Kingdom of Bahrain awarded HID e-passport solution

Kingdom of Bahrain awarded HID e-passport solution

Kingdom of Bahrain is to receive HID Global’s end-to-end ePassport solution which will grant them access to join the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Public Key Directory that enables mutual access and sharing of passport data between 180 member companies.

HID solution will significantly augment the Kingdom’s digital travel journey from transitioning from a machine-readable passport to an e-passport solution supported  by HID’s chip operating system SOMA™ and HID Integrale™ that enrols biometric and biographic data of citizens.

Craig Sandness, Senior Vice President and Head of Secure Issuance and Citizen ID Solutions said: “HID is proud to help support Bahrain’s vision for citizens to travel more easily and securely. We have a long-standing relationship with the Kingdom of Bahrain and we look forward to extending it by delivering a full end-to-end ePassport solution”.

The ePassport simplifies many processes in travel such as managing immigration and ensuring free and easy travel, facilitating visa applications and easing congestion at automated border control systems.

The design of the passport is been crafted to reflect the history and heritage of Bahrain but is built with the highest level of security features, including a colour portrait of the passport holder protecting the integrity of the document against counterfeiting and fraud. Transmitted light exposes a watermark feature under the portrait layer of the citizen.

 

Digital Nomad Visa: Exploring functional IDs available in a remote working world 

Digital Nomad Visa: Exploring functional IDs available in a remote working world 

What Is a Digital Nomad Visa?

What Is a Digital Nomad Visa? Digital Nomad Visas are a functional ID that aligns with the world’s new norm of remote working from any location which arose during the pandemic and now complements a preferred lifestyle that many aspire to have.

Applicants obtaining a digital Nomad Visa tend to be attracted to the flexibility and freedom that this lifestyle offers and are able to travel extensively to any location and connect to work remotely. However, the Digital Nomad Visa is not a path to gaining citizenship or permanent residency in any country.

It differs event to temporary or long-stay residence visas which allow holders to physically work or live in a foreign country.

Many of these individuals are highly skilled professionals and freelancers that are enabled by having an e-Nomad Visa to stay in a country for a duration of 12 months, which depending on the issuing country can be extended for up to one or more years.

Digital nomads are flourishing due to the growing trends of virtual working and home-schooling making the lifestyle appealing, and appealing to countries that have damaged tourism economies after the pandemic.

Which countries offer Digital Nomad visas?

Several countries arguably obtain the top position for being a great destination to travel and work from remotely as a Digital Nomad visa holder including Georgia which has no visa requirements upon entry where professionals can stay for up to 365 days.

There are conditions on holders to prove occupation and disclose a minimum salary of $2,000 a month or savings of $24,000 on a bank statement. Holders who stay beyond 183 days in Georgia also incur tax duties as a a tax resident paying a medium 20% rate in income tax.

Croatia offers a low-cost option similar but not technically a Digital Nomad Visa to live and remotely work for a period up to 12 months. Non-EU applicants that have steady employment by foreign companies or are freelance meet the eligible criteria. Information on how to apply and what is needed can be found here: https://nomadgirl.co/croatia-digital-nomad-visa-process-requirements/

Other countries enabling an international remote working lifestyle include:

  • Estonia – 1 year visa
  • Costa Rica – with a 2-year Rentista visa for digital Nomads
  • Norway – 2-year Independant Contractor Visa
  • Mexico
  • Portugal
  • Iceland – 6 months, 90 days if applications are made from the Schengen area
  • Argentina
  • The Czech Republic – for a short 1 year stay
  • Germany – 3 year Freelance visa
  • Portugal – valid for 1 year, renew up to 5 years
  • Spain – passing legislation (January 2023) for a 1 year visa
  • Malta – non-EU workers can apply for 1 year visa
  • Plus many more…

View all 53 participating countries: https://nomadgirl.co/countries-with-digital-nomad-visas/

To find out more about which countries offer Digital Nomad Visas and how to apply, visit: https://visaguide.world/digital-nomad-visa/

 

 

 

3 months to go until Identity Week Europe!

3 months to go until Identity Week Europe!

There are exactly 3 months until the opening of Identity Week Europe 2023 in Amsterdam – the first upscaled edition to reflect the size and magnitude of this industry’s innovation.

Our exciting move to Amsterdam is to primarily upgrade a suitable venue to house the breadth of the ecosystem and reflect the upscaling of Identity Week Europe in recent years, which continues to expand with useful use cases and technologies bringing vendors, organisations and identity leaders together.

