MALTA LAUNCHES 15.6 M TENDER FOR EUROPEAN DIGITAL IDENTITY WALLET.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

MALTA LAUNCHES 15.6 M TENDER FOR EUROPEAN DIGITAL IDENTITY WALLET.

THE WORLD IN 10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS LEAD BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THE WORLD LEADER, NOT AMERICA.I PREDICT.

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND REVIVED ROMAN WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 2:31-33,36-43, DAN 7:3-8,17

First From Daniel Chapter 2

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (HEAD OF GOLD) DAN 2:31-32,36-38, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (CHEST & ARMS OF SILVER) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (WAIST & HIPS OF BRONZE) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (2 LEGS OF IRON) DAN 2:33,40, ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) (FEET IRON & CLAY) DAN 2:33,41-43,10 TOES

Now From Daniel Chapter 7

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (LION WITH EAGLES WINGS) DAN 7:4, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (BEAR ON HIND LEGS) DAN 7:5, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (LEOPARD 4 WINGS, 4 HEADS) DAN 7:6, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (HUGE IRON TEETH) DAN 7:7 (10 HORNS), ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) DAN 7:8,19-20,23-25 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS
REV 17:9,12, 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS, 7 HILLS ROME. REV 13:1 BEAST WITH 7 HEADS. THE E.U LEADER OF WORLD GOVERNMENT DAN 2:40-45, 7:7-8,23-25,27, 8:23, REV 13:3,7,8,12,14,16

REVELATION 17:10-12
10 And there are seven kings (7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY) five are fallen, (EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON,:MEDO-PERSIAN,GREECE and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS DAY-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,(FUTURE-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE-EUROPEAN UNION TODAY) he must continue a short space.(7 YEARS OF WORLD DOMINATION-BUT 3 1/2 YEARS OF NEW WORLD ORDER OR ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT)
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS OR REGIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS-NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind,(WORLD SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950

Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man. 

DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.

THE CLUB OF ROME FOUNDER AURELIO PECCEI WANTS THE WORLD IN 10 REGIONAL TRADING BLOCKS.

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.) 

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

HERES WHAT THE WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE (SINCE THERE WILL BE WORLD GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE)-UPDATED VERSION (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)

01 CANADA, U.S.A, MEXICO
02 EUROPEAN UNION,WESTERN EUROPE
03 JAPAN
04 AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, S AFRICA, ISRAEL AND PACIFIC ISLANDS
05 EASTERN EUROPE
06 SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICAS
07 NORTH AFRICA, AND MIDEAST (MOSLEMS)
08 CENTRAL AFRICA
09 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
10 CENTRAL ASIA

THE CLUB OF ROME WANTS A WORLD CHARISMATIC DICTATOR (EITHER RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR SCIENTIFICAL) TO HEAD THIS WORLD GOVERNMENT. REV 13:3,7-8, DAN 7:23-24

WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME

NORTH - RUSSIA EZEK 38:1-2, 39:1-2
SOUTH - EGYPT DAN 11:42
EAST - CHINA DAN 11:44,REV 16:12
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION DAN 7:23-24 (NOT THE U.S.A)
http://israel7777777.blogspot.ca/2012/03/10-world-trade-blocs-one-world.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2006/09/how-eu-takes-world-control.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/05/one-world-religion-crislam.html 

FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

COUNCIL FOR EUROPE ON DEFENCE
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/6d6f889c-e58d-4caa-8f3b-8b93154fe206_en?filename=SAFE%20Regulation.pdf

Malta launches €15.6M tender for European Digital Identity Wallet-Project covers wallet development, systems integration and trust infrastructure-Jul 16, 2026, 4:30 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang

The Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) has issued a tender for the implementation of a fully compliant European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. The tender launches Malta’s rollout of the EU‑wide digital identity framework.Citizens and residents will be able to prove their identity securely online and in person, verify their age, store official documents such as driving licenses and electronically sign paperwork. The wallet will be recognized across all EU member states.MDIA will lead the project, overseeing development of the wallet platform and the supporting systems. The contract — valued at €15.6 million (US$17.88 million) — is being procured through Malta’s electronic Public Procurement System (ePPS) under an open procedure. The vendor must ensure security, interoperability and alignment with the EU’s common architecture.Malta’s Digital Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said the initiative reflects Malta’s commitment to using advanced technologies to improve public services and strengthen the country’s digital capabilities.MDIA chief executive Kenneth Brincat commented: “This project is a tangible example of how innovative technology can be used to create services that are more secure, trustworthy and focused on the needs of citizens.”The tender — CT2274/2026 — covers software development, systems integration and the creation of a supporting trust ecosystem. It remains open for submissions until 3 September, with evaluation based on a best price‑quality ratio.The Mala Information Technology Agency (MITA) also published a tender seeking online identity verification software, which will be integrated into its government authentication service, a few weeks ago. The estimated contract value is €310,000 ($355,300) excluding VAT, and the deadline for submissions is July 22 at 11:30 am.MITA is responsible for implementing state IT programs, including developing the infrastructure for the national electronic identification (eID) system, which is managed by Identità. Separately, Malta awarded a contract to Toppan Security covering maintenance and support of biometric self-service kiosks used by the Residency Malta Agency.

EUDI What? As wallet deadline looms, awareness remains low-Communications becomes a trust issue when introducing radical technologies-Jul 17, 2026, 12:39 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey

New consumer research from IDnow shows that only about half of French and German customers have heard of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). To readers of Biometric Update, this may seem impossible; the EU is rolling steadily toward the December 2026 deadline it set for Member States to offer a digital wallet to citizens. As such, it is a strong reminder of the importance communications plays in rolling out new technology.A post from IDnow says that Sapio Research surveyed 2,000 respondents across France and Germany, and discovered that 51 percent of respondents have never heard of the EUDI Wallet.“A further 27 percent have heard of it but are unsure what it does, leaving just 20 percent with any clear understanding of a system that will reshape how hundreds of millions of people prove who they are online.”The problem already looks dire. Awareness must exist if understanding is to follow. IDnow says that knowing about the EUDI Wallet makes a significant difference to people’s trust in the system, “with those who are familiar with it more than twice as likely to believe their government can roll it out securely and effectively.”“The implication is significant: awareness is not just a communications challenge; it is a trust-building one.”EUDI Wallet has some explaining to do-Modern tech is built, in large part, on language. Chips and devices are the delivery mechanism, but language powers both the code that produces apps we interact with and the sales pitches crafted to make new technology appear innovative and appealing. While computer code advances, humanity’s first communications code – interpersonal language – is often a neglected factor in change management.Unfamiliarity breeds suspicion. Overly technical language is dull, and too often used as an excuse for effectively meaningless words. Branding is an important anchor of trust. These are lessons that the biometrics and digital identity sector are still learning.Consider that many in the general public are still adapting to the idea of a digital wallet at all. While some are advanced and others well established, many European digital identity systems are still in a developmental stage. And according to EU open data, cash continues to represent over 60 percent of physical transactions in regions such as Austria and Slovenia. Digital revolution aside, cash and card remain the dominant forms of payment for most people – for now.Moreover, for many users, a digital wallet means one of two things: Apple Wallet or Google Wallet – two titans of OS tech that could easily seize the wallet market, too.The EUDI Wallet scheme is meant as a driver of change. But IDnow’s data suggests that the change will take many by surprise – meaning that the shift to mobile wallets will be a matter of reactive adaptation, rather than a smoothly managed transition that prioritizes clear, effective  communication.“A digital wallet can only build trust if people understand the benefits that it brings them,” says Liudmyla Rabchynska, director of global regulatory and government affairs for IDnow.“Information and communication will be crucial to the success of the EUDI Wallet in the coming months.”Trust is the premium commodity in the digital ecosystem, and even those who know about the EUDI Wallet and trust it will be rolled out effectively still have concerns about data protection, security and potential misuse. Just 7 percent of respondents to IDnow’s survey say they have no concerns whatsoever about the wallet.Wallets are a privacy product-How, then, to get more people in the know and on board? It may be a matter of finding the customer sweet spot. “When respondents were told that the EUDI Wallet would allow them to prove something, such as being over 18, without sharing their name, address, date of birth, or any other personal detail, 63 percent said they would be more likely to use it.”Many of the concerns around digital technology frame it as an invasion of privacy. Digital ID is often associated, in certain places, with surveillance and government control.The EU’s job, then, is to reshape people’s understanding of wallets as a tech product that protects privacy – in effect, working against years of accumulated evidence that Big Tech wants as much of our data as it can get.Rabchynska says “concerns about a new digital identity solution are entirely understandable.”“What matters is that people understand the safeguards behind the EUDI Wallet and the control they retain. That is precisely where the real communication challenge lies.”Beyond awareness and adoption lies acceptance. And for Europe to truly accept the EUDI Wallet scheme, it has to work – and it has to work interoperably. “Seventy-three per cent of respondents fear that different systems and services will not work together seamlessly; 69 percent are concerned that the technology might be too complicated or unreliable,” the data says.“These are the practical tests the EUDI Wallet will need to pass to earn lasting trust.”Signicat envisions hybrid future with EUDI Wallet, e-ID-New content from Signicat also weighs in on the EUDI Wallet. The Norwegian identity verification and e-signature firm suggests that, for businesses, “the real question is not simply: ‘how do we support the EUDI Wallet?’ The better question is: ‘how do we support tomorrow’s mix of wallets, eIDs, and verification methods?’”“Because the next phase will not be wallet-only. It will be hybrid.”The EUDI Wallet, Signicat says, is not arriving in an empty market. “In countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and many others, people already use national or bank-issued eIDs to log in, verify themselves, sign and approve sensitive actions.”The notion that everyone across the EU will willingly transition to the EUDI scheme is fictive. Transition will inevitably be messy, with different countries moving at different speeds. “Some customers will prefer the eID they already know,” Signicat notes. “Some journeys will require wallet-based attribute sharing. Others will still depend on existing eIDs, ID document verification, registry checks, risk scoring, or step-up authentication.” Existing e-IDs will continue to matter.According to Edwin de Ron, product manager at Signicat, “EUDI Wallets will be an important step forward, but the transition will be gradual. Businesses need to support wallets without losing the customers that prefer eIDs they know and trust. The strongest identity journeys will be the ones that combine coverage, choice and compliance in one flow.”Eurosmart position paper looks to future of walletdom-Eurosmart, an established trade association for digital security professionals, has published a position paper on the EUDI Wallet. The paper (accessible to members) argues that “the long‑term success of the EUDIW depends on its ability to deliver sustainable trust, user privacy, and operational resilience in the face of evolving threats and usage scenarios.”“In that perspective, this paper explores future‑proof security foundations for decentralized digital identity wallets, rather than short‑term implementation choices.” Specifically, it focuses on security architectures that support strong guarantees on privacy, resilience and user control over time.“In particular, hardware‑backed security mechanisms based on Secure Elements are examined as a future‑proof step for high‑assurance EUDIW implementations. Secure Elements enable decentralized identity models where cryptographic keys remain under the exclusive control of the user, while supporting critical capabilities such as offline operation, battery‑off use cases, and increased resistance to large‑scale or high‑potential attacks.”Trinsic sees EUDI progress, but gaps remainSome have been gearing up for the EUDI Wallet longer than others. Trinsic published its paper on “The State of EUDI” in January 2026.The report says that, as of early 2026, core EU‑level requirements had largely been defined and member states were “actively transposing those requirements into national schemes, operational processes, and technical implementations.”“At the same time, many of the components that determine whether EUDI will function reliably at scale, like registrars, certification schemas, certificate governance, and the practical ‘last mile’ of cross‑border acceptance, are still being established.”Which is to say, the technical and legal stages have been set for EUDI Wallet’s big debut. Invitees are expected to arrive by midnight on December 31, 2026. But as with any big event, there will be scrambling in the lead-up to the deadline – and some elements of the approach will have to be re-evaluated, to determine what happens once dessert is done and everyone must go forth to live in a wallet-centric world.

Grocery Outlet stores deploy SAFR facial recognition to ID suspected shoplifters-Biometric matching software compares shoppers' faces against retailer watchlists, raising questions over privacy, retention policies and false matches-Jul 19, 2026, 4:05 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery

Facial recognition systems are scanning shoppers as they enter a growing number of Grocery Outlet stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, comparing their faces against watchlists of people suspected of theft, violence, or other unlawful conduct.Signs disclosing the use of biometric face-matching software have been documented at Grocery Outlet stores in Pleasant Hill and Concord, as well as four San Francisco locations in the Mission, Portola, Bayview, and Richmond districts.The signs direct customers to the privacy policy for SAFR Guard, the system being used by the stores.The full extent of the deployment remains unclear. Grocery Outlet operates through a network of independently operated stores, and neither the company nor local store managers have publicly explained whether the installations are part of a corporate program or decisions made by individual operators.Grocery Outlet did not respond to requests for comment from several news organizations.SAFR Guard is an AI-powered security solution for the retail loss prevention and asset protection market to prevent shoplifting and retail crime before it happens.SAFR Guard is a product of SAFR LLC, a subsidiary of RealNetworks.Cameras at participating stores capture facial images as customers enter and create encrypted biometric templates inside the camera. Those templates are compared with an in-camera watchlist. A potential match is sent for additional verification before the retailer receives an alert.Retailers provide SAFR with images and descriptions of incidents involving people they suspect of illegal conduct. SAFR says it reviews and approves submissions before they are added to a watchlist.The system may also share selected records concerning suspected violence or high-dollar thefts with other participating retailers in the same geographic area.SAFR says the facial recognition template generated for a shopper who does not match a watchlist is held inside the camera for no more than one second and then deleted.Its privacy policy, however, says encrypted images of people who are not designated as subjects of interest can be retained for as long as 30 days. Camera footage is also stored locally for 30 days so retailers can review incidents and create watchlist records.Images and incident information concerning people designated as subjects of interest can be retained for up to 12 months. Some facial recognition records may be kept longer if SAFR reviews them and determines continued retention is necessary.SAFR President Charisse Jacques said the system “is not a law enforcement system and has no connection with law enforcement” and does not maintain a general purpose database of the public.She said the company has never shared retailer or shopper information with a government agency, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and has not received a subpoena or court order demanding the information.The company’s privacy policy nevertheless permits disclosure when required by a court order, law, or other legal process.The technology has divided Grocery Outlet customers.The deployment comes as California retailers continue to confront elevated shoplifting levels, although the most recent statewide figures do not support claims that theft is still increasing.Shoplifting declined by about 9 percent in 2025, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, but remained approximately 36 percent above the 2019 level.California’s overall property crime rate fell to its lowest point in four decades.Privacy advocates say the central problem is that the system must examine everyone’s face to find the relatively small number of people on a watchlist.“This is a dragnet that scans everyone. Even if you’ve done nothing wrong, your face is being scanned,” said Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney Mario Trujillo.Critics also question how retailers establish that an incident occurred, whether employees may mistake lawful behavior for theft, and what process is available to challenge an incorrect watchlist entry.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) barred Rite Aid from using facial recognition surveillance for five years after alleging that its system produced thousands of false matches and caused employees to follow, search, or publicly accuse customers who had done nothing wrong.The FTC said false-positive matches occurred more frequently in stores located in predominantly Black and Asian communities.San Francisco’s prohibition on government facial recognition does not apply to private retailers.SAFR says it requires participating businesses to post signs disclosing the technology, but reports from the stores found that some notices were small, difficult to read, or overlooked by customers entering the building.

