Singapore Introduces Face Verification for National ID Service

Not just authentication, but facial verification is mandatory for anyone who is using the national digital identity scheme. Singaporeans will get access to private as well as government services. The government’s technology agency states that it will be elemental to Singapore’s digital economy. 

The banks were used for trials and now, it is being enforced nationwide. It can detect whether the individual is actually present or not. 

Singapore Becomes First Country To Use Facial Verification For a National ID Service #tech #feedly https://t.co/x6rLUwkzYQ

— Mike (@MaaS_live) September 28, 2020

Mr. Bud says that facial recognition is used everywhere, on train stations and malls, etc. However, facial verification requires the user’s consent for establishing the identity, and verification is extremely benign. On the contrary, some privacy advocates find consent as a low threshold while dealing with sensitive biometric data. 

Many states have added facial verification to their financial institutions, airports, and train stations, but only a few are considering it for national ID services. For example, the US uses facial verification for issuing driving licenses, whereas China enforced it last year for anyone who buys a new mobile. 

The technology is already in use at Singapore’s tax office kiosks and at the DBS bank for customers willing to open an online bank account. 

The use of this technology will not be restricted as long as the use complies with the requirements, says Mr. Kwok Quek Sin, the senior director of countrywide virtual identity at GovTech Singapore. 

Read more about face verification at Face Verification – One Solution for Several Identity Frauds