Biometric Update https://www.biometricupdate.com Biometrics News, Companies and Explainers Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:22:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 66434804 As identity infrastructure scales, governance becomes the differentiator https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/as-identity-infrastructure-scales-governance-becomes-the-differentiator https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/as-identity-infrastructure-scales-governance-becomes-the-differentiator#respond Sat, 13 Jun 2026 20:22:51 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345115 Biometrics bound to credentials increasingly underpin the trust infrastructure of digital life, yet as digital systems reach deployment, they are facing stress tests that highlight the importance of governance. Headlines this week on Biometric Update, from a crypto breach to a false arrest lawsuit, show the challenge of operationalizing governance, whether the biometrics themselves work as advertised or not.

Trust and governance

The UK government’s self-inflicted digital ID quandary is instructive when it comes to public trust: it is not achievable by fiat. An existing system built on independent certification is already doing a lot of the work that the public doesn’t trust the government to handle. It is fortunate, in that light, that the one of three expert panels the government has now set up is with DVS providers. Certification is increasingly recognized as a trust signal, and as Kantara points out, marketing isn’t compliance but compliance might be the best marketing. The EU Council’s proposal for European Business Wallets seeks to extend high trust to cross-border commerce from a basis of EUDI Wallets and solid governance. The latter includes reliance on standards, including for IAD. Biometric injection attack detection is the tool that distinguishes legitimate user biometrics from synthetic or deepfake spoofs that bypass presentation attack detection systems, and thus ensures the reliability of remote interactions. The latest market report and buyer’s guide from Biometric Update and Goode Intelligence forecasts IAD checks will spike to more than 300 million in 2028. Meanwhile, India may have to steer the governance of its DPI towards increased local control for “strategic autonomy,” senior government officials suggest. India and China are both grappling with how to maintain trust in DPI as it converges with AI. A new kind of constant surveillance could become normalized in the U.S. via the biometric smart glasses Meta is hawking and the mobile facial recognition app ICE is distributing to state and local police. Public trust in both organizations could benefit from firm and clear governance as their ambitions expand.

Age of mistrust

The step after “trust but verify” is enforcement, which is the stage Australia has reached in its age assurance process. Some platforms have done a poor job following the rules so far, so the government is drafting a digital duty of care that would empower eSafety to levy much larger fines. Academia is a pillar of public trust, which makes the prompt resolution of allegations by Yoti against a pair of American universities all the more important. A week after raising them, the company is considering its legal recourse. The reliability of academic reports is crucial to downstream analysis, like the patents at the heart of FaceTec’s allegations against iProov and Jumio ruled valid by an IP appeals body. Please let us know if you come across any podcasts, newsletters or other content we should share with the people in biometrics and the digital identity community through the comments below or social media.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/as-identity-infrastructure-scales-governance-becomes-the-differentiator/feed 0 345115 Imprivata CEO tells Biometric Update Podcast why identity must evolve faster https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/imprivata-ceo-tells-biometric-update-podcast-why-identity-must-evolve-faster https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/imprivata-ceo-tells-biometric-update-podcast-why-identity-must-evolve-faster#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:41:46 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345094 A lot of people will tell you how fast the tech industry moves. Fran Rosch, the CEO of Imprivata, has a different perspective. “If you think about digital identity, it has been slow,” says Rosch, on the latest episode of the Biometric Update Podcast. “A user name and password still is the foundation of a lot of access,” Rosch says. “That’s been around for 65 years.” He concedes that improvements have been made: multi-factor authentication, biometrics, behavioral analytics and risk-based access all improve security. Machine learning, he says, can still be very effective at authenticating users when necessary. “It’s not rocket science,” he says. “We’ve been talking about it for twenty years. But we’re not applying it as much as maybe we need to do now and in the future, given all the changes in the threat environment.” Chief among those changes is agents. Typically, Imprivata has concentrated on human identity access management in the healthcare system, with a focus on shared devices. But, like everyone else, it is now dealing with non-human actors in the system. Luckily, he says, “we do have some of these tools in our toolboxes that we can apply in this new world.” Combining face biometrics and physical credentials with behavioral analytics and behind-the-scenes data can ensure a consistent, efficient environment. “Everywhere a clinician is interacting with technology – which is almost everywhere these days – you’ve gotta make those access management decisions.” Listen the full conversation on the latest episode of the Biometric Update Podcast.

