iPhone X Face ID slower than Touch ID (but there’s a fix) — Tom’s Guide — “I’ve been using Face ID on the iPhone X for more than 24 hours, and I don’t need a stopwatch to tell you that it unlocks my phone slower than when I was using Touch ID on my older iPhone 7 Plus… It took 1.2 seconds from pressing the side button to the iPhone X’s screen turning on and for the phone to recognize me and unlock the device. And it was another 0.4 seconds to swipe up to get to the lock screen. Total time: 1.8 seconds.”
Biometrics
Amex adds biometric authentication to Safekey 3D Secure platform
American Express supports next generation of digital commerce over internet-connected devices with SafeKey 2.0 rollout — American Express — “SafeKey 2.0, which leverages the EMV 3D Secure 2.0 industry standard, is a global solution that provides an extra layer of security when an American Express card member makes a purchase online at a participating merchant… The updated platform supports authentication methods using biometrics, including fingerprints and facial recognition… In addition, SafeKey 2.0 will support card issuers and merchant acquirers in the European Union as they address the Strong Customer Authentication requirements of the Payment Services Directive 2.0.”
Finger vibration biometric could allow authentication on any solid surface
Security system identifies users by finger vibrations — Futurity — “A new low-cost security system called VibWrite could eventually use finger vibrations to verify users… It includes an inexpensive vibration motor and receiver, and can turn any solid surface into an authentication surface… During two trials, VibWrite verified legitimate users with more than 95% accuracy and the false positive rate was less than 3%.”
Researchers develop continuous biometric login for smartphones
NSF grant to develop one-handed smartphone authentication — Illinois State University — “The interactions, such as strokes, that users make with their thumbs when working with smartphones can be very unique,” said Lai, who is an assistant professor in the School of Information Technology. “We can use these interactions to identify different users. This is what we call thumb biometrics.”
Face ID for Apple Pay gets thumbs up in pre-release review
The first first impression of the iPhone X — Wired — “I really liked Apple Pay with iPhone X — having to double-click on the side button and then use Face ID was a clearer way to do transactions.”
Eight in ten air travellers want to store their passport on their phone
Passengers want technology to give them more control over their travel experience — IATA — “82% of travelers would like to be able to use a digital passport on their smartphones for as many travel activities as possible, from booking flights to passing through the airport. Biometric identification systems were the technology of choice with 64% favoring biometric identifiers as their preferred travel token.”
Apple: No change to Face ID quality and accuracy
Apple says claim that it reduced accuracy of Face ID to meet demand is ‘completely false’ — Techcrunch — “The statement from Apple: Customer excitement for iPhone X and Face ID has been incredible, and we can’t wait for customers to get their hands on it starting Friday, November 3… The quality and accuracy of Face ID haven’t changed. It continues to be one in a million probability of a random person unlocking your iPhone with Face ID.”
Apple cuts Face ID performance to address iPhone X production issues
Inside Apple’s struggle to get the iPhone X to market on time — Bloomberg — “As of early fall, it was clearer than ever that production problems meant Apple Inc wouldn’t have enough iPhone Xs in time for the holidays. The challenge was how to make the sophisticated phone — with advanced features such as facial recognition — in large enough numbers… Apple came up with a solution: It quietly told suppliers they could reduce the accuracy of the face-recognition technology to make it easier to manufacture.”
Mastercard demos payments in augmented reality
Mastercard eyes the future of retail with Augmented Reality shopping experience — Mastercard — “This new AR experience from Mastercard will not only let shoppers view digital representations of products before they commit to a purchase, but also learn more about what they are buying, see additional options not available in the physical location and get instant recommendations or other information relevant to their unique experience. When done shopping, users can pay for items using Masterpass, which will first authenticate the user’s iris.”