It is also a central identity hub, enhancing convenient travel for our stakeholders to attend and take part in attitude pivoting discussions about the next steps to innovate and implement ground-breaking identity technologies and solutions in the ecosystem.

Prepare to be invigorated – join over 4,000 attendees, 200 speakers, 250 exhibitors and start-ups over 2 days at the RAI Amsterdam.

The entire identity ecosystem will be in Amsterdam from 13-14 June, seeking the latest tech and partnerships to solve the biggest issues facing identity today. Book your place today https://lnkd.in/eswUkew6

 

Celebrating women in identity

Celebrating women in identity

On this International Women’s Day, we want to take the chance to highlight and celebrate female identity thought leaders within the ecosystem that have always driven and continue to drive successful use cases and bring solutions to the forefront in a largely dominant male field.

Gender discussion is so important to unlocking the full power of workforces and sparking innovation, but it is also a basic right for every woman to work in a fair and supportive working environment with equal pay and opportunity. Two sides of the discussion lie in addressing gender bias and poorer representation of women in the identity industry, and eliminating technological bias.

The identity industry is constantly making strides towards stamping out gender imbalances within the identity industry and this includes levels of inherent bias in technologies. A sign of change in the ecosystem, most credible solution providers are now attaining top NIST rankings for accuracy in tech that proves mitigation of bias between the genders and different demographic groups.

The industry’s awareness and attention to bias is a prime example of why identity is one of the most diversifying sectors which not only aims to promote fair representation and treatment in the professional working environment, but also ensures that the need to identify and scrutinise everyone as a potential threat is fair, universal and not discriminatory based on race, gender or other factors.

It is CEOs and founders that are making gender diversity a priority to address within their workforces, changing the landscape of the industry and faces that attend Identity Week. The term ‘quota’ is counterproductive to our objectives for true equality; the natural tide change in the industry supporting female talent in identity is enabling a seamless process of ensuring everyone who is part of the identity ecosystem is in the same room at Identity Week Europe, Asia and America.

Identity Week sessions focus on gender based issues, including barriers to women working and obtaining leadership roles, which has an impact on preventing technical progress of technologies and identity-related use cases.

Identity Week Europe has an impressive lineup of female speakers. They include:

Keily BlairChief Strategy & Operations Officer (CSOO)OnlyFans

Anouk CartrysseR&D AdvisorNetherlands Ministry of the Interior

Louise ColeHead Customer Experience & FacilitationIATA

Catherine FankhauserDirector of Identity Security SolutionsSicpa

Natalie JonesDirector, Digital IdentityGovernment Digital Service, UK Cabinet Office

Marit HoefslootConcept developerWaag futurelab

Panel announcements – Identity Week Europe 2023!

Panel announcements – Identity Week Europe 2023!

With Identity Week Europe 2023 fast approaching we want to highlight some of the inspiring and industry leading panel sessions we have lined up.Register before midnight on Friday 10th March to reserve your place and save 40% on conference passes before the price goes up!

Staying a step ahead of counterfeiters and fraudsters drives innovative document design.

Representatives from the governments of Moldova, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and from Europe’s border protection body come together and discuss their strategies for fighting document fraud.

Cross-sector experts examine applications for identity and blockchain within finance, telcos, and wallets.

As more and more industries explore the blockchain, this panel features experiences and perspectives from blockchain professionals at the forefront of tech adoption.

91% of firms increasing their expenditure on ID verification

91% of firms increasing their expenditure on ID verification

New research shows that 91% of businesses recognise the value of increasing their expenditure on identity verification in the next 1-3 years to secure their data and alleviate identity fraud, 43% admitted.

Identity verification is already embedded into ensuring seamless user experiences and security in many industries and the public sector with banks, for example, looking to excel beyond traditional trust services and be immersed in the digital identity ecosystem. Almost two-thirds of companies already deploy digital document verification (65%), particularly in the financial sector, and 60% use fingerprint recognition.

The increased effort of these businesses could result in an extra 20% splurge on bigger budgets for identity verification technologies, providing customers centricity and assurance and digitalisation.

94% are likely to come onboard with levelling up identity verification in the coming year as findings also revealed businesses had high expectations on making meaningful returns on their investment from delivering customer satisfaction, faster and simpler onboarding processes.