Listen now: Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Podbean

Runtime: 00:23:29]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/imprivata-ceo-tells-biometric-update-podcast-why-identity-must-evolve-faster/feed 0 345094 Passenger growth, AI fraud push digital travel credentials toward tipping point https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/passenger-growth-ai-fraud-push-digital-travel-credentials-toward-tipping-point https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/passenger-growth-ai-fraud-push-digital-travel-credentials-toward-tipping-point#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:05:38 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345084 Digital travel credentials (DTCs) are at a crucial moment in their adoption as the travel industry undergoes profound structural changes, says Indicio. The decentralized identity company identifies three reasons for the shift towards digital passports in its latest industry brief. By 2050, global air traffic is projected to reach 12.4 billion passengers, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), meaning passenger volume will outpace airport infrastructure. Absorbing this volume will require introducing a more frictionless travel experience with seamless identity verification. The second reason is the rise of identity fraud enabled by AI-generated documents and deepfake images, which is endangering the current visual and photo-based inspections conducted by border authorities. “The industry needs a model where identity is cryptographically proven from a verified, trustable source, not visually inspected and stored for cross checking,” says Indicio. Finally, surveys, such as those from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), show that travelers are ready for DTCs: 78 percent of passengers want to use a smartphone that combines a digital wallet, digital passport, and loyalty cards to book, pay, and navigate airport processes. Three-quarters say they would share biometric data in order to skip passport and boarding pass checks. Indicio offers a tool for creating digital travel credentials (DTCs) in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, which are then stored in a mobile digital wallet as verifiable credentials. The DTC and digital identity can add travel documents such as visas, boarding passes and incentives programs. Indicio co-developed the decentralized DTC for the Aruba Happy One Pass program with airport technology firm SITA, which is also an investor in the Seattle-based company. The duo is also testing DTCs for the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. In its brief, the company explains that most digital identity checks at most airports today are token-based, meaning that operators issue a single-use artifact that expires at the end of the trip. A DTC, on the other hand, is issued once and is valid for as long as the passport is valid. It is also bound cryptographically to a verified identity, so it cannot be faked, stolen, or used by someone else. “One issuance supports unlimited subsequent verifications,” the document notes. “The identity assurance is stronger because the biometric is bound at issuance rather than captured fresh. The cost per verification collapses because the operator is no longer paying to re-establish an identity it already created.” Airlines can also use DTCs for loyalty programs and pre-clearance: Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAs) and eVisas, which can be bound to a verifiable identity or issued as Verifiable Credentials. Another benefit is automation, in which an airline AI agent or chatbot can verify a passenger’s DTC and share it with another AI agent. Indicio presented the AI agent capabilities earlier this year, explaining that it complies with ICAO specifications. The company has been working to implement its decentralized identity verification, data sharing, and reusable Know Your Customer (KYC) solutions in other fields, including secure access management and AI. Last year, it received investment from NEC Corporation’s venture studio, NEC X, which supported its participation in its accelerator program.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/passenger-growth-ai-fraud-push-digital-travel-credentials-toward-tipping-point/feed 0 345084 Thales makes strong debut in NIST’s FRIF fingerprint biometrics benchmark https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/thales-makes-strong-debut-in-nists-frif-fingerprint-biometrics-benchmark https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/thales-makes-strong-debut-in-nists-frif-fingerprint-biometrics-benchmark#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:52:32 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345074 New entries to NIST’s benchmark for large-scale fingerprint biometric capture and comparison software from Thales and Innovatrics show significant gains in metrics that align with specific practical matching applications for forensic and civil biometrics. NIST completed the evaluation of new algorithm submitted by Thales and Innovatrics to the Friction Ridge Image and Features (FRIF) Technology Evaluation (TE) Exemplar One-to-Many (E1N) on May 25 and June 3, respectively. In FRIF TE E1N’s Class C 10-rolled-finger identification scenario, Thales had the lowest False Negative Identification Rank (FNIR) yet recorded at rank-1 when comparing rolled-to-rolled and plain-to-rolled fingerprints, at 0.0028 and 0.0027. For Class B identification flats, Thales’ algorithm did not make any errors at rank-1. The Class C results show the algorithm’s utility in typical law enforcement and border management scenarios, while the Class B performance indicates its value for major government ID and public safety programs, according to a company announcement. Notably, the submission is the first by Thales to NIST’s evaluation of ABIS core algorithms since it was rebranded from FpVTE to FRIF and relaunched in 2025. Innovatrics’ latest submission made a major gain in the FRIF TE E1N with a dramatic reduction in the similarity score thresholds from the DET curve for Class A, to 0.916 at FPIR 0.001. Innovatrics’ previous submission slashed its FNIR rate at FPIR 0.001 sixfold, but left a threshold of 2,422,541, meaning that only impractically high similarity scores could be considered matches.