Fourthline, Veridas merge to build global identity and compliance platform-Combined platform will support more than 115 million identity verifications next year across 50 countries-Jul 16, 2026, 6:00 pm EDT | Ashok Singal

European identity verification companies Fourthline, based in Amsterdam, and Veridas, headquartered in Spain, announced their planned merger Thursday, creating an end-to-end identity and compliance platform for regulated organizations across Europe, Latin America and the United States.Fourthline brings KYC and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance orchestration, particularly across Northern and Central Europe. Veridas contributes proprietary identity verification, biometric authentication and anti-fraud technologies, together with an established presence in Southern Europe, Latin America and the United States.Together, the companies expect to complete approximately 115 million identity verifications in 2026 while operating across more than 50 countries. Both companies say they are profitable and EBITDA-positive.Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Following completion, Veridas shareholders, including BBVA, will remain shareholders in the combined company. The transaction will also be partially funded by existing Fourthline investor Finch Capital and new investors, including Rabo Investments, the investment arm of Rabobank.The merger is expected to close during the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The companies plan to integrate their technologies gradually while continuing to support existing customers.From point solutions to a broader identity platform-The strategic significance of the deal extends beyond geographic expansion.Regulated organizations have traditionally assembled their identity infrastructure using multiple providers. One vendor may perform document verification, another may provide facial biometrics, while separate systems handle AML screening, fraud detection, authentication and case management.The Fourthline-Veridas combination is positioned as an alternative: a single partner supporting identity verification, biometric authentication, fraud prevention, KYC and AML compliance across the customer lifecycle.According to the companies, the combined platform will include identity verification, AML screening and monitoring, qualified electronic signatures, bank account verification and biometric authentication. Customers will be able to deploy these capabilities independently or through an integrated, API-first architecture.Why the companies are joining forces now-The merger comes as identity providers respond to several converging market forces: increasingly sophisticated fraud, expanding regulatory requirements across jurisdictions and growing customer demand for integrated identity platforms.Deepfakes, synthetic identities and other forms of AI-enabled fraud are making it more difficult for organizations to determine whether an applicant or returning customer is genuine. At the same time, regulated businesses must comply with evolving identity and financial crime requirements while delivering a seamless customer experience.The two companies believe their complementary technologies and regional footprints can help address those challenges while accelerating their respective product roadmaps.For Fourthline and Veridas, the merger is about more than increasing verification volumes. It reflects a broader shift in the identity verification market, where buyers are increasingly favoring integrated identity platforms over collections of point solutions. As AI-enabled fraud continues to evolve and regulatory expectations increase, that trend is likely to accelerate.About Fourthline and Veridas-Founded in 2017, Fourthline specializes in AI-powered KYC and AML compliance for financial institutions, while Veridas provides proprietary identity verification, biometric and anti-fraud solutions to more than 350 customers across 25 countries.

Nigeria pushes for universal digital ID as NIN use cases expand-Nigeria is expanding the National Identification Number across public services as it shifts from building digital ID infrastructure to everyday use-Jul 13, 2026, 8:52 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald

Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it has received fresh presidential instructions to make sure the National Identification Number (NIN) is issued to every Nigerian before this year runs out. The Director General of the identity authority, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed the information on July 12 while speaking on local Channels Television.This comes as the country continues to integrate the NIN for different sectoral uses as authorities aim to move from just having digital public infrastructure (DPI) to making sure it serves a concrete public service delivery purpose.President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directives go in the direction of a target set by the Nigeria Identification for Development (Nigeria ID4D) project to enroll at least 180 million people by December 31 after the initiative was restructured two years ago.Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics program, Odusote said they have been strengthening efforts aimed at building their network of front-end partners to assist them in reaching the set target. She explained that many of the partners “are private citizens that we’ve enabled and given jobs to enrol citizens on our behalf,” and they are hoping to reach the universal identity milestone because it is necessary for strategic national planning.She mentioned that NIN registrations had topped 137 million, 43 million short of the World Bank target. It is not clear what Nigeria’s population is, she said, but estimates put it at between 200 million and 250 million people, spread across 36 states and 774 local government areas.The NIMC boss emphasized the foundational role of the NIN as outlined in a new legal framework enacted by Tinubu at the end of last month. The new digital ID law reinforces Nigeria’s push for a more inclusive, trusted, and interoperable DPI that contributes to a stronger digital economy.Following the enactment of the legislation, the NIMC has embarked on a tour engaging different stakeholders to support its full operationalization. During discussions with the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, Odusote stated that the NIN is vital in boosting the country’s corporate identity ecosystem. Both officials recognized the fact that going forward, all corporate business transactions must be conducted based on identity verified against the NIMC’s database.Odusote also recently met with the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, where they discussed efforts to expand the use of the NIN in the education sector. The target is to reach about 80 million learners, according to a government statement. Alausa said the National Learners’ Identification Number (LIN) has already been integrated with the NIN, as part of efforts to obtain and act on accurate education sector data.The NIN is also being integrated with Nigeria’s postcode system to improve address verification, Politics Nigeria reports. The initiative follows an MoU signed between Odusote and the Postmaster General of NIPOST, Tola Odeyemi. It entails assigning a postcode to every building across the country through a system that is linked to the NIMC’s identity database.NIPOST has also been supporting the NIMC in conducting identity enrollment, especially in hard-to-reach areas of the country.

California quadruples access to mobile driver’s licenses-New law raises enrollment cap from 15% to 60% of licensed drivers as digital ID adoption continues to grow-Jul 14, 2026, 4:02 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery

California has opened its mobile driver’s license program to millions more residents under a new law that raises the enrollment limit from 15 percent to 60 percent of the state’s licensed drivers.Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 169 on Monday as part of the state’s transportation budget legislation. The law took effect immediately and increases the maximum size of the voluntary pilot fourfold.The California Department of Motor Vehicles had previously described the 15 percent limit as approximately 4.2 million people, meaning the new ceiling could accommodate roughly 16.8 million drivers.The state said more than 3.5 million Californians have applied for a mobile driver’s license since the DMV launched its digital wallet in August 2023. Newsom said the expansion would give more residents “the option to carry their ID right on their phone.”“California continues to lead the way by making government services more accessible and efficient,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin.California mobile driver’s licenses and state identification cards can be stored in the CA DMV Wallet or in Apple, Google, and Samsung digital wallets.Adding the credential generally requires a user to scan a physical license or identification card and complete a live facial verification process that compares the applicant with the DMV-issued credential.The CA DMV Wallet was developed with SpruceID and uses face biometrics and liveness detection supplied by iProov. Idemia Public Security supported the more recent integration with Samsung Wallet, which launched in May.Mobile IDs are accepted at participating Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, including checkpoints at Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego airports.The DMV wallet can also be used for passwordless access to MyDMV, enrollment in California community colleges, applications for disabled-person parking permits, and age verification at participating businesses.The credential remains optional and does not replace the physical card. Drivers must continue carrying their physical licenses because many law enforcement agencies, government offices, and businesses do not yet accept mobile IDs.The DMV says use of the credential is not tracked and information does not leave the device without the holder’s consent.SB 169 also makes broader changes to DMV operations. It authorizes electronic vehicle titles, expands the department’s ability to send notices electronically, and ends requirements to print and distribute physical copies of the California Driver’s Handbook.The law also authorizes the DMV to participate in the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ State-to-State Verification Service, which states use to check whether an applicant already holds a license or identification card elsewhere.California must publish annual reports on its participation and establish a monitoring plan to detect unusual requests or attempts to use the system for unauthorized purposes.