The report was commissioned by Regula who said: “The IDV market will inevitably grow, and we surely haven’t yet seen its peak. With the number of new users rising non-stop, along with the general trend towards digitalisation, businesses will have to adapt and implement new methods of onboarding and verification of their customers. It may sound like a challenge to embed a wide spectrum of various IDV solutions; however, the whole process can be easily organised with a single solution from one vendor whose comprehensive approach to IDV solution development makes it possible to cover all the steps in identity verification”.

Sapio Research Conducting these findings in December 2022 and January 2023 surveying remotely 1,069 fraud management decision leaders across the financial services, Technology, Telecoms, and Aviation sectors.

First 40 speaker announcement for Identity Week America 2023!

First 40 speaker announcement for Identity Week America 2023!

Identity Week America 2023 is returning to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C. on October 3-4 2023!As the largest identity event on the continent, we will be welcoming thousands of senior industry representatives, alongside over 250+ speakers across 2 days of first class content related to the latest developments within the identity ecosystem.

The time has come to announce our first 40 speakers for 2023… 🎤

Allan Rayson, CIO, Encore Bank  Tom Sheffield, Senior Director of Cyber Security, Target Louise Cole, Head Customer Experience and Facilitation, IATA  Abbie Barbir, Senior Security Advisor, CVS  Alan D. Wapner, President, Ontario International Airport Yevgeniy Sirotin, Principal Investigator, Maryland Test Facility  James E. Lee, COO, Identity Theft Resource Centre Keily Blair, CSOO, OnlyFans  Devin Fensterheim, Program Manager, Social Security Administration  Michelle Wheeler, Managing Director of Identity, UNiDAYS Mei Ngan, Computer Scientist, NIST  Ebony Love, Director of Cyber Security, McDonalds Iain Corby, Executive Director, AVPA Jeremy Grant, Managing Director, Venable Annet Steenbergen, Advisor Digital Identity, Government of ArubaKenneth Myers, Director of Government-Wide Digital Identity Policy Division, GSAJohn Breyault, Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud, National Consumers League Ross Foard, IT Specialist, CISA Stephanie Schuckers, Professor, Clarkson University  Chintan Jain, Senior Principal, Cyber Security and Application Architecture, Hilton

Keynote speaker round-up at Identity Week Europe 2023

Keynote speaker round-up at Identity Week Europe 2023

Identity Week Europe 2023 set to bring together thousands of global executives to be inspired by 200 speakers over 2 incredible days of content at the RAI Amsterdam, 13-14th June 2023!Every year we reserve a limited number of free conference passes for government and public sector employees to ensure that government bodies are able to remain at the forefront of innovation in identity.

Our speakers are visionary industry leaders and disruptors from all disciplines. They are selected for their relevance, dynamism and insight. We are hugely proud to announce some of our latest keynote speakers below…

Jeen de Swart, Security Information Architect, Netherlands Ministry of Justice; ICAO Board Member

Jeen is an information/security architect with more than 30 years of governmental experience in computer- and chip-technology, cryptography, mathematics, HSM and PKI. As founder and member of the expertise centre for PKI within the Judicial Information service of the Ministry of Justice and Security,  he is also teaching in the subject of chip-technology and PKI around the world.

Natalie Jones, Director – Digital Identity, GDS

Natalie Jones is the Director for the flagship GOV.UK One Login Programme. She has overall responsibility to deliver this programme for the Government and brings a breadth of critical national infrastructure, engineering and digital identity knowledge to her role

Matthias Karl Koehler, Vice President And Head Of Sales, Muehlbauer GmbH & Co. KG

Matthias Koehler has been appointed Vice President of Mühlbauer ID Services GmbH, concerning the western hemisphere in February 2011. In this position he signs responsible for sales, marketing and business development. One of his main tasks is to leverage the market requirements with the activities of the research and development departments of Mühlbauer.

Get your free conference pass: https://secure.terrapinn.com/V5/guest/10678/a064G00001Nh8tBQAR/005D0000003vhPN?_ga=2.9498869.1579135766.1677686616-881734093.1666960983

ETIAS rollout hit by another disappointing delay

ETIAS rollout hit by another disappointing delay

The launch of the highly-anticipated European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) was originally due to be launched in 2021 but a global pandemic has pushed it back multiple times and now its speculative due date is in 2024.

No exact date was given in sight of the continued disruption and little warning with this latest change by the European Union that appeared in a website update.

One reason for the delay could be unforeseen technical issues or resourcing issues as well as budget.

The push back will give travellers more time before they must obtain an ETIAS and likewise allow providers to improve their data capture capabilities for broader biometric checks into and leaving the EU and Schengen Area territory.

