IDEMIA

Last updated
IDEMIA
Company type SAS
Industry Security, Identity management, Criminal justice, Border control, Banking, Telecoms, Access control, Public safety, Smart card
Headquarters Courbevoie, Île-de-France, France
Key people
 Pierre Barrial (CEO)
Products Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems, Facial recognition system, Iris recognition, Finger vein recognition, Biometric terminals, e-gates, ID cards, ePassports, payment card, SIM cards, Biometric Card Readers Speed cameras
Revenue €2,9 billion (2023)
Number of employees
15,000
Parent Advent International   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Website idemia.com

IDEMIA (formerly known as OT-Morpho) is a French multinational technology company headquartered in Courbevoie, France. It provides identity-related security services, and sells facial recognition and other biometric identification products and software to private companies and governments. [1]

Contents

Corporate history

Morpho

Morpho Systèmes was created in 1982, then absorbed by Sagem in 1993. In 2005, when Safran was created, Sagem became Sagem Défense Sécurité and in 2007, a separate company, Sagem Sécurité was created. It was renamed Morpho in 2010 (the name was derived from Morpho Systems S.A., a 1980s fingerprint identification firm [2] ), then Safran Identity & Security in 2016.

Morpho acquired several companies through its constitution. In 2005, Sagem Défense Sécurité acquired ORGA Kartensysteme GmbH which would be renamed Sagem Orga. In 2009, Safran acquired 81% of GE Homeland Protection, a wholly owned affiliate of the General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). On July 26, 2011 Safran completed the acquisition of L-1 Identity Solutions. [3] Today, it is mainly part of MorphoTrust USA Inc. The company itself dates back over 50 years, from the time the first photo was added to a U.S. driver's license. In December 2015 Morpho (Safran) announced its acquisition of AirTag. [4]

In the 2020 report Out of Control [5] Amnesty International criticized Morpho for supplying "facial recognition equipment directly to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau in 2015." [6]

Oberthur Technologies

In 2007, the activities of Oberthur Card Systems, Oberthur Fiduciaire and Oberthur Cash Protection, companies initially originating from Imprimerie Oberthur, founded in 1842 in Rennes by François-Charles Oberthür, were merged into a single entity, Oberthur Technologies.

In September 2016, Safran announced that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with Advent International, the owner of Oberthur Technologies since 2011, to sell its identity and security activities and the transaction was finalized on 31 May 2017. Oberthur Technologies (OT) and Safran Identity & Security (Morpho) were joining forces to create OT-Morpho, then renamed as IDEMIA on September 28.

IDEMIA (2017–present)

The new company is specialized in biometric identification and security, as well as secure payments [7] with the aim of converging technologies developed for the public sector (by the former Morpho) and those for the private sector (by Oberthur Technologies).

On 15 October 2018 Yann Delabrière replaced Didier Lamouche as President & CEO.

On 1 July 2020, Pierre Barrial was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Group; Yann Delabrière returned to his role as chairman of the board with effect from July 1, 2020.

IDEMIA has developed biometric bank cards where the PIN code is replaced by the user's fingerprint. Fingerprint technology is currently being tested internally by banking institutions  and would make it possible to secure contactless payment from the first euro. Fingerprint verification is done directly on the card and no fingerprint-related elements are transmitted to the merchant nor the bank.

In response to the growing demand from companies to use contactless access control devices to guarantee both a secure and hygienic method of identity verification, IDEMIA offers biometric terminals that use facial recognition or enable fingerprint recognition.

