#biometrics

#biometrics

Today WhatsApp has announced that it's started supporting passkey-encrypted backups. What this means in practice is that you can use your fingerprint, face, or screen lock code to encrypt your WhatsApp chat backups, instead of having to resort to memorizing a password or a "cumbersome 64-digit encryption key", WhatsApp says. The company goes on to explain that "with just a tap or glance, the same security that protects your personal chats and calls on WhatsApp is applied to your chat backups",

Ever wonder if you're talking to a real person online or just another bot? As bots increasingly outnumber humans online, leading to an explosion of deepfakes and AI-driven fraud, one company has a solution straight out of sci-fi: scanning your iris to verify your identity. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan spoke with Adrian Ludwig, Chief Security Officer and Chief Architect at Tools for Humanity, the company behind World's eye-scanning Orbs appearing around the globe.

"The U.S. should be leading on security, hospitality, and the travel experience," Clear's CEO Caryn Seidman Becker said in a statement. "This partnership with TSA is a powerful example of how public and private sectors can work together to enhance security and improve the aviation ecosystem... CLEAR's secure identity platform will help unlock a better, safer, and more frictionless experience for all travelers."

The new system covers non-EU citizens who are crossing an external EU border - since Brexit, this includes the UK-France border. You can read a full explanation of how the system works here, but non-EU citizens who are crossing the border for the first time after the introduction of the system must supply biometric details (fingerprints and/or facial scan) and fill in a questionnaire.

How Apple would use TouchID is still up in the air, though MacWorld provided some possible use cases, like a patent Apple secured for biometric systems within the watch. Rumors suggest Apple could add TouchID to the Apple Watch's side or the in-display sensor. This would be a welcome update, as it gets annoying regularly typing in my passcode when the watch is around my wrist all day. A quick and easy TouchID feature could make unlocking quicker and seamless.

eGates significantly reduce processing times for arrivals and departures, decreasing wait times and enabling travelers to reach their final destinations more quickly.

Pressure is mounting on ministers to intervene on behalf of 40 students in Gaza who have been offered full scholarships to study at UK universities, but are unable to take up their places this September because of government red tape. A high-level meeting is understood to have taken place at the Home Office on Tuesday after MPs and campaigners highlighted the students' plight, calling on ministers to take action to help secure their safe passage to the UK.

The Oura Ring tracks over 30 biometrics including sleep, heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, and body temperature, providing a daily Readiness Score that offers insights into recovery.

G-Knot's finger vein crypto wallet introduces a transformative solution for secure self-custody by leveraging unforgeable biometric data to eliminate vulnerabilities like compromised private keys.

British citizens traveling to the EU will face additional biometric checks at borders with a new system set to be phased in beginning November.

The PL1 recognizes palm prints and vein biometrics, allowing contact-free payments that are fast, secure, and impossible to counterfeit.