Once implemented, non-EU citizens that obtain visa-waiver status, now applying to the UK and US, will have to apply for a ETIAS to enter any of the 26 countries in the Schengen Zone.

Similar schemes are implemented to enter the UK (Electronic Travel Authorization) which processes nearly 30 million applications each year and the Electronic System Travel Authorization (ESTA) which manages travel into the U.S. from 40 countries.

 

 

Call for speakers at Identity Week Asia 2023! 🎤

Call for speakers at Identity Week Asia 2023! 🎤

Share your insight and participate in a full stakeholder forum with all of the identity industry based in Asia.

We are now accepting enquires to be involved and speak at Identity Week Asia in November 2023, with an expanded conference agenda to cater for any specialist subject in the identity space.

We will be facilitating discussions that move applications and sector innovation forward in our historic topic areas: Security documents, digital ID and biometrics.

Although the scope of subjects we cover has increased and follows huge trends such as mobile ID wallets and decentralised identity – providing users’ more control over sharing their identity and personal information.

Our Asia region specific conference is uniquely positioned and grounded in digital onboarding, IAM and e-payments and tackling fraud in financial services which will attract an impressive turnout of banking professionals to meet at the show.

There is also variation and a holistic approach immersed in Identity Week Asia which will acknowledge how digital identity is infiltrating many industries and sections of society with world-class use cases.

The “technological revolution” of digital identity goes further than any one area which is why during the two-day conference, our attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and listen to top representatives from the aviation and travel industries, the public sector and healthcare.

These experts will talk in nuanced panel sessions focused on the role of biometrics for passenger safety and interoperability and trust frameworks being thoughtfully curated by governments.

Don’t miss out on the chance to share insights with the industry and align actionable goals, as well as push yourself to achieve personal goals of driving change to provision more identity use cases.

You may be working on current applications or developing innovative technologies to share with the most influential members of the identity community.We are looking for industry expertsprofessionalsentrepreneursuniversitiesR&D centresassociations and organisations to speak in thought-led sessions and be involved in a multi-faceted event. 

If you have any questions, or would like to speak to a team member about speaking opportunities please contact: Matty Shafran

m.shafran@sciencemediapartners.com

 

 

 

Niall McCann, UNDP: Achieving legal identity for all

Niall McCann, UNDP: Achieving legal identity for all

 

World Bank data sets in the last few years have magnified the sheer volume of people who simply cannot prove who they are. While the stark figure of 1 billion people living without an ID has decreased to around 850 million, UNDP is involved with partners on a collaborative vision for legal identity.

Niall McCann, of the UNDP, discusses the downstream of consequences that not having a legal form of ID has on their daily lives and accessibility to services.

“A birth certificate is the gold standard of legal identity and the priorities should always be to register people at the closest point to their birth as possible”.

Niall shared the UNDP’s scepticism about prioritising the issuance of identity documentation for adults because there should be holistic approach for the whole lifecycle from birth to death.

The UN Legal Identity project also makes a real difference in third countries like Honduras where the programme is focused on providing identity visibility for displaced peoples, minorities, refugees, the LGBTQI+ community and people with disabilities.

TrustID study: Right to Work checks slow but better tech from IDSPs could tap new talent

TrustID study: Right to Work checks slow but better tech from IDSPs could tap new talent

The pandemic drove an unprecedented shift towards digital processes including Right to Work checks to validate employees.

Whether done remotely or in-person, a study undertaken by TrustID has concluded that identity validation as part of Right to Work checks only supports fast and assured recruitment processes.

TrustID is a frontrunner in providing identity document verification, recently collecting responses from over 130 business professionals about the challenges and objectives of recruitment processes, which involve Right to Work checks to vet candidates’ identity credentials.

The majority (96%) of respondents agreed RtW checks are essential and identity validation technology from selected IDSPs could approve candidates on the same day as an interview or when an offer is made.

However, with reducing talent pools in a competitive market, current standards of RtW checks are unsatisfactory, running the risk of losing out on new talent to competitors.

Tony Machin, CEO of TrustID said: “Identity validation technology means that Right to Work checks can be done on the same day as an interview or when an offer is made. This helps companies that use an identity service provider (IDSP) to avoid missing out on their choice of candidate.”

On the whole, 62% of respondents believed remote checks brought by COVID-19 regulations were easier and faster than pre-pandemic times but only 20% admitted to feeling confident that they could identify a fraudulent document.

