Face biometrics are now firmly established as a way for people to unlock their mobile phones, or sign up to a new online account. As a core means of identifying a person, however, former UNDP Policy Advisor and Program Manager for Legal Identity Niall McCann thinks facial recognition may be on its way out. Biometrics are often part of the registration process, linking a person to their ID number, and ID documents may encode the individual's biometrics, number, or both. McCann tells Biometric Update's Frank Hersey in episode two that because facial recognition can be carried out without the consent or knowledge of the subject, unlike fingerprint biometrics, it is likely to be restricted by the UN for ID projects in the coming years. "You don't know when a CCTV camera system based on street corners is identifying you via facial recognition means," McCann explains.

The technology that captures and analyzes typing patterns is known as typing biometrics. And according to a new bill--the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, which was introduced to ban the use of facial recognition technology by federal law enforcement agencies--this will change. Powered by machine learning algorithms, typing biometrics technology is able to learn about a variety of pattern elements that are unique to the individual. Since facial recognition opens a playing ground for other biometrics in authentication, typing biometrics can do more and thus are intriguing due to their versatility and broad use cases. This use case of typing biometrics is a natural response to the current state of individuals experiencing burnout, high anxiety, stress levels, and the inability to focus on tasks and get productive.

Metaverses are on the horizon. How can we be sure the avatar with whom we're sharing intellectual property is really a genuine colleague? How can we trust that a virtual interaction with our bank manager, friend, or romantic partner isn't an interaction with a fraudster? And how can we protect our own digital identities from being stolen and used by people with nefarious intentions? In January, Meta boldly claimed to be building the world's most powerful AI supercomputer: Research SuperCluster (RSC). Set to launch in mid-2022, RSC will "help us build for the metaverse", said the company.

TikTok quietly changed its US privacy policy this week to notify users it may start collecting'faceprint and voiceprint' and other biometric data. The app did not specify what the data would be used for but said it would ask for permission first, 'where required by law.' The update comes just three months after TikTok paid more than $90 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it secretly recorded millions of members' facial features and other biomarkers. TikTok reportedly has 100 million users in the US alone. TikTok has updated its privacy policy to notify US users it may record the'faceprint and voiceprint' and other unique biometric data.

With nearly eight billion people on the planet -- and more than half of them on internet -- verifying who's who is one of the great technological challenges of our time. To meet this challenge, Biometric security is rising to the occasion, buoyed by technological advancements and user-friendly experiences. Modern biometrics can seem like science fiction, but the concept is far from new. Sir Francis Galton, cousin of the famous Charles Darwin, used an analysis of over 8,000 fingerprint samples to publish what would become the first fingerprint classification system in history. Building on the work of Sir Francis Galton, the Metropolitan Police of London used shapes like whorls and loops identify individuals based on fingerprint patterns at the beginning of the 20th century.

A new biometric technology that literally waves goodbye to passwords is due to be announced by Hitachi Europe Ltd. on September 10. This first-of-a-kind technology couples Hitachi's proven secure finger vein technology with any device that has a camera. So, could this be the beginning of the end for not only passwords but fingerprint scanning and facial recognition systems? I've been taking an exclusive first look at the new hand gesture biometric authentication technology. Hitachi has been a leading player in the biometric authentication business for many years, with its finger vein biometrics used by banks to replace passwords for authorizing transactions.

Fort Knox is no longer the gold standard when it comes to financial security. And with passwords becoming increasingly passé (not to mention an absolute nuisance), a new wave of security solutions is rising to help the industry from the newer, more vicious malware attacks and phishing scams now targeting the financial sector. If you value protecting money and financial data of any kind, it's time to get acquainted with biometrics and next-gen intelligent security. Thanks to these technologies, a solution to the previously impossible task of finding the balance between security and productivity is emerging. What made this so complicated was the fact that this balance constantly changes--sometimes by the hour.

According to John McCarthy, the father of artificial intelligence, Artificial intelligence is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. Over the years artificial intelligence has continued to expand its horizon, prompting a large number of established companies as well as startups to commercialize this technology. Artificial intelligence has also become the backbone of several popular sci-fi movies and TV serials. According to industry experts, the investment in artificial intelligence is expected to skyrocket up to 300% in the years to come. Biometrics is one of the most widely adopted technology trends that uses computerized techniques to recognize a person by identifying their unique physical or behavioral traits.

Not that long ago, we didn't think much about biometrics unless we were talking about criminals getting fingerprinted, or people unlocking doors with their eyes in sci-fi movies. Well, it's turning out the sci-fi applications might not be so far from the truth, and biometrics are becoming a big part of our everyday security. Behavioural biometrics are nothing new, but their potential for digital security still hasn't been fully tapped. Put simply, behavioural biometrics are methods of authentication based on behaviour -- what you do, versus your physical characteristics. The earliest form of these was the signature.

Artificial intelligence is not a new concept. Sci-fi fans have been well acquainted with its principles since Isaac Asimov started getting books published, and more recently a generation that has grown up on video games has spent countless hours trying to outsmart AI entities. But in recent years AI has really come to the forefront of consumer electronics with the emergence of voice-controlled virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa. These have quickly become prominent user interfaces across a range of devices, and are only becoming more important as consumers seem increasingly intent on leaving typing behind. Now, the field of AI represents an escalating arms race between a number of high-profile tech companies, with some smaller firms getting in on the action, too.