 Brian Broderick, Division Chief, USCIS 🎤 Gerald Caron, Chief Information Officer, International Trade Administration 🎤 Diane Sabatino, Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, US Customs and Border Protection 🎤 Kenneth Gantt, Deputy Director, DHS – Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) 🎤 Sumnesh Joshi,Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India 🎤 John ‘Neal’ Latta,Assistant Administrator, TSA
TRAVEL
🎤 Louise Cole, Head Customer Experience & Facilitation, IATA 🎤 Michelle Wilson, Senior Technical Advisor, Transportation Security Administration 🎤 Annett Steenbergen, Advisor Digital Identity and Travel, Government of Aruba 🎤 Jonathan Tailley, Senior Enterprise Architect, Air Canada 🎤 John Wagner, President, John Wagner Consulting 🎤 Alan D Wapner, Board President, Ontario International Airport Authority
Okta has published it’s first-ever Customer Identity Trends Report . The study asked more than 20,000 consumers spread across 14 countries including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), and Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) about their online experiences and attitudes to digital identity.
Looking across age ranges and verticals, the 2023 Customer Identity Report uncovers ever-greater sophistication among worldwide consumers on their attitudes to digital privacy, security, and data protection.
Younger buyers drive competition as online accounts rise
As digital transactions continue to play a larger role in our lives, the number of accounts we need to manage grows too: 75% of consumers have 10 or more active accounts, and the average online customer has more than 20 active accounts for applications and websites. But this has consequences for brands and consumers alike. Competition for attention and dollars is fierce, especially with younger generations that churn accounts at nearly double the rate of older demographics. Meanwhile, the more accounts a user has, the greater their exposure to data breaches – especially when those accounts are protected with a traditional username and password, or forgotten or not maintained over time.
Passwords are bad for business, as lower friction experiences lead to higher consumer spend
Friction is the enemy of conversion: 60% of consumers globally say that they would be more likely to spend money when services offered a simple, secure, and frictionless login process. According to the survey, passwords are a major source of friction. Most (65%) of consumers feel overwhelmed by the number of usernames and passwords they have to manage, and one-third (33%) find creating passwords that meet certain requirements frustrating. Another 64% report that they’re unable to log in to an account at least once a month because of a forgotten username or password.
So, when consumers were asked to rank which security measure they would prefer to use to protect their account, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and social login came up as “table stakes” – something consumers expect. Username and password was consistently cited as the most convenient and security form of authentication, highlighting a vital need for education to drive the shift to passwordless.
“Finding the right balance between privacy, friction and user experience can be a challenge: Businesses need to assess their own environment, and create a user experience that establishes trust and provides necessary security controls that protect a user’s sensitive information and combat fraud,” said Shiv Ramji, Chief Product Officer, Customer Identity at Okta. “It is not a one size fits all approach, but requires a strategic approach to identity, and ultimately, a no compromise approach to security, privacy and user experience.”
Consumers want more control over their data, but it’s a privacy-personalisation paradox
Data privacy matters to today’s consumers: 75% of respondents across all age groups reported that it was important to them to have control over their data. This percentage rises when consumers are interacting with highly regulated industries, such as financial services (86%), healthcare (83%), and public sector organizations (81%) – all of which are more likely to involve sensitive or personal data.
Respondents in Europe and North America favoured control across every industry, whereas consumers in Asia Pacific and Japan were more willing to compromise control for a lower-friction experience when interacting with brands in Media & Entertainment, Transportation & Travel, and Retail & Hospitality. With convenience and control seemingly at odds, it’s no wonder that many brands struggle with the privacy-personalisation paradox.
“Customers want frictionless, personalised, and instantaneous experiences when logging in to apps and making purchases; at the same time, they want to control what data they share, and they want appropriate security controls in place to protect it.” continues Ramji. “Given the strong competition for customer attention, brands that want to build long-term relationships with customers must be transparent about what data is needed and how it’s used to power a private, secure, and convenient experience. That is the basic requirement from consumers and something that shouldn’t be compromised.“
Methodology
Commissioned by Okta, Statista conducted a global survey of 21,512 consumers from 14 countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
Inundated with changes since Elon Musk’s takeover as CEO, Twitter – now rebranded as just X – will be sparking reaction online and offline as it was announced that users will need to disclose their biometric information and employment history.
Elon Musk’s company did not wish to say the extent of plans to transform the way data is managed and what new data will be required for verification. Seemingly ditching passwords to adopt multi-factor authentication with fingerprints or facial recognition scan, more personal data will be obtained than knowing the basic name and age identifiers allowed in the past to create social accounts on X.
Twitter confirmed it could not override user consent, but will begin “collecting” and “using” user biometric data to bolster its security against bots and verify users. In the brief statement, the policy change did not share how personal information will be used or stored.
