United States
In partnership with Transportation Security Administration, Delta is launching the first facial recognition option for domestic travellers using a digital ID made up of a customer’s passport number and TSA PreCheck membership.
The scheme is bring introduced for Delta customers at using the dedicated TSA PreCheck domestic checkpoint at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The capability will expand to bag drop and boarding in early 2021, making Detroit the first airport to have a facial recognition option from curb to gate for TSA PreCheck customers traveling domestically. This builds on Delta’s existing facial recognition option for any customer traveling to an international destination.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has only deepened the importance of providing a touchless experience for our customers,” said Bill Lentsch, Delta’s chief customer experience officer. “We plan to expand curb-to-gate facial recognition and digital ID beyond the Detroit test so that all of our customers can enjoy a seamless, touchless travel experience across our network.”
Customers can opt out of using facial recognition. Delta says it does not save or store any biometric data, nor does it plan to.
Canada
The Ontario government is launching an online consultation to seek input on the province’s plan to introduce a digital ID by the end of 2021. Through the Digital ID programme, people and businesses in Ontario will be able to securely prove their identity online. The goal is to save people time and money and offer more convenient access to government and private sector services.
“We want to assure people that a digital ID will not only offer simpler and easier access to services, but it will be safe and secure, encrypted and harnessing the latest technology to protect your information and credentials,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for Digital and Data Transformation.
Nigeria
The controversy surrounding the decision by Nigeria’s federal government to have citizens link their biometrics-backed digital IDs to their SIM cards appears to be deepening as the move is now facing a legal challenge. The plan involves telecom operators in the country enrolling the biometrics of subscribers to help them register for national identification numbers (NINs), as well as associating existing NINs with mobile accounts.
Nigerian Tribune reports that Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), a coalition of civil rights groups in Edo State has filed a suit requesting a federal High Court in the state capital, Benin, to declare the move as a breach of citizens’ right to privacy as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution.
The defendants in the case include the national identity management commission (NIMC); the federal ministry of communications and digital economy; the Nigerian communications commission (NCC); the Attorney-General of the federation; the central bank of Nigeria (CBN); the federal road safety commission (FRSC), and the Nigeria immigration service (NIS).
Kenya
An ongoing project in Kenya to issue a biometrics-backed digital ID known as the Huduma Namba to citizens continues to suffer criticism as rights activists are raising concerns that millions of citizens will be excluded from the scheme. Nubian Rights Forum (NRF) told Biometric Update in an email that it believes the government is flouting court orders on Huduma Namba.
The issuance of Huduma cards is a project of the Kenyan government initiated back in 2005 within the framework of the National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS).
Authorities say the biometric digital ID cards, to be issued to people of age 18 and above, will be a precondition for Kenyans, refugees or foreigners on Kenyan soil to access key government services such as obtaining passports and registering SIM cards and land titles. It will also be an important tool for the delivery of a wide range of public services to Kenyans by the government.
According to reports in the Kenyan press, more than 38 million people had already registered for the cards and enrolled their biometrics as of May, and the government however looks poised to continue with the issuance.
