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:

Google Adds Selfie Video Backup for Account Sign In

Google has introduced an optional selfie-video recovery method to assist users in regaining access to their accounts when locked out or without their trusted devices. Eligible users enroll by recording a short video following guided head movements to capture multiple angles, establishing a baseline biometric reference encrypted at rest. When recovery is later requested, a new selfie capture is compared against the stored video using facial matching and real-time liveness measures designed to detect photographs, prerecorded media, and synthetic impersonations. The consent-based biometric check operates alongside Google’s expanding support for FIDO2 authentication and passkeys to establish identity after primary sign-in methods become unavailable.

Ghana Makes Biometric Verification Mandatory for Ghana Card Checks

Ghana’s National Identity Register Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523) have taken effect, making biometric verification mandatory for organizations checking a Ghana Card and prohibiting visual inspections or collecting photocopies and scans. Covered entities—including banks, telecom providers, hospitals, schools, and government agencies—must verify cardholders using the National Identification Authority’s Identity Verification System Platform or approved match-on-card devices during a transition window running through November 2. Organizations failing to comply face fines and potential suspension or termination of verification platform access, while individuals misusing credentials face criminal penalties. The operational shift relies on real-time biometric matching rather than manual card inspection to secure identity checks and eliminate duplicate paper records.

Egypt Sets August 1 Pilot for Digital Visa on Arrival

Egypt will begin piloting a digital visa-on-arrival system across all arrival terminals at Cairo International Airport on August 1, replacing physical paper visa stickers with electronically issued QR codes. Eligible travelers can request the visa, submit electronic payments, and receive their QR code via an official online portal going live 48 hours before the launch, a mobile application, or airport self-service kiosks. The platform provides border officers and airline staff with a machine-readable reference to the digital visa record, with plans for a phased expansion to other national airports following initial operational evaluation to streamline airport arrival processing and electronic visa issuance.

Greece Opens E415 6 Million Citizen Identity System Tender

Greece’s Ministry of Citizen Protection has published a €415.6 million public procurement tender through the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily system for an integrated Citizen Identity Hub. The winning supplier will receive an 18-month deployment contract followed by a ten-year operating and maintenance period to handle document intake, biometric capture, personalization, and issuance for estimated maximum volumes of 32.58 million ID1 national cards and 7.15 million ID3 passports. The infrastructure requires national electronic authentication compatibility with eIDAS 2.0 standards and qualified electronic-signature certificates to modernize physical security document production and digital identity capabilities.

USCIS Seeks 12 Certified Ten Print Examiners

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a sources-sought notice seeking potential suppliers for 12 full-time-equivalent, certified ten-print fingerprint examiners to support federal background checks and court testimony. The contracted forensic specialists will work offsite using government-furnished systems, including the FBI’s Next Generation Identification platform, applying the ACE-V method under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 laboratory standards to evaluate candidate matches. The market research inquiry focuses specifically on human forensic capacity for ten-print casework over a 12-month examination period to evaluate fingerprint submissions and resolve identity records for immigration cases.

Gibraltar Reports No Matches in First Week of Expanded Facial Recognition

Law enforcement authorities in Gibraltar reported zero positive watchlist matches during the first operational week of an expanded live facial recognition network managed by the Royal Gibraltar Police. The fixed camera deployment covers land border approaches, Devil’s Tower Road, Winston Churchill Avenue, Casemates Square, Main Street, and Gibraltar International Airport alongside automatic number plate recognition systems following new treaty relationships with the European Union. Captured video feeds are cross-referenced in real time against police-selected watchlists, with alerts routed to control rooms while non-matching images are processed without generating positive alerts to monitor public corridors and border access routes.

Philippine Senate Leadership Prioritizes Youth Social Media Restrictions

Philippine Senate President Win Gatchalian announced that legislation restricting social media access for minors will be prioritized when Congress resumes session on July 27. Draft proposals under consideration across the Senate and House propose restricting accounts for users under age thresholds ranging from 12 to 16, while mandating that platforms deploy age and identity verification mechanisms under local privacy rules. Potential legislative enforcement measures include fines up to PHP 50 million and operational bans for severe non-compliance, forcing digital services to establish reliable age-gating infrastructure to enforce minor account restrictions and identity verification requirements.

IDnow Names Philippe Morel Chief Executive

European digital identity provider IDnow has appointed former Railsr and SETL chief executive Philippe Morel as its new CEO, succeeding Andreas Bodczek after a seven-year tenure. The executive change follows the June rollout of the IDnow Trust Platform, a modular product suite integrating biometric authentication, identity verification, fraud prevention, and qualified digital trust services across a single orchestration layer. Backed by private equity firm Corsair Capital, the company aims to navigate evolving European regulatory frameworks—including eIDAS 2.0 and Anti-Money Laundering Regulations—by providing orchestrated identity verification and digital trust services across customer lifecycles.

Kenya Launches Multi Biometric System for Police Clearances

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations has launched an upgraded Multi-Biometric Identification System supplied by IDEMIA Southern and Eastern Africa to combine fingerprint and facial recognition matching for police clearance certificates. Unveiled at the National Forensic Laboratory by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the platform upgrades the agency’s Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System and transitions capture from inked paper cards to electronic live-scan terminals across 52 Huduma Centres. The agency aims to cut certificate processing times to 24 hours by replacing paper handling with automated digital matching against state criminal databases and forensic record registries.

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team