Machin added, “Right to Work checks have been subject to many changes over recent years. Using a certified IDSP that keeps pace with regulatory changes gives an employer confidence that it is compliant and streamlines staff on-boarding for faster recruitment.”

60% of people said they currently use technology from an IDSP or an applicant tracking service (ATS) linked to an IDSP, with a further 17% considering using technology for their RtW checks.

TrustID offers a range of accurate, affordable and easily accessible identity verification services that protect both private sector organisations and public sector bodies such as NHS Trusts and local authorities from exposure to fraud.

Love to save? Snap up our Valentine’s offer

Love to save? Snap up our Valentine’s offer

Save €500 on conference pass tickets this Valentines day!Book before the 17th February to take advantage of our current offer of 50% off conference tickets to Identity Week Europe 2023!

Now is the best time to secure your ticket and gain unlimited VIP access to groundbreaking innovations and insights from speakers representing global leaders in financegovernmentretailhealthcaretravel, and more.

UK and France prepare for EU Entry/Exit System

UK and France prepare for EU Entry/Exit System

Transport government officials from the UK and France, who met in Paris last week, have signalled both countries will work together on the upcoming implementation of the EU’s Entry/Exit System, replacing the current protocol of checking passport stamps for seamless biometric registration of third-country travellers arriving in the EU.

The EES was postponed from May 2022 to the end of 2023. The new travel procedure, scanning passports and travel documents and collecting a traveller’s live biometric profile for registration, has stood up against some criticism that border queues will be made longer and congestion made worse than using manual procedures.

The 25 countries in the European Union will be required to use the Entry/Exit System as well as four non-EU countries borderless Schengen area however non-EU citizen that do not need to obtain a visa for EU entry are likely to dodge having their facial and fingerprint biometrics captured.

The UK already has arrangements allowing French authorities to conduct checks at UK border points which operate the new proposed system including, the Port of Dover and Eurostar and Eurotunnel, however this has impacted concerns about reduced traffic flow and congestion.

In a Twitter post, UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper emphasised both countries were looking to establish “reliable, quick, and safe travel routes”, harnessing their enduring Anglo-French relationship.

The Department for Transport said Harper “reaffirmed the UK government’s commitment to working alongside the French government to ensure any new system works for both countries and passengers”.

(More information EES: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-eu-entry-exit-system-and-eu-travel-authorisation-system/)

 

 

 

 

Panel announcement: age assurance against online harms

Panel announcement: age assurance against online harms

 

Our Age Assurance track at Identity Week Europe 2023 is populating nicely full of specialists in tackling online harms with regulation, certification, age verification technologies and the media.

Ofcom, ACCS, Consult Hyperion and AVPA follow a dynamite speech from OnlyFans about the importance of age verification in our online spaces and how identity can be used to ensure safety, security, and privacy. The first edition of Identity Week Europe in Amsterdam will noticeably move the debate among the identity ecosystem on from theories and strategies, to actual deployment of biometric assurance technologies to keep children safe online and establish accurate identities.

With four months to go until Identity Week, IdentityWeek.net secured an exclusive opportunity to interview Tony Allen, Chief Executive of the Age Check Certification Services who is participating in two panel sessions on countering ‘Online Harms with Age Assurance’, as well as ‘Utilising Digital ID in Finance’.

The questions we proposed to him included:

  1. What standards govern age verification/biometric technologies for use, and what improvements need to be made to the certification process/standards?
  2. Are we seeing demand rising for identity/age verification technologies to protect children from harm?
  3. How important is interoperability between key parties these systems and relationships between vendors, social media networks, adult sites or advertising sites to ensure robust age restrictions are maintained online or offline?
  4. Who is responsible for trust – solution providers, certification bodies, standards/ frameworks/ laws governing what technologies make it to the marketplace, or a combination?
  5. What excites you about speaking at Identity Week Europe in June? What topics will be high on the agenda?

A fascinating discussion that preempts important stakeholder talks to be held at the event around physical deployment and proactivity to implement digital trust and privacy frameworks.  He makes asserted statements about the need for more frameworks and certification standards governing vendor solutions that exist but do not satisfy the foundations to continue real applications of biometric and age assurance technology.

Of course, he says, we are seeing more risk online, especially for children, which should warrant action and steer use cases.

The responsibility for trust is squarely on the solution provider that needs to attain certification and adhere to the frameworks that organisations like the ACCS build upon.