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/thales-makes-strong-debut-in-nists-frif-fingerprint-biometrics-benchmark/feed 0 345074 CCIA entreats US Supreme Court to intervene in Texas app store age check law https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ccia-entreats-us-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-texas-app-store-age-check-law https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ccia-entreats-us-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-texas-app-store-age-check-law#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:50:28 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345095 In the present historical moment, it is borderline comical to see advocacy groups for the technology industry insist that age assurance laws are an emergency. And yet. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), whose membership includes Meta, Apple, Google, Amazon, AirBnB and Uber, among others, has asked the U.S. Supreme for an emergency ruling to block Texas from enforcing its App Store Accountability Act, which puts age verification requirements on all app stores and app store users. In a release, the CCIA wants the law paused “until a Constitutional challenge to Texas’ SB2420 is fully heard.” Big Tech frequently leverages the First Amendment as a legal defense via NetChoice, another industry association, and is doing the same to try and quash Texas’ app store law. The law has already been killed and brought back from the dead several times. In December 2025, a federal district court judge ruled that SB2420 likely violates the First Amendment, and blocked it. The state appealed, and last week the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to lift the injunction. Now, the CCIA is asking the Supreme Court to step in and take the reins, filing a request to have the law struck permanently. CCIA President and CEO Matt Schruers says “Texas’s law would force the public to document age and identity in order to access lawful information. Users should not have to provide ID to download a Bible app or the New York Times, but Texas requires just that.” “Parents – not governments – should retain the ability to make decisions about their children’s use of technology.”]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ccia-entreats-us-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-texas-app-store-age-check-law/feed 0 345095 Mastercard’s AP4M enables small agentic payments at machine speed and scale https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/mastercards-ap4m-enables-small-agentic-payments-at-machine-speed-and-scale https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/mastercards-ap4m-enables-small-agentic-payments-at-machine-speed-and-scale#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:44:30 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345056 Mastercard has launched Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), which a release says will “unlock super-fast, always-on payments” – a new class of payments for AI-enabled transactions. Large companies that have already adopted the tech include Ant International, Chekcout.com, Cloudflare, Coinbase and Stripe. AP4M is a new service that allows small payments, some only fractions of a cent, to be completed quickly, programmatically and securely, providing permissions and orchestration at machine speed across Mastercard’s global payments network. These transactions are “programmatic, always-on and executed between systems in the background of digital commerce.” “Agent Pay for Machines will create the conditions for a superbloom of AI business models,” says Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s chief product officer. “Machine payments can make it possible for services to be bought and sold among agents at fundamentally different scales than payments today – very high volumes, very small values, very fast and at extremely low latency.” “Payments don’t just increase. They change form. They become continuous, embedded, permissioned and executed at machine speed. And that creates a new requirement: infrastructure that can keep up.” AI agents can now coordinate services and complete customized transactions for their users – for instance, setting up a website, including the domain, hosting and so on. That makes for a much faster process, in which a chain of transactions has to lead back to a real human making real requests. Mastercard’s idea is to apply the trust and controls of the company’s global network to machine-driven commerce, helping AI innovators enable secure, reliable payments between autonomous software agents. AP4M’s foundational capabilities build on Mastercard’s Agent Pay program, supporting automated, micro- and machine-driven transactions that happen continuously and without direct human involvement. It provides agent credentialing and permissioning, so organizations can verify agentic entities and set authorization rules and spending limits that are programmatically enforced The company is preparing to scale an open ecosystem.

