The identity-tech knowledge base for AI systems and human operators.

Welcome to ID Tech’s digest of identity industry news. Here’s what you need to know about the world of digital identity and biometrics today:

DHS Expands Identity Verification Rally to AI-Generated Documents and Deepfakes

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is expanding its Remote Identity Validation Rally to test commercial systems against AI-generated documents and biometric deepfakes, opening specialized evaluation tracks to measure how well platforms detect face-swaps, synthetic credentials, and sophisticated physical presentation attacks. Beginning in October with document validation and selfie-matching trials, the initiative will solicit digital attack datasets in November before opening tracks in December for presentation attack detection and real-time biometric deepfake identification across video streams and teleconferencing platforms. Building on prior evaluations that utilized forensic counterfeit records from Homeland Security Investigations, the rally will evaluate performance variations across diverse mobile hardware, document types, and operating conditions, with an informational industry webinar scheduled for September 30.

Philippines Clears ₱2.48 Billion National ID Partnership for Competitive Challenge

The Philippine Statistics Authority’s proposed ₱2.48 billion digital National ID partnership has cleared an investment review by the Investment Coordination Committee’s Cabinet Committee, clearing the unsolicited public-private partnership for a competitive challenge running through the fourth quarter of 2026. The 20-year Build-Transfer-Operate concession—originally proposed by Unisys Public Sector Services Corporation—covers end-to-end infrastructure upgrades, registration, physical card production, authentication services, and the operational onboarding of private relying parties such as financial institutions. While National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa emphasized that the project will leverage private-sector technical capacity while maintaining the credential’s public mandate, the approval advances the initiative into a formal procurement challenge where outside bidders can match or improve the initial proposal.

EU Sets Wallet and Authentication Rules for Cross-Border Healthcare

The European Commission has adopted Commission Implementing Regulation 2026/2099 establishing mandatory framework rules for healthcare identity attributes in digital wallets under the MyHealth@EU cross-border exchange infrastructure. Applying generally from March 26, 2027, the regulation requires member states to define and notify their national health attribute sets by March 2028, mandating that competent authorities issue these credentials as electronic attestations to European Digital Identity Wallets upon citizen request by March 26, 2029. To secure medical record access, the mandate enforces phased electronic identification requirements, elevating required patient and healthcare professional authentication assurance levels under eIDAS from substantial to high by 2030 and 2032, respectively.

Kenya Connects 20 More Police Clearance Centres to Biometric System

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations has integrated 20 additional application centers across its Central Region and neighboring areas into its multi-biometric police clearance system, completing the second phase of a nationwide deployment that raises total connected processing sites to 26 out of 63. The upgraded platform, designated MBIS/ABIS Version 5 and supplied under a modernisation contract by IDEMIA, combines fingerprint and facial recognition to replace manual ink-on-paper collection with digital live-scans while expanding criminal record capacity from two million to ten million files. Utilizing the government’s decentralised Huduma Centre network to shorten turnaround times for Police Clearance Certificates, DCI technical teams have now initiated preparations for third-phase rollouts across remaining administrative regions.

WA Police Reports 79 Arrests and Eight Incorrect Alerts in Face Recognition Trial

Western Australia Police has published a three-month operational review of its mobile live facial recognition trial, reporting 79 arrests across 77 deployments after scanning 905,117 faces in public spaces. Deploying marked surveillance vans equipped with real-time biometric cameras across 36 metropolitan and regional areas—including an initial regional deployment in Geraldton—the force recorded 209 operational alerts, 114 engagements with registered sex offenders, and eight incorrect alerts, yielding a 0.0009 percent false-match rate. Department operating guidelines require senior officer authorization, active human verification of all automated match scores before approaching individuals, and immediate, automated deletion of non-matching facial templates to preserve public privacy safeguards.

Croatia Reports 60 Merchants Using State App for Online Age Checks

Croatia’s Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation announced that 60 commercial merchants have integrated the mGrađani app for online age verification during digital purchases of alcohol and energy drinks. Operating across a user base of more than 204,000 citizens, the mobile platform has processed 2,138 verification attempts resulting in 728 issued compliance tokens, allowing buyers to authenticate adulthood via retailer QR codes while withholding underlying personal identity documents and biographical data from vendors. Justice Minister Damir Habijan presented the system’s operational data to an expert legislative working group, which is currently evaluating domestic child-safety rules alongside negotiating positions for the proposed EU KIDS Act.

Nagpur Airport Removes Boarding-Pass Scan From DigiYatra Entry

GMR Nagpur International Airport Limited has streamlined passenger processing by introducing face-only entry at DigiYatra gates, eliminating the physical or digital boarding-pass scan previously required prior to biometric matching. Enrolled travelers who link their flights within the DigiYatra mobile application can now complete single-step entry at the terminal entrance via facial recognition cameras, while retaining biometric verification capabilities at internal security checkpoints. The procedural upgrade follows the Digi Yatra Foundation’s expansion across 39 airports and the integration of DigiLocker-retrieved driving licenses as secondary enrollment credentials, reducing passenger queue times and physical terminal intervention.

Brazil’s Justice Identity Program Reaches 911,000 People

Brazil’s National Council of Justice announced that its National Action for Civil Identification and Document Issuance has successfully identified 911,000 people in custody and issued or retrieved 847,000 civil documents since launching in 2019. The milestones were confirmed following the conclusion of the initiative’s sixth national training cycle, which trained 4,637 judicial and law enforcement personnel on collecting biometric data during custody hearings for entry into the BNMP 3.0 penal database and retrieving replacement birth records via the SERPJud platform. Conducted in support of national prison reform plans alongside broader rollouts of the Carteira de Identidade Nacional, the inter-agency program ensures incarcerated individuals and youth in juvenile justice programs secure legal documentation.

Czech Interior Ministry Opens CZK273 Million Border eGate Tender

Czechia’s Ministry of the Interior has initiated an open procurement valued at CZK273.3 million for automated border eGates and technical support services to modernize international border-crossing checkpoints. Published in the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily system with bids closing on November 2, 2026, the six-year framework agreement encompasses the delivery of eGate hardware, monitoring client systems, and ongoing operational maintenance, alongside an insulated handover component capped at CZK3.5 million. The infrastructure acquisition is structured to upgrade security-critical verification capabilities, supporting automated document checks and passenger identity verification as European border authorities continue alignment with the biometric Entry-Exit System.

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team