Biometrics: a stronger digital identity, via your mobile phone

In the mobile world your digital identity (ID) is the key to simple, secure and convenient online banking, website purchases, and not needing to remember a myriad of passwords. As a consumer you need to provide your digital ID several times a day, each and every day.

Yves Portalier, VP & GM Telecom Business Unit at Safran Identity & Security, presenting biometric identification at GSMA MWCS 2016The key to a convenient mobile ID is self-registration. Then, to access a service, people use logins passwords or PIN codes (something we know) and smart cards (something we have). Safran Identity & Security brings another factor into play, one that is revolutionizing security and convenience in digital transactions: biometrics. Biometrics uses unique physiological characteristics – such as fingerprints, face or iris recognition – to identify people. Biometrics is an ideal gateway to mobile ID as it bridges the gap between our physical and digital identities. And did you know that today our contactless technology is already able to capture a fingerprint, an iris or a face in less than 1 second? Or that you can prove your digital identity and complete a transaction with a smartphone selfie? Safran has developed a face authentication solution based on selfies as an alternative to passwords that is more secure, more convenient and even fun. The selfie check can also be combined with our GSMA Mobile Connect-compliant solution which provides a single trusted, secure and convenient SIM-based authentication solution.

Biometric technology is enabling new use cases, especially as smartphones incorporate more and more biometric functionalities. Since 2013, more than 200 biometric smartphone models entered the market. 600 million biometric smartphones are currently in use, which is a share of 28%. And by 2018, it is predicted that every smartphone will offer biometric capabilities. With the ongoing digitalization of the economy, with connected consumer’s identities, more regulatory constraints and the booming Internet of Things, we can safely predict that biometrics will become a valuable companion to ensuring your digital identity in the mobile world. And this is not only driven by consumer needs, but also by public initiatives, as governments turn to biometrics to develop large-scale ID systems which combine both trust and convenience. In India, for example, the world’s largest biometric identity database has already delivered digital identities to more than one billion residents. Supported by Safran, this system is transforming the Indian economy and driving the creation of innovative digital services for both the public and private sector. One example is fast and paperless Customer Registration, now accessible to mobile network operators, banks and insurance companies.

The future, where biometrics will be your trusted passport in your journey through a mobile, digital life, has begun.

IDEMIA
IDEMIA

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