This week’s roundup of the top FindBiometrics stories touches on a wide range of topics, covering everything from health passes to the future of the access control market. We also have details about an upcoming webinar, and the latest talking points in the ongoing debate surrounding facial recognition.

To kick things off, Thales argued that airports and airlines should be using digital health passes to facilitate safe travel in the wake of COVID-19. The company specifically advocated for the use of biometric self-service kiosks and mobile apps, the latter of which can be used to store health and vaccination credentials:

Thales Pushes Digital Health Passes and Biometric Screening for Air Travel Industry

The Business Intelligence Group has presented Imprivata with a 2021 Fortress Cyber Security Award. The company was recognized for providing secure digital identity solutions for patients and clinical staff in the healthcare industry:

Imprivata Receives 2021 Fortress Cyber Security Award

On the access control front, Fact.MR has released a new report that predicts that the demand for electronic access control systems will climb to $21.2 billion by 2031. The firm suggested that the market will be particularly interested in contactless biometric solutions in the years ahead:

Electronic Access Control Market to See Solid Growth Over Next Decade: Report

In more controversial news, the Government Accountability Office has confirmed that six federal agencies used facial recognition to identify protesters after the police murder of George Floyd. The agencies acknowledged that the scans could inform criminal investigations, which once again raised civil rights concerns about state surveillance and potential racial bias in the public use of biometric identification systems:

GAO: Multiple Federal Agencies Used Facial Recognition on George Floyd Protesters

Finally, IDEMIA and FindBiometrics have released an on-demand webinar that addresses best practices and potential applications of Mobile ID technology. The panel is hosted by FindBiometrics Editor in Chief Peter Counter, and features a trio of experts from the IDEMIA identity team:

ON-DEMAND: Trust and Interoperability on the Road to Mobile ID

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Keep reading FindBiometrics to make sure you’re caught up on the latest developments in the exciting world of biometrics. You can also go to our sibling site Mobile ID World to find out more about the world of digital identity.