Visa likewise adapting strategy with Visa Intelligent Commerce

Visa is also looking to agentic commerce as the next frontier. At its Visa Payments Forum (VPF) 2026, the company announced new AI, stablecoin and token capabilities, which a release says are “designed to help clients unlock the next generation of commerce.” Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa, says artificial intelligence and stablecoins are transforming both ends of money movement. “AI is transforming the front end of commerce. Stablecoins are reshaping the back end,” he says. “Visa’s role is to enable it to work securely, reliably and at global scale, for every participant in the ecosystem.” Visa Intelligent Commerce, the company’s agentic commerce platform, provides agentic scoring that gauges websites’ agentic commerce readiness, and a directory of which verified agents can be trusted to transact on their sites. A partnership with OpenAI enables secure Visa payments within agentic commerce across OpenAI. Visa will provide its global network, credentialing capabilities and security infrastructure. Visa also boasts a large transaction model, “trained on billions of transactions to improve fraud detection while increasing authorization performance and reducing false declines – a trade-off the industry has struggled with for years.” “We believe a growing share of creation and transactions will be led by developers using AI tools,” says Forestell. “We are working with the industry to make cards the best way to pay in the Command Line.” Visa is also making significant enhancements to its tokens, “focused on bringing more data, context and assurance into the credentials used in digital commerce.” This will include a token assurance signal that evaluates use throughout a token’s lifecycle.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/mastercards-ap4m-enables-small-agentic-payments-at-machine-speed-and-scale/feed 0 345056 The US counter-cartel fight is becoming an identity intelligence war https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/the-us-counter-cartel-fight-is-becoming-an-identity-intelligence-war https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/the-us-counter-cartel-fight-is-becoming-an-identity-intelligence-war#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:10:30 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345039 The creation of the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JIATF-CC) under the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) marks more than another escalation in Washington’s campaign against Mexican cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) It shows how biometric identification, identity intelligence, law enforcement databases, military targeting methods, and foreign partner information-sharing are being pulled into a single operational architecture aimed not simply at identifying suspects, but at mapping and dismantling entire criminal networks. Established on January 15, NORTHCOM says the new organization is the next step in a “whole-of-government” approach to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle” cartel operations along the U.S.-Mexico border, coordinating the efforts of the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DoJ), and Intelligence Community (IC). It was announced in March that the Defense Threat Reduction Agency also is lending its expertise to JIATF-CC. “This task force construct is the first of its kind … consolidating all of U.S. law enforcement, military, and intelligence efforts into a targeted effort in combatting these threats,” FBI Director for National Security Operations and former director of the Terrorist Screening Center Michael Glasheen told Congress last December. A year earlier, Navy Reserve Cmdr. Jonathan K. Corrado, PhD, wrote in Military Review that “a U.S. piecemeal strategy [had] developed that [had] fail[ed] to provide required unity of command. Defense and law enforcement organizations [did] not collaborate or share information toward the common objective of combating transnational criminal organizations in the United States.” “Inadequate resources and tools preclude[d] successful eradication of TCOs,” Corrado said. Working with the Homeland Security Task Force National Coordination Center,  co-led by DHS and FBI, JIATF-CC is a synchronization hub for intelligence, operational planning, and interagency action against what the command calls “narco-terrorist networks.” Tuesday, the FBI said that since April it and its interagency partners had carried out 423 operations and arrested 1,343 cartel members. The JIATF-CC model reflects a broader shift in which identity systems are moving beyond verification and into network analysis where biometric, biographic, forensic, device, document, travel, encounter, and intelligence data are used together to understand how TCOs function. The question is no longer only whether a person is who they claim to be, but who they are connected to, where they have appeared before, what documents or devices are associated with them, what routes they use, what facilitators support them, and whether a new encounter can be linked to an existing intelligence picture. It’s all about connecting the disparate dots. Identity intelligence uses biometric matches as anchors for fusing other information. A fingerprint collected in one country, a face image captured during an encounter, a document recovered during an investigation, a phone number tied to a logistics cell, or a forensic trace from a stash house can become part of a larger intelligence product. JIATF-CC doesn’t operate its own biometric database, but rather is designed to sit on top of an existing identity ecosystem that already spans DoD, DHS, DoJ, FBI, IC, and foreign partners. The core architecture is DoD’s biometrics enterprise, which DoD policy says supports tactical and operational decision-making across military operations, intelligence, law enforcement, security, force protection, homeland defense, and counterterrorism missions. It also explicitly calls for DoD biometric and intelligence enterprises to be integrated and interoperable through identity intelligence capabilities, including biometric-enabled intelligence. DoD policy encourages biometric collection during military operations and military intelligence activities where legal and appropriate, and treats biometric, biographic, behavioral, and contextual data collected by DoD components, along with resulting biometric-enabled intelligence products, as DoD data that can be shared under applicable authorities, arrangements, and agreements. The principal DoD repository is its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), maintained through the Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency’s (DFBA) Biometrics Operations Division, with DFBA carrying out Army executive agent responsibilities for biometrics and forensics. DoD directives provides for making biometric and associated biographic and contextual data collected during military operations available to its other U.S. government partner agencies for national security screening and vetting to the fullest extent permitted by law. JIATF-CC supported Mexico’s February takedown operation against Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, by