In today’s digital age, the advances of technologies and their usage have led several issues to the security and authentication of an individual’s personal identity. However, as the evolution and development of modern computing technology is continuously increasing, businesses are more relying on biometrics in order to deliver robust personal authentication. Now in the wake of COVID-19, there is a hype around contactless biometric authentication technology. This system assesses an individual’s facial expressions such as eyes, ears and other facial aspects automatically.
In the time of crisis, the need of touchless access control and workforce management biometric solutions is becoming the new reality, giving access to a new business case for the implementation of face recognition technology. With contactless biometrics, it would be much easier to capture the images and match them with the existing database. This can also authenticate the face in real-time which saves both time and capital.
Moreover, privacy issues have always been a thorn in the biometric industry. This is even though biometrics are capable of safeguarding persons’ privacy, particularly, when a person carries their biometric template on a smart card. However, for many applications, this smart card system is not available, and privacy advocates still feel uncertain regarding the use of technology.
As biometric technologies provide facial and iris capture and verification services, it also enables secure, touch-free data acquisition from the medically-advised distance and authentication to minimize the risk of impersonation. These technologies have the potential to flatten the curve by warding off further infections and reinforce business continuity.
Contactless biometrics is effective in the COVID-19 world as, for instance, it could be used to authenticate passengers passing through border control or departure gates, without placing their hands anywhere near a scanner. The system simply authenticates digital identity with the help of facial and digital fingerprint recognition. The biometric acquisition and authentication technique is set for huge market growth across diverse industries, and aviation is at the forefront of this technology. In the year 2019, many international airports saw the implementation of biometric technology, including Orlando, Los Angeles, Heathrow, and JFK. Besides, Delta Air Lines became the first biometric terminal in the United States.
However, there are some concerns around the accuracy of contactless biometrics and others are worrying individuals regarding their sensitive biometric data that could be breached. Thus, in order to address these concerns, taking a strategic approach to incorporate biometrics, selecting the right biometric for the right use case, to ensure high accuracy levels has become essential. Effective contactless biometric acquisition and authentication technologies need to take into account of KYC compliance standards by various regulatory bodies; Failsafe verification and validation; Customer onboarding time; Data security; Ease of use and service. In the business scenario, according to ABI research, the Post COVID-19 offices will saw the rise in contactless attendance systems by 20 percent in 2020.