Trends in fraudulent identity documents in 2022

Trends in fraudulent identity documents in 2022

What were the most common forms of fake documents in 2022?

In 2022, passports remained the most common fake document seen by our customers – the same as our previous 2 years’ analysis. They made up 45% of the total of all fake documents we saw in 2022. This is up 6% on last year’s figure.

At the same time, there has been a major drop in the number of fraudulent ID cards presented in 2022 with ID cards making up only 18% of all fake documents. This decline reflects the ongoing trend: in 2020, fraudulent ID cards almost equalled passports with 39% of the total and in 2021, they made up 29%. As EU ID cards no longer prove eligibility for Right to Work in the UK, applicants may have switched to providing fraudulent Sharecodes or other fraudulent documents instead.

Matt Green-Armytage, Operations Director says, “You might believe that it’s easier to spot a fake passport due to your familiarity with them; you’ve probably seen lots, so you think you’re more likely to be able to spot a fake. On the other hand, because they’re so familiar, you may scrutinise them less and actually be at higher risk of accepting a fraudulent document.”

Of course, it’s important to remember that you must not discriminate against any candidate. And HR and onboarding teams should afford the same level of scrutiny to all documents, regardless of their perceived familiarity with them.

Which country were most fake documents from in 2022?

Once again, throughout 2022 we saw fraudulent identity documents from a huge range of countries. However, the fraudulent identity document which our customers saw most often was a British passport. From all of the fake documents we detected last year, over half (55%) were British.

In 2020 and 2021, France led the league table however. This seismic shift can be explained by the fact that European documents no longer give workers or renters the same rights and access in the UK. The initial move into fraudulent Biometric Residence Cards (BRPs) in 2022 has now also declined as BRPs were removed from the list of eligible Right to Work documents in April 2022. Fraudsters now have limited viable options and are therefore forced to present UK and Irish documents, or an eVisa, to prove their Right to Work or Right to Rent status.

Irish documents have also seen a huge increase in 2022, taking them to the second most commonly seen fraudulent document. In 2021, only 4% of fake documents seen by our customers were Irish and just a few years ago, the TrustID customer base rarely saw a fake Irish document. In particular, our customers have seen a significant increase in fraudulent Irish passport cards, which holders can present online through the digital Schemes and, if accepted, would give them indefinite Right to Rent or Right to Work with no restrictions.

Christie Lewis, Head of the Identity Document Team at TrustID adds, “The number of fraudulent British and Irish documents presented to our customers has grown significantly this year. Their holders know that, if their identity check is successful, they can gain work or rent a property without needing a follow-up check in the future.”

Which sectors were most targeted by identity fraud in 2022?

In 2022, the sector that encountered the greatest number of fraudulent documents was medical recruitment. 17% of all fakes seen across our customer base were from those recruiting medical staff. Two years ago, that figure was 9%, and in 2021 13%. Medical recruiters should look out for passports and biometric residence permits, as they make up a staggering 42% and 37% of all the fakes seen in 2022 by our customers in that sector.

Understaffing in the medical sector may have led to fraudsters trying to capitalise on a potential opportunity, believing that recruiters who need to quickly fill roles may not pay as much attention when checking identity documents. In this sector, getting checks right is critical to protect patients and staff, so using an IDSP can be an efficient and reliable way to ensure that you are only employing legitimate candidates.

While medical recruitment rose from third to first place, construction recruitment fell from first to third; the pair effectively swapping places. Construction recruiters still see a high number of fake documents though – 13% of all fraudulent documents in 2022. However, this has dropped from 25% in 2021 and 38% in 2020.

The biggest standouts from 2022 and what to be aware of in 2023

2022 has seen a shift towards British and Irish documents. These documents are sophisticated, secure, and full of security features. But the fraudsters perhaps believe that they will be seen as a familiar and trusted document and less likely to be thoroughly scrutinised. Of course, successfully presenting these documents would also give the holder an unlimited right to access services in the UK, including work and property.

Whilst guidance for employers and landlords continues to evolve and change, British and Irish documents remain a constant and so there will never be a need for a successful applicant to be checked again.

That said, at TrustID, we have also seen many cases of fraudsters changing their approach to meet the latest guidance, with the document they present to different potential employers changing. For example, an applicant attempting to gain employment using a fraudulent Spanish document in 2020 and then moving to present a fake BRP in 2021. When BRPs no longer gave eligibility in 2022, they presented instead a fraudulently obtained Sharecode.