AI fraud fuels debate over continuous identity verification-Can government strengthen identity verification without creating infrastructure for persistent surveillance? Jul 15, 2026, 7:27 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery

Artificial intelligence allows organized fraud rings to manufacture thousands of synthetic identities, generate fraudulent documents and deepfake videos, and attack government benefit programs at a scale that federal identity systems were not built to withstand, according to authorities at a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Government Operations.The hearing exposed a central policy conflict over how far agencies should go in continuously evaluating identities and matching information across government programs and what safeguards would be necessary to prevent those capabilities from becoming a broader system for tracking legitimate users.The proposals included wider use of biometrics, device and behavioral data, machine learning, and real-time matching across federal and state databases.The measures were presented as necessary defenses against increasingly automated and transnational fraud operations. The testimony also raised concerns that stronger identity-verification systems, if combined with widely required digital identification, could create infrastructure capable of tracking Americans’ activities.Subcommittee Chairman Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas, said fraudsters can now create hundreds or thousands of synthetic identities and submit applications to multiple government programs simultaneously.Deepfake technology can also be used to impersonate a legitimate applicant and circumvent safeguards intended to confirm that the person presenting an identity is its rightful owner, he said.Sessions said agencies have traditionally treated identity verification as a check performed at the beginning of an application and urged them to consider whether identities should instead be monitored and verified continuously as fraud methods change.Jordan Burris, vice president and head of public sector strategy at Socure, told the subcommittee the government’s identity systems remain largely organized around matching a name, date of birth, and Social Security number against government or commercial records.That may validate that the information belongs to a real person, he said, but it does not establish that the person submitting it is the legitimate owner.The underlying information may already be available to criminals through data breaches, underground markets, or publicly accessible records.Fraud rings can then combine genuine stolen information with newly created email addresses, telephone numbers, bank accounts and digital devices to construct what appears to be a legitimate applicant.In one case documented by Socure, a fraud ring conducted 38,241 transactions involving 465 organizations in 30 industries during a 90-day period.In another case, Socure found a ring acquired 340 internet domains, used generative AI to manufacture 24,148 synthetic identities, and launched 35,894 application attacks against government and commercial targets within approximately 30 days.Many of the attacks began less than 48 hours after an identity was created.Socure’s researchers also found operations targeting several public programs at once.One fraud ring carried out more than 60 attacks against government programs over approximately five weeks, using real stolen identity information with fabricated contact details and foreign virtual private network infrastructure, Burris said.Fraudsters are also making their Internet activity appear more local and legitimate by routing applications through residential proxy networks.David Maimon, head of fraud insights at SentiLink, said the criminal infrastructure developed to steal pandemic relief funds has been redirected toward permanent federal programs.Online markets now offer stolen identities, fabricated documents, bank accounts, money mules, and application assistance as separate services that can be combined into a complete fraud operation.Maimon described criminals using AI-generated faces, fraudulent driver’s licenses, and deepfake video to defeat remote identity checks. The techniques are being used in tax refund fraud, according to Maimon.Federal student aid has also become a target of organized fraud operations.Maimon described a scheme known in online fraud communities as “Pell Running,” in which criminals use stolen or synthetic identities to enroll purported students at colleges, submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, and collect living expense disbursements without attending classes.He said online services sell identity packages prepared specifically for student aid fraud, sometimes accompanied by fabricated high school transcripts, application instructions, and assistance moving the proceeds.The Department of Education introduced real-time, risk-based identity screening in the FAFSA process in April. Burris said Socure supported Federal Student Aid in building the capability, and that legitimate applicants are passing through the process automatically at a rate above 92 percent.The department separately estimated that the broader effort would save more than $1 billion during the current FAFSA cycle.Congress was urged to shift from identity checks performed only when an account is created toward continuous, risk-based analysis.Under such a system, agencies could examine document authenticity, biometric and liveness results, device and behavioral information, and other risk signals at the time of a transaction and reevaluate them as risk changes over the life of an account.Burris also called for agencies to end their remaining use of knowledge-based authentication, in which applicants answer questions about former addresses, relatives, vehicles, or other personal history. Data breaches and commercial information services have made much of that information available to criminals, he said.Maimon recommended real-time matching across tax, Social Security, unemployment, student aid, health care, motor vehicle, and correctional records.The same identity, address, business, or bank account can currently appear in several programs without agencies identifying the connection, he said.He urged Congress to expand the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system, which allows agencies to compare payment information against data used to identify deceased, incarcerated, or otherwise ineligible recipients.Maimon said additional matching should be limited to narrowly defined information and accompanied by access controls, audit logs, retention limits, and procedures allowing applicants to correct errors.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) offered a measured assessment of Login.gov.Marisol Cruz Cain, director of GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity team, said GSA has acted on all but one of the recommendations GAO made after examining the service in 2024 and 2025.GSA brought Login.gov’s remote identity-proofing process into alignment with federal digital identity guidance and began testing its data backup procedures. The remaining recommendation concerns technical problems reported by agencies using the service.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned that efforts to stop fraud should not lead to a digital identification system that Americans must present throughout daily life.Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, told the subcommittee that a digital ID could become a de facto national identity card and allow governments or companies to track when and where it is presented.The risk would increase as digital identification became easier to demand for government services, commercial transactions and online activity, he said.Stanley said digital identification should remain optional in both law and practice, and that government agencies should continue to accept physical documents and provide meaningful in-person alternatives for people without smartphones, reliable Internet connections, or the technological ability to complete remote verification.He also called for systems that prevent issuers from seeing where an identification credential is used, allow people to disclose only the information required for a transaction, and prevent separate presentations from being linked together.Wallets and verification systems should use open and interoperable standards so that Apple, Google or another company cannot become an unavoidable identity gatekeeper, he said.Stanley also cautioned against treating all improper payments as identity fraud.Federal agencies reported approximately $186 billion in improper payments during fiscal 2025, but GAO found that about $153 billion, or 82 percent, consisted of overpayments.Improper payments include administrative errors and incorrect amounts as well as fraud, and stronger identity verification would not prevent every type of payment error.GAO has separately estimated that direct annual financial losses to the federal government from fraud range from $233 billion to $521 billion, based on fiscal 2018 through 2022 data.The range reflects uncertainty in measuring undetected fraud and the differing risk environments during the period, which included the rapid expansion of pandemic relief programs.The unresolved question is whether government can build the persistent and interconnected identity infrastructure sought by fraud prevention specialists without also creating a system capable of continuously tracking and judging law-abiding Americans.