Indicating that Twitter, or X, could venture into helping people find jobs like LinkedIn, this could be a credible motive behind the latest change in Twitter’s business management. The Blue Tick verification is currently used as visible proof of authorised users on Twitter which various national news outlets that have reported the story have said was undertaking tests to approve the tickets with selfie recognition and proof of a government issued ID. The revamped Blue Tick allegedly flouted privacy rules.
The updated privacy policy is for users registered to its subscription service, X Premium.
The statement said: “We may collect and use your personal information (such as your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, and so on) to recommend potential jobs for you, to share with potential employers when you apply for a job, to enable employers to find potential candidates, and to show you more relevant advertising.”
Twitter has been a project of a passion and then a loathed undertaking which he also suggested reselling. The big policy changes have certainly attracted attention and promoted X which could be his main goal in generating targeted marketing campaigns, but with fraud not prevailing for any section of the internet, cybersecurity could be Musk’s temporary fix as Twitter’s current CEO.
Last year there were attempts by some of his own staff to whistleblow his abrupt and unruly changes to policy that they alleged bypassed the company’s standard procedures on data privacy and Elon Musk is seen as a figure that will monetise what he can. Musk’s legal department was accused of asking engineers to “self-certify” compliance with the FTC regulations.
His reasons for “addressing security” matters by imposing caps on viewing 600 posts were quickly shot down to be a cover for Musk somehow wanting to, once again, pull the strings of making huge changes at Twitter – this time to Blue Tick subscriptions. He blamed the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) now in every business, risking more “data scrapping” behaviour.
He restricted the vast majority of X’s users to having paid subscriptions on the platform, limiting unpaid users to viewing 600 posts a day which was later increased slightly to 1000.
Creating a forensic chain of custody and traceable code ownership for developers.
Headquartered in Washington D.C., CodeLock delivers software security at the code level for developers.
The start-up, founded in 2021, has been selected to participate in our 200+ Start-Up City Incubator at Identity Week America 2023, on 3 and 4 October.
Between CodeLock’s core network security solution and standard cybersecurity is the differentiating factor of a forensic chain of custody and traceable code ownership, combined with 3 multi-factor authentication methods – OTTs, facial recognition scan and passwords to verify developers.
Their patent pending cryptographic hashing functions ensure private ends of the code throughout the software development process.
Born out of an urgency to hinder software supply chain attacks on the rise, CodeLock has accumulated and raised funding grants to commercialise their offering.
With advanced management insights and performance metrics and data analytics, bad actors are blocked in the authentication of genuine developers presenting a traceable custody of code data.
The Department of Homeland Security Recommendation
“CodeLock appears to have the capability to stop the most sophisticated criminal malware. With respect to cyber attacks from hostile nation-states, CodeLock would also be effective…”
Both these organisations will be participating in Identity Week America 2023 and engaging in potential investor/mentee partnerships between industry and our Start-Up Incubator.
Fraser Sampson, the UK’s outgoing Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, has left a parting comment on the state and assurances of biometric surveillance when underpinned by “clearly defined”, “intelligible” policies, as he prepares to step down from office.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner invited Sampson to input into its consultation on a proposed code of practice for biometric data, which he has supported. During his tenureship, Sampson noted the “ever growing” capabilities of biometric surveillance systems strengthening around his policies and actions as Commissioner.
Underpinned by excellent technological capabilities, biometrics have also consolidated the Commissioner’s role in ensuring the code has a purpose that complied with by relevant authorities, including law enforcement, public and private sector.
The risks and societal concerns that biometrics pose – particularly in the areas of facial recognition technology and artificial intelligence – are more comprehensive than ” just data protection” matters, the report suggest.
“As a society, we are becoming inured to biometric surveillance, while technological developments have meant that our capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from global crises has increased beyond anything our forebears might have realistically imagined”.
The greater certainty and assurances that exist around identification and biometric technologies, the more benefits society will be able to leverage by ensuring law enforcement pursue the right offenders and have early intervention to prevent crime.
As Commissioner, Sampson drove a systemic approach to regulation based around ‘integrity’ which will be the ongoing challenges after his post finishes. He supported crystal clear standards that encompass new technologies while minimising competing or duplicate standards, in reference to DNA.
Delivering a SaaS, single authentication platform, we are delighted that our Gold Sponsor, Axiad, will be showcasing their innovative solutions at Identity Week America 2023.
Axiad’s proposition overlooks bygone passwords to authenticate genuine users, with the right level of access, to organisational resources and end-points using an untraditional MFA built on crypto.
Modernised MFA – standing for Multi Factor Authentication – replaces passwords to improve posture within organisations whilst adding some friction to the user experience.
Axiad’s perfectly balanced solution does not leverage traditional MFA using passwords. The passwordless authenticator is based on either passkey, passkey managers in the future and certificate based authentication that allows end-point systems and solutions to navigate authorisation at the right level.
We cannot wait to welcome Axiad to our vast Exhibition Floor at Identity Week America 2023 (on 3-4 October) to further drive their marketable solution to achieve widespread sector adoption.
