by Chris Burt
Biometrics and digital identity document contracts continue to generate millions for companies like IBM, Augentic and IN Groupe in major news items on Biometric Update this week. Many of the most widely read stories involved updates to integrate innovative technologies. Worldcoin’s crypto is out and drawing strong reactions, passkeys were launched by 1Password and Microsoft, and NIST is adding a section to its digital ID guidance to incorporate new credentials.
Top biometrics news of the week
IBM has won a major contract worth $84.4 million with the UK government to help build a platform for immigration and law enforcement authorities to match fingerprint and face biometrics. The tender is part of a Home Office program expected to cost $1.7 billion. IBM’s role will include bringing together biometric data from the immigration and asylum, passport, settlement and other databases.
A contract has been won by Augentic and IN Groupe to produce identity documents for Kosovo. The deal also includes identity management system and IT infrastructure upgrades, and is worth around $13.5 million. Meanwhile local reports suggest previous ID document supplier Veridos has been accused of customs evasion, but the company tells Biometric Update the matter boils down to a simple declaration error made by a subcontractor.
The drumbeat of passkey rollouts continues. 1Password has launched a private beta test for iOS and iPadOS allowing people to access accounts with biometrics instead of passwords. Microsoft has built passkeys into Hello for Business on Windows 11 for passwordless access by enterprise customers.
Ghana is integrating its birth registration and digital ID systems to issue both for newborns at the same time. Parents will be given Ghana Cards for their babies, who are expected to enroll their biometrics to update the IDs when they reach 18 years old, through the integration of national health and civil registration databases.
The crypto long associated with Worldcoin is being distributed, with 25 tokens (worth about 36 cents, altogether as of mid-Friday) for every person registering their iris biometrics to create a verified World ID. Some privacy advocates have attacked the company, but it says they are mischaracterizing how it works and what data is collected.
Hikvision is being accused of persisting in selling its software and cameras for ethnic minority-detection surveillance to local government authorities in China. The deployment allegedly uses Nvidia chips, though the semiconductor maker says it did not sell them in the country or for that purpose.
NIST has been engaging with the international digital identity and cybersecurity communities to update them on version two of its cybersecurity framework. Meetings have taken place with officials from the EU, Mexico and other countries throughout the first half of the year.
NIST is also in the process of updating its Digital Identity Guidelines, a process which reached the point of holding an event this week to present the changes being considered. Those changes include a new section covering innovations influencing digital ID, like Verifiable Credentials and mDLs. Watch for further coverage of the changes and this event in the week ahead.