Areas of expertise

Identification

This represents the company's historical core business. It develops the latest technologies in the field of biometrics. [8]

The facial recognition technologies proposed by IDEMIA allow for smooth passage through the airport or stadium entrances and are also used to spot people banned from the stadium, identify fugitives in crowds or check the identity of people entering reserved areas. The company has many references in the police field or in the civil field: United States, United Arab Emirates, Albania, or India with the Aadhaar project whose objective is to provide a unique 12-digit number to each Indian citizen after enrolment of their biometric data (iris, fingerprints, portrait for 1.3 billion people) allowing these citizens to open a bank account, access microcredit or receive social benefits. [9]

IDEMIA produced 3 billion identity documents (passports, identity cards, driving licences, etc.) worldwide in 2020. [10]

On the market of states and government services, IDEMIA participates in particular in the efforts of the United Nations Organisation to give everyone an identity by 2030 [11] (in Africa or India, more than 1.1 billion people still do not have a legal existence). [9]

Border Management

Morpho was a specialist in airport border solutions, these solutions are now carried by IDEMIA. Based on biometrics (fingerprints, facial recognition or iris recognition), the company offers semi-automated or automated solutions that enable a person's biometrics to be associated with that of his or her identity document, such as the ID2Travel solution.

Singapore's Changi Airport has implemented biometric services provided by IDEMIA to identify and authenticate travelers as they pass through Terminals 3 and 4 of the airport. In Singapore, these services also equip Seletar airport and are also being adapted for other markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Banking

IDEMIA develops solutions to improve the payment card. Thus the company carries out research such as the implementation of fingerprint recognition in the 0.8 millimeter thickness of a card or the dynamic change the visual cryptogram. [12] In addition, the company is able to manufacture custom cards in small series adapted to each of its customers, including cards made with recycled plastic. [13]

Operations in the United States

IDEMIA provides products to various federal and state government entities in the United States and is the leading provider in the issuance of driver's licences. [7]

IDEMIA owns IdentoGO, a company that operates hundreds of storefronts in the United States which offer "state-of-the-art electronic fingerprint capture capabilities as well as other identity-related products and services." IdentoGO is an authorized service provider for the United States federal government, and as such provides identity verification services for multiple Transportation Security Administration programs, including TSA PreCheck and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. [14]

IDEMIA's facial analysis technology has also been used by various entities across the United States:

Concerns

Sharing sensitive biometric data

Various civil rights organizations have criticized the government's contracts with IDEMIA, expressing concerns about sharing sensitive biometric data with a private and unregulated third-party company. [17] [19] Researchers have also found that facial verification and identification algorithms, including IDEMIA's algorithm specifically, exhibit systematic racial and gender bias. [20] However, in April 2020 the NIST [21] (National Institute of Standards and Technology), now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, that provides technology, measurement, and standards that impact a wide range of products and technology, ranked IDEMIA 1st for iris recognition underlining its algorithms performance and accuracy.

Bribery

In 2012, Safran (Sagem) was fined €50,000 by a French court for bribing public officials in Nigeria to win a €170 million contract in 2000/03 to produce identity cards. [22] [23]

Traces of "Russian hackers"

In February 2015, the former top manager of the Safran Philippe Desbois and the head of another industrial company PowerJet Vincent Ascoet, who had lived and worked in Russia for a long time, appealed to the District Court for the Northern District of California. They filed a lawsuit against Safran and its subsidiary Morpho, claiming that Safran sold to US government agencies - and, in particular, the FBI - a fingerprint recognition system based on technologies of the Russian IT company Papilon. Russian code has been incorporated into Morpho's product to improve performance. According to sources, the code was acquired secretly, and the company deliberately hid this fact from the FBI, where this solution is used now.

The litigation lasted for several years, and in May 2019, the US Court of Appeals ruled to dismiss the claim.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart card</span> Pocket-sized card with authentication circuitry

A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card, is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a pattern of metal contacts to electrically connect to the internal chip. Others are contactless, and some are both. Smart cards can provide personal identification, authentication, data storage, and application processing. Applications include identification, financial, public transit, computer security, schools, and healthcare. Smart cards may provide strong security authentication for single sign-on (SSO) within organizations. Numerous nations have deployed smart cards throughout their populations.

Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris recognition</span> Method of biometric identification

Iris recognition is an automated method of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques on video images of one or both of the irises of an individual's eyes, whose complex patterns are unique, stable, and can be seen from some distance. The discriminating powers of all biometric technologies depend on the amount of entropy they are able to encode and use in matching. Iris recognition is exceptional in this regard, enabling the avoidance of "collisions" even in cross-comparisons across massive populations. Its major limitation is that image acquisition from distances greater than a meter or two, or without cooperation, can be very difficult. However, the technology is in development and iris recognition can be accomplished from even up to 10 meters away or in a live camera feed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic identification</span> Digital proof of identity

An electronic identification ("eID") is a digital solution for proof of identity of citizens or organizations. They can be used to view to access benefits or services provided by government authorities, banks or other companies, for mobile payments, etc. Apart from online authentication and login, many electronic identity services also give users the option to sign electronic documents with a digital signature.

SAGEM was a French company involved in defense electronics, consumer electronics, and communication systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albanian passport</span> Passport of the Republic of Albania issued to Albanian citizens

The Albanian passport is a travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to Albanian citizens to enable them to travel abroad. They are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the Albanian ID card.

Next Generation Identification (NGI) is a project of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The project's goal is to expand the capabilities of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which is currently used by law enforcement to identify subjects by their fingerprints and to look up their criminal history. The NGI system will be a more modular system. It will also have more advanced lookup capabilities, incorporating palm print, iris, and facial identification. The FBI first used this system in February 2011.

L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. is a large American defense contractor in Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albanian identity card</span> National identity card of Albania

The Albanian identity card (Letërnjoftim) is a national identity card issued by Albanian authorities to Albanian citizens. It is proof of identity, citizenship and residence. The current version is in ID1 format and biometric. The ID card is compulsory for citizens over 16 years of age, costs 1,500 lekë and is valid for 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberthur Technologies</span>

Oberthur Technologies was a French digital security company, providing secure technology solutions for Smart Transactions, Mobile Financial Services, Machine-to-Machine, Digital Identity and Transport & Access Control. As of 2008, Oberthur's revenue was €882 million. Oberthur Technologies was the successor of the Oberthur printing which was founded in 1842 by the master printer and lithographer, François-Charles Oberthür. Oberthur merged with Morpho to form IDEMIA on 28 September 2017.

IDEX Biometrics ASA is a Norwegian biometrics company, specialising in fingerprint imaging and fingerprint recognition technology. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Oslo, but its main operation is in the US, with offices in New York and Massachusetts. The company also has offices in the UK and China.

A whole new range of techniques has been developed to identify people since the 1960s from the measurement and analysis of parts of their bodies to DNA profiles. Forms of identification are used to ensure that citizens are eligible for rights to benefits and to vote without fear of impersonation while private individuals have used seals and signatures for centuries to lay claim to real and personal estate. Generally, the amount of proof of identity that is required to gain access to something is proportionate to the value of what is being sought. It is estimated that only 4% of online transactions use methods other than simple passwords. Security of systems resources generally follows a three-step process of identification, authentication and authorization. Today, a high level of trust is as critical to eCommerce transactions as it is to traditional face-to-face transactions.

Biometrics refers to the automated recognition of individuals based on their biological and behavioral characteristics, not to be confused with statistical biometrics; which is used to analyse data in the biological sciences. Biometrics for the purposes of identification may involve DNA matching, facial recognition, fingerprints, retina and iris scanning, voice analysis, handwriting, gait, and even body odor.

Identity-based security is a type of security that focuses on access to digital information or services based on the authenticated identity of an entity. It ensures that the users and services of these digital resources are entitled to what they receive. The most common form of identity-based security involves the login of an account with a username and password. However, recent technology has evolved into fingerprinting or facial recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biometric device</span> Identification and authentication device

A biometric device is a security identification and authentication device. Such devices use automated methods of verifying or recognising the identity of a living person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. These characteristics include fingerprints, facial images, iris and voice recognition.