Xcelerate and Socure win $163M Login.gov identity proofing contract-Five-year award covers remote identity verification, biometrics and AI-powered fraud detection for the federal sign-in platform-Jul 15, 2026, 10:56 am EDT | Lu-Hai Liang

Xcelerate Solutions and its subcontractor Socure have been awarded a five-year, $163 million call order to provide identity proofing technology for Login.gov, the federal government’s shared sign-in service.The order was awarded under the General Services Administration’s 2024 Login.gov Next Generation Identity Proofing Blanket Purchase Agreement, and focuses on remote identity verification conducted without direct supervision.Login.gov allows members of the public to use one account to access participating federal services.Xcelerate (formerly Celerity Government Solutions) and Socure said their system will use real-time identity resolution, attribute validation, fraud detection, behavioral analytics, and digital intelligence to verify users and identify suspicious activity.The platform will operate within Socure’s FedRAMP Moderate-authorized environment and will incorporate biometrics, AI, and machine learning.The companies said the technology can be reconfigured as fraud tactics and other threats change.Xcelerate will contribute its experience in federal vetting, personnel security, and technology integration, while Socure will provide the underlying digital identity and fraud detection capabilities.“This work really gets to the heart of what we do … helping the government deliver secure, seamless experiences for the public,” said Xcelerate Vice President Jim Dufford. “Partnering with Socure allows us to bring together proven expertise and advanced technology to make accessing government services both safer and easier for millions of people.”Jordan Burris, head of Socure’s public sector division, said “the government faces Fraud 4.0, and the threat landscape is fundamentally changing. Organized networks and nation-state actors are deploying advanced techniques to exploit identity infrastructure at a speed that legacy systems cannot match, and an adaptive data-driven approach is the only credible way to stay ahead.”

US passport photo plan points to new layer of remote biometric verification-Jul 13, 2026, 11:13 am EDT | Anthony Kimery

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month that the State Department is preparing to make passport applications “almost all” online, including a process in which an applicant uses a phone or computer camera and the government’s security system to “verify the facial ID.”He said applicants would be able to apply “online entirely, for the most part,” but did not say whether first time applicants, minors, or everyone seeking a passport would qualify, and he did not define who would.The announcement suggests a significant expansion of the department’s existing online passport renewal service. Americans already can submit an eligible renewal application online and upload a “selfie” digital image.The current system is designed principally to determine whether an applicant’s uploaded photograph meets passport rules. It is then physically reviewed by an employee.But what Rubio described is a face biometrics comparison confirming that the person submitting a picture is the person associated with the passport record.Speaking at the launch of the commemorative Patriot Passport that features President Donald Trump standing behind the Resolute Desk, Rubio said applicants would be able to go online and do “almost all of it entirely online.”He said the camera that is in a phone, laptop, or desktop computer should allow a person to take a passport picture at home and have the department “verify the facial ID” in real time. He said the department expects to “roll that out in a few months when it’s ready.”Rubio did not say the system would use liveness detection, explain whether the applicant would take a still photo or a short video, or describe how the department would distinguish a live applicant from a replayed image, manipulated photograph, or synthetic video.This part of the process is critical, and the challenge it presents is one of the reasons why most jurisdictions around the world still do not offer selfie photos to be submitted for passports. If the passport issuer does not have control over the capture process, then it is vulnerable to biometric morphing spoof attacks, which have been recognized as a major security issue on both sides of the Atlantic.Rubio also didn’t identify a contractor.His reference to “facial ID” may describe a one-to-one comparison between a newly captured image and a photograph already associated with an applicant’s passport record, which is a different function from one-to-many facial identification or surveillance searching.The distinction matters because the State Department’s passport online renewal system already relies on automated screening. State’s instructions say an applicant selects a digital photo from the device, the tool checks basic image requirements, and a department employee reviews the picture after the application is submitted.The department also says it checks photos for AI editing and other digital changes.Rubio’s proposal appears to move beyond determining whether a photograph has the right background, lighting, position, and file characteristics toward live biometric confirmation of an applicant’s identity.The public contracting record identifies companies currently operating important pieces of that environment, but none of the records prove that State has selected a liveness-detection provider for the forthcoming feature described by Rubio.In April 2024, State Department Consular Affairs awarded eSimplicity a $4.46 million firm-fixed-price contract for the Online Passport Renewal 3.0 modernization program. That work ran through July 2025 and covered modernization of the application service that became the public online renewal platform.State then awarded eSimplicity a larger task order, valued at up to $13.84 million, for Online Passport Enhancement, Renewal, and Application Services, or OPERAS. The contract began in May 2025 and currently runs through July 2028.It is classified as computer systems design and business application development support, meaning eSimplicity is positioned to build and maintain the online workflow through which applicants enter information, submit payment, upload images, and receive system notices.The record does not identify eSimplicity as the developer of a facial recognition algorithm or liveness detection engine.A State Department contract for $68.3 million was awarded to Idemia National Security Solutions in September 2018 for a facial recognition system with updated matching capability, integration with State’s passport and visa issuance processes, and transition from the legacy facial recognition platform.The award record listed a potential completion date of March 31, 2026.A 2025 contracting entry also shows a $6.91 million action associated with that award which reflects a much longer relationship between State and Idemia.When State moved in 2018 to retain the company on a sole-source basis, the department said Idemia screened passport and visa applicants and maintained roughly 360 million facial templates in its proprietary format.State argued that replacing the company would require recreating those templates in another vendor’s format, creating cost and operational risks for passport and visa processing.Idemia markets both active and passive liveness functions and describes a phone or computer camera “selfie check” designed to confirm that the person behind the camera is present rather than a still image.It also holds a place on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) 10-year, $194.5 million Login.gov identity-proofing blanket purchase agreement.In August 2025, GSA began allowing Login.gov users to prove identity with a U.S. passport by capturing the passport’s biographical data page.Login.gov then checks the credential against State Department passport records through a privacy preserving department-operated application programming interface. It is not the same as applying for or renewing a passport, and the department has not said that the new feature announced by Rubio will run through Login.gov.It does, however, demonstrate that the department already operates an interface enabling another federal identity-proofing service to query authoritative passport records.The department has not released a statement of work, security architecture, privacy impact assessment update, test results, or award notice tying any company to the forthcoming feature.