NXP cuts card transaction times, adds fingerprints to cards
PARTNER NEWS: NXP is to unveil a new fingerprint-on-card solution at Money20/20 that combines a dual interface card with an integrated fingerprint sensor... More
Face ID to add privacy layer to lockscreen notifications
iPhone X and iOS 11 bring a welcome change to iOS lockscreen notifications — Phone Arena — “The Apple iPhone X will only show lockscreen notifications with actual content when it knows you are the one who is watching and if it’s somebody else, they will only see the notification source, but not the notification content itself (which might be sensitive).”
Tesla taxis to check in passengers as they travel to the airport
Travelling from home to Dubai airport set to be a breeze — Khaleej Times — “You board an electric car to the Dubai International Airport, and by the time you get there, all your travel formalities are done… A camera inside the car uses facial recognition to send all relevant data to smart immigration gates. The boarding pass will be sent directly to the counter, and the traveller can go straight to the boarding gate.”
Google drops NFC Smart Unlock due to ‘extremely low usage’
Google reveals why it killed NFC Smart Lock in Android — BetaNews — “It recently came to light that Google had killed off NFC Smart Lock in Android — without telling anyone. Now the company has come clean about just why the feature was given the chop. Google says that ‘in the case of NFC unlock, we’ve seen extremely low usage,’ adding that there are now many more ways of unlocking Android devices. But while Google points to features such as on-body detection, fingerprint scanning and Trusted Places, fans of the missing feature say that none of these are comparable.”
Gateless transit ticketing system to be piloted in the UK
Your face could be your ticket at the Tube station of the future — Wired — “One of the problems Cubic is trying to solve is the bottleneck that occurs at ticket gates when everyone rushes to dig out their ticket or pass. To avoid this crush, Cubic suggests removing the gates completely. Instead, its prototype system uses an object tracking system to track passengers as they walk through… Cubic aims to get this gateless tracking system to a UK station within the year.”
AirPlus staff test cards with built-in fingerprint readers
AirPlus pilots biometric corporate card — Business Travel News — “Payments provider AirPlus is testing a biometric corporate card for which users can use a fingerprint rather than a pin at checkout, AirPlus head of research and development Uli Danz told BTN… The card may not be available to clients for a while because, as Danz told BTN, “in the credit card business there are a lot of rules, and the rules are not yet set for biometrics or fingerprints on card.”
Apple publishes Face ID security white paper
Face ID Security — Apple — “To authorize an in-store payment with Face ID, you must first confirm intent to pay by double-clicking the side button. You then authenticate using Face ID before placing your iPhone X near the contactless payment reader. If you’d like to select a different Apple Pay payment method after Face ID authentication, you’ll need to reauthenticate, but you won’t have to double-click the side button again.”
UK consumers warm to face verification at the point of sale
Shoppers give thumbs up to in-store biometrics — Worldpay — “Just under two thirds (63%) of consumers want to be able to use a biometric scan to authorise payments in-store. When it comes to using our body parts to pay, 69% of consumers say they’d be open to using a finger. But respondents are also beginning to come around to the idea of using their face (24%), iris (33%), and voice (18%) to identify themselves at the point of sale.”
Heart scan biometrics could let computers continuously monitor logged in users
Goodbye, login. Hello, heart scan — University of Buffalo — “The system uses low-level Doppler radar to measure your heart, and then continually monitors your heart to make sure no one else has stepped in to run your computer… The system needs about eight seconds to scan a heart the first time, and thereafter the monitor can continuously recognize that heart.”
Chinese banks roll out face recognition at the ATM
Facial recognition debuts at China’s banks — Xinhua News Agency — “At the Agricultural Bank of China’s (ABC) three outlets in Jinan City, cards are no longer needed to withdraw money. A quick scan of the face will do… Other banks, such as the China Merchants Bank and the Construction Bank of China, have also introduced similar technology in their ATMs.”
Japanese banks to develop shared customer ID platform
Japan developing shared ID system for banks — Nikkei Asian Review — “In this set-up, an account holder at one bank can register for a shared ID. If the individual wishes to open an account at a second bank, all she needs to do is provide the common ID through a smartphone app, and confirm her identity through fingerprint or facial scan.”