Tag

Biometrics

All articles tagged with #biometrics

EU's Entry/Exit System Aims Faster Border Checks, Delays May Persist This Summer
world1 month ago

EU's Entry/Exit System Aims Faster Border Checks, Delays May Persist This Summer

Europe’s new Entry/Exit System, now in use across 29 countries, requires biometric data from many travelers to speed border processing. While designed to speed future entries, first-time registrations and kiosk glitches have caused longer lines at major airports, with some reports of several hours during peak times. Some travelers can pre-register via an app, but this is currently limited to Sweden and Portugal; visa rules and stay lengths remain unchanged. To minimize disruption, travelers should plan extra time at airports, especially if making connections.

Peace-Sign Photos Won’t Expose Your Fingerprints, Experts Say
technology1 month ago

Peace-Sign Photos Won’t Expose Your Fingerprints, Experts Say

Experts say the viral claim that hackers can extract fingerprints from peace-sign selfies is unlikely for everyday users. While fingerprints can theoretically be lifted from high-resolution photos, the practical risk is low and attackers would need access to a fingerprint scanner and a high-value target. For most people, phishing and other traditional scams remain the bigger threat.

Disney Sued Over Biometric Gatekeeping at Disneyland
business1 month ago

Disney Sued Over Biometric Gatekeeping at Disneyland

A California federal class action accuses Disney of violating privacy, competition and consumer-protection laws by deploying facial-recognition at Disneyland and California Adventure entrances to verify tickets. The suit contends guests—often children—aren’t adequately informed or given meaningful opt-in consent, and that facial data is collected and linked to initial ticket or pass images to curb fraud and manage crowd flow. Disney says it disposes of biometric data within 30 days unless needed for legal or fraud reasons. The plaintiffs seek at least $5 million and argue the technology enables a privatized surveillance model. The case follows Disney’s $10 million FTC settlement last year over children’s data on YouTube.

Polar ID Goes Subdisplay: Metalenz Puts Face Unlock Behind the Screen
technology2 months ago

Polar ID Goes Subdisplay: Metalenz Puts Face Unlock Behind the Screen

Metalenz’s Polar ID uses polarization data captured by metasurface optics to distinguish real faces from masks, enabling biometric authentication that can operate beneath an OLED display. The system promises a notch-free, secure Face ID-like solution for laptops and smartphones, resistant to high-quality masks, with mass production planned for 2027; the under-display version is expected to arrive around 2028 after closer collaboration with display makers.

Sony Signals Global PlayStation Age Checks for Chat Features
technology2 months ago

Sony Signals Global PlayStation Age Checks for Chat Features

Sony is reportedly rolling out global age verification for PlayStation’s communication features (such as messages and voice chat) later this year, with UK/Ireland users verifying via face scans or ID through Yoti; unverified users would still access games, trophies, and the Store, while privacy and biometric data concerns loom as regulators scrutinize the approach, and Sony also plans to rebrand PSN by September 2026.

Iris as Identity: Worldcoin Partners with Tinder and Zoom to Verify Humans
artificial-intelligence2 months ago

Iris as Identity: Worldcoin Partners with Tinder and Zoom to Verify Humans

Worldcoin is expanding its biometric iris-scan verification, linking with Tinder for global “verified human” profile badges and with Zoom for real-time face checks via World ID Deep Face, plus a Concert Kit to curb ticket bots. While proponents argue biometrics can prevent bots and fraud, critics warn about privacy risks and the challenge of scaling the system, as Worldcoin presses for broader uptake amid mixed public reception and infrastructure questions.

World ID Goes Mainstream with Major App Partnerships
technology2 months ago

World ID Goes Mainstream with Major App Partnerships

World ID, the identity system from World (co-founded by Sam Altman), is expanding into mainstream apps with integrations from Zoom, DocuSign, Tinder, Okta, Shopify and VanEck, and launching a standalone World ID app. The system uses a three-tier verification (selfie, government ID, iris orb) to confirm real humans and reduce bot/fake interactions as AI agents proliferate. About 17.9 million people have signed up, with ~1.1 million in North America; critics cite security/governance concerns. World plans more orbs in SF/NYC/LA and an orb-on-demand service to broaden access.

Beat Europe’s New Biometric Lines: Smart Tips to Speed Through Passport Control
travel2 months ago

Beat Europe’s New Biometric Lines: Smart Tips to Speed Through Passport Control

European airports are seeing longer lines due to the rollout of the Entry and Exit System (EES), which requires first-time visitors to scan passports, take a photo, and provide fingerprints. While lines should ease as more travelers complete registration, you can minimize delays by arriving early (4 hours before departure), allowing longer layovers (3+ hours for Schengen connections), and choosing arrival airports with shorter queues (Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Zurich) over hubs like Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Berlin, Krakow, Lisbon.

Samsung's Polar ID Brings iPhone-Fast, 50% Smaller Face Scan to Galaxy S27 Ultra
technology5 months ago

Samsung's Polar ID Brings iPhone-Fast, 50% Smaller Face Scan to Galaxy S27 Ultra

Samsung is reportedly equipping the Galaxy S27 Ultra with Polar ID, a polarization-based facial recognition that works without a traditional depth-sensing cutout. The system unlocks in about 180 milliseconds—on par with Apple's Face ID—while shrinking the hardware stack by roughly 50% and preserving the front punch-hole design. Polar ID is designed to be harder to spoof (polarization differs between skin and other materials), less sensitive to lighting, and potentially cheaper to produce, which could broaden access to advanced biometric security on future Samsung devices.

Android 16+ adds stronger theft protections with biometric safeguards and new lock options
technology5 months ago

Android 16+ adds stronger theft protections with biometric safeguards and new lock options

Google is expanding Android's theft-protection tools for Android 16+, including a new enable/disable toggle for Failed Authentication Lock, broader Identity Check coverage across apps using the Biometric Prompt, longer lockout times for failed PIN/pattern attempts (with repeated incorrect guesses not counting), and an optional security question for the Remote Lock feature to verify the device owner.

AI Reveals Fingerprint Overlaps Across Fingers, Upending Forensic Certainty
science5 months ago

AI Reveals Fingerprint Overlaps Across Fingers, Upending Forensic Certainty

An AI model trained on 60,000 fingerprint images detects cross-finger similarities, revealing that structural patterns can recur across fingers (and even across hands). The findings, published in Science Advances (2024), could speed investigative lead generation but are not courtroom-ready and require broader validation across diverse datasets and demographics.

Apple Continues to Test Face ID for Macs Amid Uncertain Launch Timeline
technology8 months ago

Apple Continues to Test Face ID for Macs Amid Uncertain Launch Timeline

Apple is highly likely to introduce Face ID to future Macs, but the feature is still years away, with a potential release around 2027. Currently, Touch ID remains the standard biometric authentication method on Macs, and the transition to Face ID involves significant hardware and design considerations, including the possibility of under-display components. Buyers are advised to hold off on waiting for this feature as it is not imminent.