Caribbean countries align digital identity efforts for regional integration-Digital ID and biometric initiatives are strengthening governance, travel and security-Jul 14, 2026, 1:50 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald

Countries in the Caribbean are pushing ahead with their digital transformation pursuits through digital identity and biometric initiatives that seek to put in place a harmonized regional trust framework needed to streamline governance, travel, tourism, public service delivery, and regional security.This is evident in recent developments across several countries and a regional body, in moves that tie in with a bigger global trend where digital public infrastructure (DPI) is increasingly becoming the backbone of national sovereignty, regional integration, and digital economy growth.Among the countries is Curaçao which is pushing for a new digital ID system to modernize and streamline access to government services. The country is working with the Netherlands’ Logius agency to develop a local version of DigiD and MijnOverheid, a national digital identity and government service portals, Curaçao Chronicle reports. Logius brings its Dutch experience where it has built systems that enable citizens in the Netherlands to effectively and securely carry out transactions with government institutions digitally.In the same vein, the Cayman Islands is expanding its national ID card program to permanent residents, dependents, and other eligible categories in a push to create a foundational identity for easy access to government services . The Department of eGovernment announced recently, as reported by Cayman Compass, that applications for identity registration are being accepted and the major objective is to expand access to government-issued ID cards. Many countries including Nigeria and Ethiopia are also multiplying efforts to increase digital ID coverage as the need to make them critical tools for service delivery heightens.For Cuba, the priority for the moment is to consolidate its identity system through a legal framework recently passed by parliament. Overseen by the Ministry of Interior, the new law replaces a 2007 decree and aims to put in place a centralized data repository that has the records of Cuban citizens as well as foreign residents, according to Cuba Headlines. The new Cuban identity legislation defines biometrics as a major aspect of the identification system which includes modalities such as voice, iris, and facial biometrics.The Dominican Republic, which has been playing a major role in enhancing regional integration and digital transformation in the region, was recently recognized with a distinction during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026. The Inter-American Digital Government Network (GEALC), which was rewarded, is helping to advance digital government, interoperability, digital identity, and data protection across Latin America and the Caribbean, News in America writes.Meanwhile, Guyana and Barbados launched a pioneering e-ID card travel system on July 1, allowing citizens of both countries to travel using only their digital ID cards without passports. This initiative represents a significant step toward regional integration and seamless movement within CARICOM. Several other CARICOM member states have expressed interest in integrating their e-ID systems with Guyana’s.These developments come as regional security and border control efforts keep building. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently concluded a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with several Caribbean nations under the umbrella of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). It is a biometric-sharing deal which lays out cooperation between the community and the United States on the exchange of biometric information for border control and vetting.The efforts in the Caribbean mirror early stages of DPI development seen in other regions, such as with the European Union’s eIDAS framework and India’s Aadhaar system where foundational identity precedes the rollout of broader digital services.

GoSerpent campaign used coordinated malware chain to steal government files-Attackers combined remote access, credential theft and data collection tools to quietly gather and remove sensitive government files over months-Jul 19, 2026, 3:20 pm EDT | Anthony Kimery

A previously undocumented malware campaign targeting government and diplomatic organizations in Southeast Asia used a succession of remote access, credential theft and data exfiltration tools designed to remain inside compromised networks for months before removing the information it had collected.Kaspersky said it discovered the activity in February, although some of the attacks had been underway since late 2025.Researchers found earlier versions of the principal backdoor, which they named GoSerpent, dating to 2021. The company has not conclusively identified the operator or disclosed the affected countries and organizations.GoSerpent is a remote access Trojan written in the Go programming language. The more recent version is launched with an encrypted, Base64-encoded command line argument containing the address of its command-and-control server and a password used for communications.The malware decrypts that information using AES-CBC encryption and then protects its exchanges with the remote server using ChaCha20 encryption.Once connected, GoSerpent gives the operator broad control over the infected computer. It can open a command shell, upload or download files, connect to additional systems, listen on network ports, and forward traffic between compromised machines.It can also turn the infected computer into a SOCKS5 proxy, allowing attackers to reach other parts of the victim’s network while obscuring the source of their activity.Kaspersky found the malware using names resembling legitimate system files, including lass.exe and updates.exe.GoSerpent was also used as a delivery mechanism. After establishing access, the attackers waited several days before installing ThumbcacheService, a malicious Windows service that searched for Word, Excel, and PDF files.It stored copies in a database under the public users directory, compressed the material into password protected archives and imposed a 20-megabyte limit on individual archive files.It also monitored the Windows Recycle Bin for deleted documents that matched the targeted file types.The operators separately deployed Mimikatz to obtain credential material from Windows memory and QuarksDumpLocalHash to extract local account password hashes from the system registry.According to Kaspersky, those credentials were not simply another category of stolen information. They were later used to move the collected files through network shares.The operation then entered a second stage. After allowing ThumbcacheService to gather documents for several weeks, the attackers returned in May with Stowaway, a customized remote access and proxy tool capable of creating chained connections through multiple machines.Stowaway supports SOCKS5 proxies, port forwarding, reverse tunnels, remote shells, file transfers and encrypted communications over TCP, HTTP, and WebSocket connections.Stowaway delivered a loader called TmcLoader and an encrypted configuration file. TmcLoader installed itself as a Windows service, decrypted its payload and loaded it into the memory of the legitimate Windows svchost process, helping conceal the malware and maintain access.The payload then read network share credentials and destination paths from the configuration file and transferred the database previously assembled by ThumbcacheService.The significance of the campaign lies less in any single malware component than in how the tools were coordinated. One component established remote access, another collected documents, credential dumping utilities obtained the access needed for later movement, and a final payload removed the accumulated material.Kaspersky said similarities in targeting and techniques suggest a possible connection to the group it tracks as TetrisPhantom but emphasized that the attribution remains uncertain.

Within line of sight – personal issue police drones are on the horizon-Jul 19, 2026, 3:35 pm EDT | Fraser Sampson-By Professor Fraser Sampson, former UK Biometrics & Surveillance Camera Commissioner.

The announcement by the Metropolitan Police Service that they are to deploy drones across all 32 London boroughs shouldn’t come as a surprise – at least not to anyone involved in providing police aerial capability.The popular image of police air support is the ‘Blue Thunder’ model from the old TV series set in Los Angeles. The reality in the UK is very different. British police helicopters are not used to land SWAT teams, and the policing environment doesn’t yet need the advanced armed functionality of the semi-military engagements in many US police departments. The numbers underscore the differences: while the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has 17 helicopters to cover the city’s 1200 square kilometres, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) for England and Wales has just two more to cover the entire country (150, 000 square km).When we established NPAS in West Yorkshire in 2012, air support’s principal contribution to policing was eyes in the sky. Think of the police helicopter as a flying camera platform – then the real surprise from the Met’s decision is how it’s taken so long to adopt cheaper, adaptable technology that’s already proved itself in many other fields.Although the rotary vs fixed wing debate has rumbled on in policing for years, there are many settings in which drones offer more than either of them – and for a lot less. Examples of where uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) are already upstaging old world airframes include wide area searches of hostile terrain in Australia, traffic monitoring and incident management in Vietnam and air quality sampling in California.Although providing an undoubtedly valuable service, the highly dispersed NPAS police fleet is very limited in both its capability and availability. Annual maintenance requirements alone are around 10 weeks per helicopter, meaning almost 20% of their time is spent in the shed while, for the remainder of the year, the reported average availability rate in response to a request last year was 65.8%. What this figure doesn’t show is the number of ‘never made’ requests where an officer knows from experience that a helicopter won’t be coming so doesn’t ask – like people who stop calling the police for the same reason.Individual forces are beginning to use drones to tackle rural crime and patrol railway lines but emerging threats to Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) stretch far beyond the remit and reach of even national law enforcement. Immediately deployable assets are needed to protect waterways and motorways, power stations and data centres on a scale that is simply unaffordable for conventional police air cover.Last year NPAS announced plans to work with global air systems manufacturer Schiebel on feasibility trials of UAVs to work ‘alongside’ crewed helicopters and planes for ‘Beyond the Visual Line of Sight’ (BVLOS) use cases. Schiebel’s S-100 is called a CAMCOPTER which tells you what it does, raising the question what additional functionality the £50m per year fleet of police visibility cams brings.In the combat environment, drones are a formidable leveller; their rapid evolution has rewritten the rules of engagement as shown in conflicts in Ukraine and the Gulf. Some battlefield capabilities will be transferable to the fight against crime, functions like intelligence gathering and logistics, but the real opportunities for UAVs – particularly micro-drones – are much closer to the ground.Small civilian drones are being fitted with mixed modality biometrics like face recognition and gait analytics to work at Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) altitudes. They can be kitted out to allow officer initiated facial recognition for confirmation of ID, and data analytics to conduct live routine checks against the wanted and worrying. Offering augmentation of situational awareness, scene recording and transmission and potential de-escalation of aggression, airborne police cameras are a natural elevation of the body worn device being widely used in law enforcement already. The British army is considering the use of autonomous robotics for close protection of soldiers; with the growing list of benefits they bring, drone-borne cameras might be equally effective as top cover for response personnel in the police and other blue light services.Accelerated drone use will bring some new challenges for policing, particularly around data storage and sharing, anti-UAV activity plus cyber vulnerabilities and even injection attacks, however their flexibility, affordability and adaptability make them an obvious investment for local prioritisation over national mandation.With no procurement protocols or deployment policies to slow them down, organised crime groups will have noticed how next generation drones have taken off. Terrorist organisations have deployed 3D ‘printable’ drones using commercially available components that can be adapted for dual civilian and military use for around $300-$400, making them “cheap, disposable and hard to evade” even by sophisticated military defences. Drones are increasingly being used in multi domain criminality; evolving UAV capabilities have gone beyond dropping drugs and weapons into prisons, to potentially lifting people out of them. All this means there will be a need for drone tracking and interception from police air support in the future but, if helicopters were the answer, why would the army be replacing its fleet of Wildcat scouts currently used for that purpose with UAV? For policing, the strategic risk in further delaying the use of drones is the perennial one: being outgunned by criminal adopters of available technology. Multi capability UAVs are giving universal tactical options to both police and criminals everywhere. Until now, the approaches to police air support in the US and the UK have been very different but that’s changing. A decade ago, a policing advisor to governments in both jurisdictions told me that one day every patrol officer would have a drone. Cost, capability and competition for aerial effectiveness will probably prove him right – and that day may be much closer than we think.