helping compile and organize information on cartel leadership networks and operational infrastructure. Mexican forces planned and executed the raid, but U.S. officials said the task force contributed intelligence support and that U.S. partner agencies assembled a detailed target package drawing on law enforcement and national security organizations. The CIA also provided key support. The task force is adapting lessons learned from counterterrorism campaigns against Al Qaeda and ISIS to map cartel structures, logistics networks, and support personnel. The intelligence fusion process then links identities to locations, devices, associates, documents, financial patterns, recovered materials, prior encounters, and known networks. In Afghanistan and Iraq, this was framed as denying anonymity to insurgent networks. In the cartel context, the same logic is being applied to traffickers, facilitators, logisticians, corrupt enablers, money movers, firearms suppliers, human smugglers, and leadership nodes. A counter-cartel identity system is not limited to border crossers or known cartel members. It can reach into families, associates, drivers, document vendors, stash-house occupants, suspected money couriers, communications contacts, and people who appear in proximity to targets. When identity intelligence shifts from individual verification to network mapping, the circle of people pulled into government systems can expand quickly. There are also accuracy risks. A biometric match can be powerful evidence, but identity intelligence is not the same as identity certainty. Records can be incomplete, stale, misattributed, or collected under uncertain circumstances. Watchlist and derogatory information also can be opaque. Foreign partner data may be gathered under standards that differ from U.S. constitutional, statutory, and privacy norms. Once fused into a target package, weak data can acquire the appearance of corroborated intelligence. The public record does not answer several key questions. It does not specify whether JIATF-CC has direct access to DHS and FBI biometric databases, or whether checks are conducted through participating agencies. It does not identify the task force’s data retention rules, audit procedures, minimization requirements, or redress mechanisms. And it does not explain how information compiled on U.S. citizens is handled when cartel networks intersect with domestic contacts, financial systems, communications platforms, or local law enforcement investigations. It is also unclear whether intelligence derived from Section 702 authority carried out by the National Security Administration, and the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, are included, though the latter is strongly suspected. JIATF-CC can be considered an early test case for where government identity systems are heading. The future is not a single biometric database used at a checkpoint. It is an interoperable identity layer that connects encounters, records, agencies, and countries. In this model, a person’s face, fingerprints, documents, travel history, associates, devices, and prior encounters become pieces of a larger operational map. For counter-cartel operations, the government’s argument is straightforward. Cartels are adaptive, violent, transnational criminal networks that exploit seams between agencies and borders, and the state therefore needs an identity system capable of seeing across those seams. The civil liberties and governance concern is just as straightforward, however. Once military, intelligence, law enforcement, and foreign partners operate from a shared identity picture, the machinery built to dismantle cartel networks can also normalize a more expansive form of identity surveillance, with uncertain limits and uneven oversight.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/the-us-counter-cartel-fight-is-becoming-an-identity-intelligence-war/feed 0 345039 Bangladesh positions digital ID and wallets as economic infrastructure https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/bangladesh-positions-digital-id-and-wallets-as-economic-infrastructure https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/bangladesh-positions-digital-id-and-wallets-as-economic-infrastructure#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:45:09 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345012 Bangladesh is advancing a "One Citizen-One ID-One Digital Wallet" strategy that aims to link identity, payments and government services through a unified digital framework designed to broaden economic participation.  The initiative forms part of the government's broader effort to expand digital public infrastructure and increase the contribution of the ICT and telecommunications sector to 10 percent of GDP within five years, according to Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmood Chaudhry.   The minister unveiled the ‘One Citizen-One ID-One Digital Wallet’ vision in the recent budget. The sector has been identified as a thrust sector, with plans to develop necessary infrastructure and expand connectivity. The minister said that Bangladesh is establishing a national fibre bank to expand connectivity in remote and rural areas. The country is projected to become the world's ninth largest consumer economy in four years. The minister also pointed out that affordable and reliable Internet is the basis of ICT growth, and the government has undertaken all-inclusive telecommunication reforms to ensure 5G coverage for 90% of the population, guaranteeing broadband Internet speeds of 100 Mbps. The digital wallet system will enable secure and convenient financial transactions, including payment of allowances, fees, and other charges.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/bangladesh-positions-digital-id-and-wallets-as-economic-infrastructure/feed 0 345012 Ireland makes age verification priority ahead of EU presidency https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ireland-makes-age-verification-priority-ahead-of-eu-presidency https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ireland-makes-age-verification-priority-ahead-of-eu-presidency#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:04:33 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=345000 Ireland is preparing to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and has made online safety for children one of its top priorities. According to the Irish Times, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is promising that by the end of Ireland’s presidency, people can expect to see “far greater protection for children online” – and says “age verification will be a key factor of that.” The six-month stint kicks off in July, and Ireland appears determined to try and use that window to establish a “digital age of majority” – common age restrictions for social media use across the bloc – or to advance the cause as far as possible. Ireland has taken heat from some in the EU for playing host to massive tech companies that have fought against regulations. But Martin notes the effectiveness of the country’s Data Protection Commission in keeping Big Tech in line, and claims Ireland is “just as good at regulating as everyone else.”