Identix Incorporated, established in August 1982, designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed user authentication solutions by capturing and/or comparing fingerprints for security applications and personal identification. Markets included corporate enterprise security, intranet, extranet, internet, wireless Web access and security, E-commerce, government, and law enforcement agencies.

Clear Secure, Inc. is an American technology company that operates biometric travel document verification systems at some major airports and stadiums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automated border control system</span> Type of automated self-service barrier

Automated border control systems (ABC) or eGates are automated self-service barriers which use data stored in a chip in biometric passports along with a photo or fingerprint taken at the time of entering the eGates to verify the passport holder's identity. Travellers undergo biometric verification using facial or iris recognition, fingerprints, or a combination of modalities. After the identification process is complete and the passport holder's identity is verified, a physical barrier such as a gate or turnstile opens to permit passage. If the passport holder's identification is not verified or if the system malfunctions, then the gate or turnstile does not open and an immigration officer will meet the person. E-gates came about in the early 2000s as an automated method of reading the then-newly ICAO mandated e-passports.

Contactless fingerprinting technology (CFP) was described in a government-funded report as an attempt to gather and add fingerprints to those gathered via wet-ink process and then, in a "touchless" scan, verify claimed identify and, a bigger challenge, identify their owners without additional clues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurotechnology (company)</span>

Neurotechnology is an algorithm and software development company founded in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1990.

References

  1. ↑ "Search results: government". idemia.com.
  2. ↑ "Night Stalker Case Demonstrates Effectiveness of Systems : Market Developing for Fingerprint Computers". LA Times. 12 September 1985.
  3. ↑ Safran completes the acquisition of L-1 Identity Solutions Becomes world leader in biometric identity solutions
  4. ↑ "December 10, 2015". Archived from the original on 2019-07-14.
  5. ↑ "Out of Control: Failing EU Laws for digital surveillance". Amnesty International . 2020-10-21. EUR 01/2556/2020. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  6. ↑ "EU companies selling surveillance tools to China's human rights abusers". Amnesty International . 21 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  7. 1 2 Gershgorn, Dave (2020-06-09). "A Single Company Will Now Operate Facial Recognition for Nearly 800 Million People". Medium. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  8. ↑ "Tech 24 - IFA 2019 : la high-tech fait sa rentrée à Berlin". France 24 (in French). 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  9. 1 2 "How lack of documentation impacts Africa". CNBC Africa. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  10. ↑ "The global leader in Augmented Identity". IDEMIA. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  11. ↑ "Tech 24 - IFA 2019 : la high-tech fait sa rentrée à Berlin". France 24 (in French). 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  12. ↑ "Payments: Ramping up credit card security with a dynamic security code". The Edge Markets. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  13. ↑ "IDEMIA partners with RHB Bank to launch the first recycled debit card in Asia Pacific". IDEMIA. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  14. ↑ "Convenient Locations Nationwide for Identity-Related Solutions". IdentoGO. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  15. ↑ "How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short". New York Times. January 12, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Florida". The Perpetual Line-Up. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Major Face Surveillance Company Releases Dystopian Tracking Tool". ACLU of Massachusetts. June 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ McDaniel, Michael (25 March 2021). "Arizona rolls out new Mobile ID driver's license to combat identity theft". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "TSA Plans to Use Face Recognition to Track Americans Through Airports". Electronic Frontier Foundation. November 9, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  20. ↑ Harwell, Drew (December 19, 2019). "Federal study finds racial bias of many facial-recognition systems". SF Gate. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Idemia ranks first in NIST benchmark for iris recognition | Planet Biometrics News". www.planetbiometrics.com. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  22. ↑ "Safran fined in Nigerian bribery case". BBC News. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  23. ↑ "French court fines Safran for Nigerian bribes". Reuters. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
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