Biometric age assurance market gears up for rapid expansion as rules clarify-Jul 18, 2026, 1:17 pm EDT | Chris Burt

Biometric age assurance was turned up to 11 this week, as in 11 different Biometric Update articles on efforts to keep children off of certain types of apps and websites. Among the highlights; the impact of VPNs appears to be less than thought, law are advancing from Bulgaria to Missouri, Jumio has a contract and Tik Tok is facing an investigation.Even in a week that included a surprise merger announcement by Veridas and Fourthline and a $163 million contract win for Socure and a partner, steps towards universal digital ID issuance and cross-border interoperability, the sheer volume of signs of an emerging market taking off stands out.VPNo problem-Early evidence from the UK shows that nearly 40 percent of children have gotten around age checks directly, mostly because they were ineffective checks, while only a quarter have used a VPN. And Australia is finding potential compliance problems all over the place, yet account ownership by children is down 18 percent, parents think.Platforms can also detect VPN use, so the UK government says in its decision not to restrict VPN use that the onus is on them to play by the rules.Laws, enforcement advance-A special panel of the European Commission recommends age verification or age estimation for social media, but also greater cooperation between regulators to ensure they comply with fundamental rights requirements. The EC has survey data suggesting the public also supports stronger age restrictions for social media. Legislation is already on the table in EU Member State Bulgaria. An MP with the main opposition party proposed the bill, which refers to the potential use of EUDI Wallets and a national implementation of the accompanying age verification app.Across the English Channel, the UK has its legal foundation in place, and is ready to take on the social media in the role of dragon-slaying popular hero. Platforms have three months to implement highly-effective age assurance, as the regulator turns to enforcement.Meanwhile, Ofcom is looking into whether Tik Tok’s “age inference” system meets the “highly effective” threshold, or even the definition of age assurance rather than “profiling.” As with Meta, the scale of the platform makes effective enforcement, if it is deemed necessary, a tall order.Gambling is a fast-growing market for biometric age assurance, and Boyle Sports is covered now that Jumio is providing age and identity verification for customers in the UK and Ireland.The United States could be the next big market for facial age estimation, with a bipartisan proposal in the House to require biometric age assurance during user authentication. The idea is to prevent youths from using accounts belonging to people who passed conventional identity checks during onboarding, and thus a potential expansion of requirements.The debate around age assurance in the U.S. so far has resembled others in biometrics in that reaction has sometimes run ahead of education. The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA) aims to help get the industry’s message out more effectively with a newly redesigned website.Missouri’s age assurance law has taken effect, and a leading pornography platform that often blocks access from states with such rules is operating with age verification in place. The law prohibits the storage of identifying data by third parties, and Netchoice has turned its attention in the state to an AI bill. A U.S. Senator is pushing for regulation at the federal level of how children interact with AI as well.Work on the international age assurance standard has reached the publication of a draft for analysis and comparison of systems. ISO/IEC 27566 Part 3 is in review by ISO members, and will eventually provide a basis for testing and conformity assessments.And finally, in this week’s episode of the Biometric Update Podcast, we go deep on age assurance regulation – what’s happening where, what it means for organizations and individuals, and how changing laws are reflecting a bigger shift in public trust and the online ecosystem.Please let us know if you come across any columns, podcasts or other content you would like us to share with the people in biometrics and the digital identity community in the comments below or through social media.

Age assurance explained: The laws reshaping the internet-Global age assurance laws are evolving quickly, creating new compliance challenges and privacy debates-Jul 18, 2026, 1:11 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey

A year ago, age assurance was a niche topic and the biometrics industry was still anticipating the effect that the UK’s Online Safety Act would have on adult content sites. Today it sits at the center of a global debate over online safety, privacy and digital identity.In December 2025, Australia introduced the world’s first law restricting large social media platforms to users 16 and older. Since then, a groundswell of public support has prompted governments around the world to follow suit in making social media a 16-and-up affair.In this episode of the Biometric Update Podcast, we go deep on age assurance regulation – what’s happening where, what it means for organizations and individuals, and how changing laws are reflecting a bigger shift in public trust and the online ecosystem.

German lawmakers approve live facial recognition use by federal police-Legal basis for LFR in alignment with AI Act advances towards enactment-Jul 17, 2026, 12:35 pm EDT | Chris Burt

Germany’s Federal Police appear on track to get new powers in a broad update of their governing rules, including a legal basis to use live facial recognition in public in certain emergency situations.The changes were approved by the Bundestag, but without the necessary numbers to constitute a final decision, as some lawmakers had already left the proceedings when the vote was held. Once the majority is confirmed, following the summer recess at the earliest, the new rules will go before the Federal Council for final approval.“Live” or “real-time” facial recognition is prohibited in public spaces under the European Union’s AI Act except in specific circumstances, like time-sensitive investigations of kidnappings or terrorism.The legislation establishes rules for German Federal Police to use LFR in cases where there is urgent danger to the state or an individual. It also provides legal backing for police use of video analysis for automated threat detection, along with digital surveillance tools, expanded collection of digital data and the use of both drones and anti-drone technology.The Bundestag passed the Federal Police Act in a simple standing vote, rather than an exact count. The Act updates a set of regulations put in place in 1994 for the country’s 55,000 federal police officers.German investigative journalist outlet Corrective, however, claims that video clearly shows the necessary 316 representatives necessary to establish a majority were not even present in the Bundestag when the vote was held. The combined votes of the CDU/CSU and the SPD would be sufficient to reach a majority, so a repeat vote, which an official notice from the Bundestag mentions as a possibility, is likely to produce the same result. In the meantime, none of the opposition parties has objected to the vote on grounds of a failure to reach quorum.Opposition politicians from the Greens and The Left warned about the dubious legal status of LFR and the risk of normalizing excessive surveillance, respectively, in responses reported by Tagesschau.The German Federal Council (Bundesrat), meanwhile, is proposing a modernization of the country’s Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO-E) that would allow police agencies to run face biometrics searches against publicly accessible images online.