In 2023, as online identity checks become increasingly prevalent, it’s important to watch out not only for fraudulent documents, but also for genuine documents presented by imposters. Whether you are checking physical documents or using online options, you must make sure that your applicant matches the person presenting the document. You can either do this face-to-face or using a secure video link. Identity validation services can also help thanks to liveness and face matching technology, which analyses a selfie photo against the image of your applicant.

Commercial holograms sustain growth and development

Commercial holograms sustain growth and development

Commercial holograms will continue to sustain growth and development as fundamental security components of COVID cards and ID documents, said Dr Paul Dunn, Chair of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association.

With counterfeiting and fake documents remaining a global threat, holograms help to create an intricate security document design which is hard to duplicate or counterfeit, underpinning the government’s efforts maintain integral identity and security documents for public and private sector use.

The head of the association also said government, law enforcement and global supply chains must review their protection strategies to bolster secure documents despite the expenses of production and supply chain difficulties.

“These holograms will become even more integrated with other technologies to create intuitive brand engagement programmes while simultaneously, authentication through scanning a QR code on the label acts as a secondary product verification method. This provides a simple unified platform for brands to interact and engage with their customers.”

Dunn shared his foresight that holograms and QR labels could track and trace any product through its lifecycle from manufacture to recycling.

As holography production is done increasingly in-house, this will see a surge in high security printers which minimises the innovative process.

“I expect the trend of using colour personalisation and optically variable image devices to protect the secondary portrait on ID and travel documents to continue through 2023 as the threat of portrait morphing becomes more common” he said.

Manufacturers will also take more corporate responsibility for delivering sustainable low-carbon solutions in 2023 through the IHMA’s Sustainability Working Group.

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association is celebrating a 30 year milestone since its inception and a re-brand which is hoped to permeate the growth of hologram production.

Identity Week Europe 2023: First 100 speaker drop!

Identity Week Europe 2023: First 100 speaker drop!

As Identity Week Europe 2023 creeps closer to opening at the RAI in Amsterdam, we are very excited to announce the first 100 speakers that will be joining our lineup to make this year’s event the most well-attended, inspiring and engaging forum yet!

Be sure to take an early peak at which sessions are populating, which will facilitate open discussion and debate about future identity use cases.

Neither is it too early to book your place now via our website to hear industry leading experts share their unparalleled knowledge, latest technologies and industry use cases at Europe’s largest identity event.

Register before the 17th February 2023 to utilise our early bird conference pass offer at just €495 per person.

Our speakers represent a variety of the largest identity-driven organisations across an array of sectors such as travel; finance corporations, digital governments and established solution providers, which will also have a booth to visit on our vast exhibition floor! 250+ exhibitors have worked with us on incredible booths to meet in-person and facilitate meaningful conversations.

With a European centric focus, sessions will explore the EU digital wallet, centralised entry-exit system, passport innovation and travel security, innovations across police profiling and databases, legal identity for the 1 billion people without a formal ID, government and banking authentication and lots more fitting agenda talking-points!

We value our role in promoting collaboration with a new wave of companies in identity too! Our unique, 100-strong start-up city is supplemented by a speaking platform for these founders to pitch their ideas to the wider ecosystem.

Identity Week Europe will have 2 free-to-attend complementary seminar theatres packed with first-class content from industry leading experts.

Recognise the big names just at a glance below!

🎯 Claudio Kavrecic, Lead Officer – Centre of Excellence for Combatting Document Fraud, Frontex🎯 Maria Donos, Head of Documents Expertise Directorate, General Inspectorate of Border Police🎯 Michiel Van Der Veen, Director Innovation And Development, Netherlands Ministry of the Interior🎯 Danielle Haasjes-Versluijs, Document Expert, Document and Identity Investigation Office, Ministry of Justice and Security, Netherlands Government🎯 Manuel Garat Loureiro, Head of IAM (Identity and Access Management), Booking.com🎯 Sajid Iqbal, Deputy CRO, Habib Bank AG Zurich🎯 Natalie Jones, Director, Digital Identity, Government Digital Service, UK Cabinet Office🎯 Maria McCann, Assistant National Director Digital Organisational Change, Health Service Executive🎯 Renée Ong-De-Jong, Research and Development Advisor Travel Documents, Netherlands Ministry of the Interior🎯 Hannah Rutter, Deputy Director, Digital Identity, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport🎯 Marnix van den Bent, Co-founder & Technical Lead – Datakeeper, Rabobank🎯 Monika Weber, Senior Advisor, Border Management and Security Programme, ICMPD🎯 Kai Zenner, Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser, European Parliament🎯 Tariq Malik, Chairman, National Database & Registration Authority🎯 Hugo Löwinger, NN Investment Partners🎯 Jon Hawley, Co-Founder and CIO, UNiDAYS🎯 Rema Rao, Head of Strategy & Compliance, Payments EMEA, Uber🎯 Gian Battista, Head of Payments, Intesa San Paolo🎯 Asad Ali, Principal Technologist, Digital Identity, Ofcom🎯 Marsel Wachter, Document expert, TIF – Team Identity Fraud🎯 René van Eert, Managing Director, IDcentre🎯 Martin Sandren, IAM Product Lead, IKEA🎯 Mikko Hakkarainen, Policy Officer, European Commission🎯 Sergey Fedorov, Head of Onboarding, ANNA Money🎯 Jason Fensome, Accredited Counter Fraud Trainer, HM Passport Office