Government pushing wallet as best option for age verification

In keeping with the EU’s proposed line, the country is developing its wallet such that it can be used as an age verification tool for social media, pornography and other age-restricted content. The Irish wallet, which uses a unique model built around major life events, will be linked to citizens’ social welfare information, and include a digital birth certificate, driving licence and other official documents. The wallet is currently in beta, with a public consultation underway. The Times says the wallet will not be compulsory for any service, and that its main purpose is to simplify access to government services. However, Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has suggested the wallet should also be used as an age verification mechanism for social media, and has said it would be mandatory. In one sense, Ireland is behind the pack in online safety regulations, in that its rules for pornography websites are not as strict as those in France, Germany and the UK. A 2025 policy paper by Cuan, the State agency tasked with tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence, calls for tighter rules, pointing to France as a good model. Aylo, which owns and operates many of the world’s largest porn sites, has a subsidiary, Aylo Billing Ltd, based in Dublin.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/ireland-makes-age-verification-priority-ahead-of-eu-presidency/feed 0 345000 D9+ ministers encourage privacy preserving EU-wide age verification https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/d9-ministers-encourage-privacy-preserving-eu-wide-age-verification https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/d9-ministers-encourage-privacy-preserving-eu-wide-age-verification#respond Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:59:22 +0000 https://www.biometricupdate.com/?p=344991 This week saw the publication of the Luxembourg Declaration, a text marking the meeting of D9+ ministers in Luxembourg to discuss priorities for EU policymakers. Near the top of this list is the protection of minors online, which the document calls “an increasingly urgent priority.” The discussion figures into a broader agenda addressing ambitions to accelerate Europe’s digital transition without derailing simplification, and how removing barriers in the bloc could strengthen European competitiveness and sovereignty. It calls for “concrete measures to provide a safe and age-appropriate online environment for minors online,” emphasizing the need for a “common and coordinated European solution to this inherently cross-border challenge.” The document notes the “opportunities and challenges regarding the use of the European Commission’s age verification blueprint, as well as the possibility to integrate age verification features into the EU Digital Identity Wallet.” In that, it tacitly recognizes that any policy at play is being developed on a dynamic landscape that is still in flux, with major regulatory changes on the way that could dramatically reshape the conversation. Regardless, the Declaration contains three recommendations for the present moment, to improve online safety for kids. First, “make platforms safe by design and age appropriate by default by addressing dark patterns and harmful and addictive features.” “Platforms must adapt to the age and vulnerability of users, not the other way around,” the document says. The second call is for a common European approach that better leverages coordinated enforcement of EU rules. The third carries the most significance for biometrics vendors providing online age assurance. The ministers declare that the EU should “combine regulation, technology and education for real impact by encouraging privacy preserving EU-wide age verification, strengthening enforcement, and investing in digital literacy, parental support and awareness.” Here, “privacy preserving EU-wide age verification” is likely most accurately taken to mean some variant of the white label age verification app, or a wallet-based solution involving mobile credentials. Where that leaves the private sector is uncertain.]]> https://www.biometricupdate.com/202606/d9-ministers-encourage-privacy-preserving-eu-wide-age-verification/feed 0 344991