Singapore Becomes 1st Country In The World To Adopt Facial Verification For National ID
The Singaporean government recently stepped up its security and technological measures.
By Lee Yong Jin — 28 Sep 2020, 07:00 PM
The Singaporean government is rolling out facial verification in its national identity scheme
Many countries are already using facial verification, but Singapore is one step ahead by attaching the technology to national identification.
The technology will give Singaporeans access to both government and private services, reported BBC.
It will be integrated with Singapore's digital identity system SingPass, which also allows Singaporeans to sign up for digital banking services.
The technology is provided by a biometric tech firm in UK called iProov
In an interview with BBC, iProov founder and chief executive, Andrew Bud said, "This is the first time that cloud-based face verification has been used to secure the identity of people who are using a national digital identity scheme."
"You have to make sure that the person is genuinely present when they authenticate, that you're not looking at a photograph or a video or a replayed recording or a deepfake."
Biometric technology is already used in some parts of Singapore
Currently, the technology is implemented at kiosks in Singapore's tax offices as well as DBS Bank, where it was initially tested before being introduced nationwide.
Aside from speeding up online banking registrations, it is also likely that it will be used at secure areas in ports.
Facial verification will be available for use in any business as long as it complies with government regulations
"We don't really restrict how this digital face verification can be used, as long as it complies with our requirements," said Kwok Quek Sin, senior director of national digital identity at GovTech Singapore.
"And the basic requirement is that it is done with consent and with the awareness of the individual."