Kantara updates digital identity certification criteria for latest NIST revision-Expansion adds biometric injection attack detection-Jul 17, 2026, 11:33 am EDT | Chris Burt

The Kantara Initiative has expanded its certification program for NIST’s Digital Identity Guidelines by releasing new criteria for their latest version. NIST SP 800-63 Revision 4 introduces new requirements to the Guidelines, including for biometric injection attack detection (IAD).NIST updated its Digital Identity Guidelines just under a year ago, adding consideration for a host of new technologies including passkeys, digital wallets and IAD.Kantara has published its Service Assessment Criteria (SAC) and Statements of Criteria Applicability (SoCA) for SP 800-63B-4 – Authentication and Authenticator Management and SP 800-63-4 Base Volume, after publishing the criteria documents for SP 800-63A-4 – Identity Proofing and Enrollment in March.Each set of criteria “takes the requirements from a NIST 800-63 Revision 4 volume and turns them into things an assessor can check,” Kantara Communications Lead Gracie Liberman told Biometric Update in an email. That means assessments against Revision 4 for 800-63A and 800-63B are now available from Kantara.Kantara is also in the process of developing the assessment criteria for SP 800-63C-4 – Federation and Assertions, the fourth and last of the updated Digital Identity Guideline documents.“By continuing to evolve its certification programs alongside NIST’s Digital Identity Guidelines, Kantara remains committed to advancing trusted, interoperable, and standards-based digital identity solutions for organizations worldwide,” the Kantara Initiative says in its announcement on LinkedIn.Existing certifications against NIST’s Revision 3 Digital Identity Guidelines are unaffected, and organizations holding them can chose to transition to the new Revision at their next triennial assessment, or earlier.

ROC sweeps Class B in NIST’s latent biometric accuracy assessment-Company pitches domestic ABIS positioning based on ELFT results-Jul 17, 2026, 11:30 am EDT | Chris Burt

ROC is making the case for U.S. domestic fingerprint biometrics at scale to be powered by algorithms developed in America, armed with improved results in its latest evaluation by NIST.The company emphasizes the multiple categories in which it scored the highest accuracy in the Evaluation of Latent Fingerprint Technologies (ELFT), along with the fast speed of its latent print processing.The latest ELFT results place ROC first in all 28 Class B Metrics. Class B is the set of fingerprint 4-4-2 capture scenarios, those involving “slap” scanners for simultaneous multi-finger biometrics collection.The company’s strong ELFT results follow a strong showing in NIST’s FRIF TE E1N, particularly in the Class B categories.ROC’s algorithm also performed 64-times faster in the ELFT evaluation than the mean processing time of the top five vendors evaluated across datasets from the FBI and DoD, at 102 seconds.Principal Scientist Josh Engelsma notes in a post analyzing the company’s results that “large-scale U.S. biometric identity systems have relied heavily on foreign fingerprint providers.”The latest results show ROC’s readiness to replace those foreign companies as an automated biometric identification system (ABIS) supplier for American government and law enforcement agencies operating high-throughput systems.To that end, the company’s ROC Watch was also granted Developmental Testing and Evaluation (DT&E) Designation by DHS just days ago.“Latent fingerprint recognition is one of the most technically challenging evaluations in biometrics, due to distorted or partial evidence utilized in analysis against sizable identity databases,” ROC CEO B. Scott Swan.ROC also tied for the best accuracy among biometrics providers from the Western hemisphere in Rank-1 results for the FBI Laboratory Dataset with its latest algorithm, at 0.0612.“What stands out in this ELFT submission is ROC’s optimization of both accuracy and throughput,” says ROC Chief Scientist and Co-founder Dr. Brendan Klare. “The low error rates across multiple benchmark conditions, combined with the fastest search speed, shows continued leadership and progress on the two outcomes that materially affect large-scale latent search: candidate quality and system throughput. These gains are especially meaningful in large-scale deployments, where performance, compute, and total cost of ownership must be considered together.”

Zetrix expands digital identity, AI ambitions ahead of Nasdaq listing-Company is linking cross-border credentials, DPI and trusted AI to support gov't services and digital commerce-Jul 17, 2026, 11:25 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald

Malaysia-based firm Zetrix AI is pursuing an approach that links up blockchain, digital identity, and agentic AI as the backbone of digital public infrastructure (DPI) and the global digital economy.Recently, the company announced a number of wins including progress in its financial figures, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippines to develop and operate the country’s blockchain infrastructure.According to reporting by The Business Times, the agreement designates Zetrix AI’s Layer-1 public blockchain as the foundational protocol for the Philippines’ public blockchain infrastructure. The infrastructure will underpin critical government digital services and allow authorities to issue and verify official credentials using blockchain-based authentication.The Philippines has been building its digital public infrastructure ecosystem based on a solid MOSIP-based national digital ID system that has so far registered more than 90 million people. The country’s engagement with Zetrix highlights a trend where blockchain technology is being adopted as a foundational layer of DPI, which many countries around the world are currently building.According to the company, early work will centre on three areas which include enabling cross-border interoperability between the digital identity systems of Malaysia and the Philippines, rolling out blockchain-based credential issuance for Philippine government documents, and supporting trade facilitation.Zetrix has been operating in the Philippines for nearly a decade, providing digital government services to agencies including the Bureau of Internal Revenue, National Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Ports Authority, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.Apart from the Philippines deal, Zetrix is also working on an AI Avatar project where it has built an AI agent of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dubbed PMX AI. The avatar was created at the initiative of Anwar’s party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), using training data drawn from his public speeches, written works, and the policy record of his government.Zetrix explains that the project seeks to serve a primarily administrative purpose, aimed at making it easier for Malaysians to navigate government services. It can assist with driver’s license renewals, send payment links, confirm completed transactions, and guide users to the next step. The avatar is expected to be launched soon and it comes ahead of general elections in the country expected in the next two years.Apart from government applications, Zetrix says it sees agentic AI playing a growing role in commerce and personal task automation, where trusted digital identity will be essential for secure operations.The emergence of agentic commerce where AI agents autonomously search, evaluate, and transact on behalf of users is gained momentum, with major players like OpenAI, Mastercard, and Visa developing protocols and payment infrastructure for AI-driven shopping.Zetrix managing group director, Wong Thean Soon is quoted as commenting that as time goes on, AI agents will more and more negotiate, purchase goods, and perform tasks on behalf of individuals and organizations, but these agents must have a trusted digital identity to perform such tasks securely.As it pursues these projects and ambition, Zetrix says it also has plans of listing its AI unit, AI Foundation Lab, on the Nasdaq stock exchange before this year runs out. Already, the unit has secured private funding from global investors that valued the company at $3 billion, including a 2.5 percent stake purchased by the World Bank’s IFC in February.The firm hopes for a similar level of market capitalization upon the listing, from which it aims to retain an 85 percent stake in the AI unit.