During the interview, we asked Bassam:
Multifactor Authentication is the most effective way to ensure a user asserting an identity is who they say they are, but the friction can make for a poor user experience. How do we overcome this?
Is modernised authentication working to fight more incidents of fraud and unauthorised access? Can you explain some of your applications of Axiad Cloud and modernised authentication?
Can your solutions authorise the right level of data access to users?
Do customers welcome a passwordless future?
Why is Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) critical to Zero Trust Architecture?
A freedom of information request, submitted by Statesman, was denied over last year’s outlined proposal by the Department of Homeland Security to open up exchange of biometric data between participating states and the USA’s national IDENT/HART system, as a negotiation of the U.S. visa policy.
Cross-data sharing which could be helpful to connect identifies to crimes or illegal border entry in other countries.
Despite a “generally” positive dialogue with member states a year ago, it seems cooperation has stalled with the request filed rejected due to “sensitive information of ongoing discussions” .
The negotiation talks are more than a year old between the Commission and U.S. on the arrangement of the Enhanced Border Security Partnership (EBSP). The rejection letter was signed by Monique Pariat, the Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs.
The USA issued an ultimatum on biometric data sharing in February 2022 which would cooperate members including the UK, Israel and the EU to share their databases to help fight serious crime and immigration, which is particularly a problem in a large country like the U.S.
The USA’s vast databank – the IDENT/HART system – contains 270 million U.S. citizen identities and is the largest U.S. government biometric database and 2nd largest globally.
In May, it came to light that the Commission was delayed “working on a Proof of Concept” to assess the benefits of the data-sharing model, with the EU legal system arguing that it compromises privacy protections.
Privacy and the need to protect “international relations” of the working group seems to have been the reason for developments not being disclosed.
Five to-date documents were identified relating to the EU’s “proof of concept” and proposed Enhanced Border Security Partnership and working group. Their active status has not been confirmed and it is still not clear whether USA’s and the Commission’s relationship will strengthen data sharing.
Pariat said an update on the Partnership would threaten public security and amount to a “breach of trust of the US authorities and could therefore undermine international relations with the US.”
Customers of Alaska Airlines can submit an image of their passport for authorisation ahead of their departure date with the pre-travel Mobile Verify program.
Queue times will be cut significantly with the customer having control over uploading and verifying their travel documents from the comfort of their own home, eliminating the need most of the time to physically present their documents at all at the airport.
As a mandatory requirement for all travellers leaving or entering the United States, passports must be carried on the individual as they embark on their travel journey and verified by their airline. This is despite airlines and international air hubs favouring digital technologies and biometrics.
The option to verify essential documents prior to the travel day offers customers huge benefits to enjoying more seamless and stress-free journeys. The airline, in this instance Alaska Airlines, has the flight and identity information relating to the passenger to facilitate identification procedures within the airport terminal at automated border touchpoints, such as matching passengers in-person to pre-held passport photographs in their database.
“Eventually, guests will be able to flow through every airport touchpoint without having to take out identification documents, simply by controlling their digital identity on their smart phone”, the airline commented.
The Mobile Verify platform is powered by Airside, an Onfido company, and is just the latest digital ID tool to build this vision where everyone has access to self-services that enable them to reach the lobby in 5 minutes.
“We’re investing in technology that takes processes traditionally only available at an airport and makes them possible from your smartphone. This new Mobile Verify technology creates a seamless airport experience for guests traveling internationally – eliminating the uncertainty that comes with having to wait in airport lines.”
We were delighted to interview Ivy Fung recently, President of Women in Blockchain Asia (WIBA), whose perspective, to be shared at Identity Week Asia 2023, is focused on advocating and driving equal opportunity between the genders to pursue STEM careers and study.
The emergence of blockchain and newer technologies require collaboration from the whole industry and joined-up policy-making to advance innovation and minimise gender inequalities.
Historically and still true to say of technology careers today, fewer women fill high-level, technical roles than their male counterparts. The male statistics dwarf women’s participation across many technical industries. This should signal why conferences and gatherings of the entire identity industry – with every solution and main player – are so important to amounting change.
Women In Blockchain Asia is a non-profit that support and represents women academics, scientists and technologists and identity experts for equal participation in their technical careers, working in blockchain or other technology fields.
We asked Ivy:
How does Women In Blockchain Asia participate within the industry, at Identity Week Asia?
How is a collaborative industry approach going to impact changes to blockchain standards and wider frameworks for enabling technology, innovation and diversity?
Why is it easier to manage digital identities and vulnerabilities using blockchain, through its decentralised identity management system?
Where does the APAC region stand compared to Europe and the Americas in blockchain innovation and inclusive engineering/ diversity within STEM?
What does the future of security and identity look like leveraging blockchain to secure transactions, whether it be payments, heath records, career credentials etc..?
Come to Identity Week Asia on 7-8 November in Singapore – the third year of hosting outstanding speakers and organisations that have a large role to play in identity development in the APAC region.