VIEW OUR SPEAKERS: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/identity-week/speakers.stm

 

IQ Structures expands production of security features for ID documents

IQ Structures expands production of security features for ID documents

IQ Structures, a research and manufacturing organisation focused on nanotechnology engineering, a member of the IQS Group, announced that it has received orders for anti-counterfeiting protection for nearly 50 million personal documents for this year. These include polycarbonate passports, ID cards and driver’s licenses. The applied product is IQ proID.

The company has thus confirmed its position among the market leaders in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.  Earlier, it announced its victory in the tender for Czech ID cards. It expects to start further major projects this year.

The IQ Structures product IQ proID is the most widely used for the protection of polycarbonate documents. Its main benefits are:

  • Seamless integration in the card, through the microsegmentation of the security layer. Any attempt to remove it ends up disintegrating the security element into thousands of miniature parts.
  • Protecting all the information on the card. The size of the protective element is unlimited; it can cover the entire surface of the card up to the edge.
  • Integration with other technologies. IQ proID optical security features can be seamlessly integrated with other security technologies such as security printing, UV and OVI printing, tactile surface embossing, etc. This will create something that is a unified security feature from the perspective of the supervisor, plus from the perspective of the counterfeiter, the challenge of having to counterfeit different technologies will remain.
  • Unique visual effects developed in IQ Structures laboratories. E.g. key-hole, see-through holograms in transparent windows, flip-flop (two holograms in one), white 3d bas-relief and full 3d, fluent changes in transparency, a combination of transparent and metallic effects and printed elements, etc.

In order to be able to deliver new contracts, IQ Structures had to expand its production capacity. This is not an elementary task, as they have to comply with strict security measures due to the nature of their business. In addition, they operate on the site of a nuclear reactor, and all safety regulations apply. It is also difficult technologically because of the extremely high quality requirements, operating on the order of tens of nanometers (100,000 in one millimeter).

Petr Franc, CEO of IQ Structures, said: “IQ Structures has been certified for all relevant standards, including ISO 14 298 (Intergraf) for security printing and ISO 27 001 for information security. Behind this is strict process control. Implementing changes is therefore slightly more complicated, as the highest level of security must not be compromised, even temporarily. I am proud to announce that we have succeeded in building a unique production centre and are ready for the next big projects technically, organisationally and in terms of personnel.”

New York Department of Motor Vehicles wins Secure Driver License award

New York Department of Motor Vehicles wins Secure Driver License award

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is in recipient of the Secure Driver License Award 2022 which recognises advanced security by design in national state-issued ID documents which combat fraud and counterfeiting.

The drivers’ license design featured anti-counterfeit characteristics including raised lettering, signatures and embossed images and two images of the ID holder’s photo and birth month which display at different angles the card is tilt.

The state seal around the driver’s license card was redesigned using a process called multiple laser etching.

The plaque was awarded to DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder on 15 December, 2022, by the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License President Brian Zimmer.

A new law is impending from May 3, 2023, which will see the U.S. Department of Homeland Security demand a valid passport or other federal ID document, driver’s license or ID card, to fly  within the United States and access secure military bases and federal facilities.

In 2018, Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration also received commendation award of National Security Excellence for manufacturing multi layered, securely designed state driver’s license credentials.

DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said in a press release that DMV were “honoured to receive such an important award that recognises the work we have done to make sure that the driver licenses and non-driver ID cards we provide New Yorkers are as secure as possible. “Our identity documents utilize the most state-of-the-art security features currently on the market, making them nearly impossible to counterfeit”.