The plan aims to operationalise the strategy approved by the Prime Minister earlier this year, ensuring coordinated and effective implementation across ministries, sectors, localities, socio-political organisations, businesses and the wider public. It seeks to unify awareness and action in building the national brand while enhancing international communication efforts. At its core, the plan emphasises mobilising the combined strength of the political system and society, linking communications with the promotion of cultural values and soft power of the country. The initiative is expected to help enhance Vietnam’s global standing, reputation and image while supporting the development of cultural industries in line with the Politburo’s Resolution No.80/ NQ/TW and Resolution No.30/ NQ-CP of the Government. For the 2026–2030 period, the plan highlights the need for a strong shift in mindset, a high-level consensus in awareness and action, and conferences, seminars, and discussions on this work. The strategy will be widely disseminated to ministries, sectors, political-social organisations, local authorities, press agencies, businesses, and citizens both at home and abroad. Training and capacity-building programmes on modern communications mindset and data-driven communications will be stepped up. The ministry will also establish a comprehensive communications content framework, prioritising sectors such as culture, tourism, cuisine, heritage and cultural industries. A “Vietnam Story Bank” will be developed, digitised and structured using metadata to optimise searchability and reuse. In parallel, a unified national brand identity and shared communications toolkit will be created for use by ministries, sectors and localities. The plan underscores the building of a modern digital media ecosystem by applying digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in content production and distribution. Multilingual digital content systems will be developed across cross-border platforms, alongside national communications campaigns promoting Vietnamese culture, tourism, and heritage. Traditional cultural content and events will also be digitised to expand their reach online. The plan
May 1, 2026 · via vietnamnet.vn
Indonesian startup launches multimodal biometric KYC, authentication platform Indonesia-based identity verification and biometrics provider Beeza has launched a multimodal biometric authentication platform with proprietary biometric liveness detection for enterprise security and identity management. The startup says its new platform supports adaptive authentication with a fusion of face, fingerprint, iris and voice biometrics, and claims leading accuracy and fraud prevention results. The platform also includes face image quality assessment for reduced false rejection rates, government database integration for real-time verification and compliance, and a choice of cloud-based or on-premise deployment for control over sensitive biometric data and data sovereignty considerations. A company spokesperson says in the announcement that Beeza’s platform uses AI to combine biometric modalities to set a new standard in security and usability. Fintechs, banks, insurance companies multifinance firms, e-commerce vendors and digital asset trading platforms have deployed Beeza’s biometric platform for KYC checks, transaction authentication and access control already, according to the announcement. Beeza’s website shows that its KYC software includes verification of family information, employment, phone numbers, location and property ownership. Indonesia has been steadily increasing KYC requirements, such as for biometric SIM registration, and biometric identity verification could soon become necessary for new use cases like access to social media. Article Topics adaptive authentication | Beeza | biometric authentication | biometric liveness detection | biometrics | Indonesia | multimodal biometrics Comments
May 1, 2026 · via biometricupdate.com
T-Shirts have become a facial recognition threat, a new study shows how to stop it Discsussions of biometric presentation attacks typically center around financial fraud attempts, but the increasing use of facial recognition in public has spurred researchers to develop clever ways to dupe the technology to evade security or surveillance. One of the methods that has proven successful in controlled experiments is adversarial images presented on T-shirts. The latest development in this field replaces adversarial images and patterns with face presentation attacks: A T-shirt with a printed human face is presented to the camera, tricking the facial recognition system into believing it is seeing a real three-dimensional face. A new paper from a group of researchers at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany shows a way to prevent these cheap and effective presentation attacks. The researchers tested three widely-used, open-source face detection algorithms, RetinaFace, MTCNN, and dlib, against the T-shirt Face Presentation Attack (TFPA) database. The database contains over 1,600 images taken from 100 different T-shirts, each printed with a facial image. Eight people were recruited to wear T-shirts with printed faces in different poses, while their images were captured with a RealSense D435, a sophisticated camera capable of capturing depth information for 3D images. In almost all cases, face detection algorithms picked up the face on the T-shirt. The average estimated detection rate of the three algorithms surpassed 99 percent for all eight poses, the results show. The study also showed that if the attacker hid their face, either by covering it with hands, wearing a face mask, or tilting their head, a face biometrics system would likely return a match with the T-shirt – meaning the attack would succeed. The success of this presentation attack is worrisome, as T-shirts are easy to make compared to
May 1, 2026 · via biometricupdate.com
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Authorities in Kuala Lumpur have upgraded all 10,000 surveillance cameras across the capital with high-resolution facial recognition technology to enhance security and improve urban management. The information was announced at a press briefing on April 30 by Hannah Yeoh, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and Kuala Lumpur Mayor Fadlun Mak Ujud. The initiative forms part of a large-scale plan to build an integrated system linking surveillance, law enforcement, and urban operations. Speaking at the event, Yeoh said the system is expected to strengthen coordination between city authorities, police, and relevant agencies. Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus noted that the surveillance system has already demonstrated clear effectiveness, increasing suspect detection rates by up to 50% and significantly supporting investigations, thereby improving case resolution rates. With the upgraded technology, authorities can monitor suspicious behaviour, track suspects’ movements, and make early interventions when necessary. The mayor also said city authorities are working with the Transport Ministry to expand the system’s application to traffic enforcement. The integration is expected to enable agencies such as the Road Transport Department to respond more quickly to violations, including encroachment into bus lanes or traffic obstruction. Police also expect the system to improve traffic regulation, which is still largely handled manually. In addition to facial recognition, the system incorporates advanced features such as geofencing in high-risk areas and behavioural analytics to detect suspicious activities and send alerts to the Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre. Some cameras in hotspot areas are also equipped with loudspeaker functions to issue real-time warnings to the public./.
May 1, 2026 · via en.vietnamplus.vn
SASSA aims to reduce long lines with its biometric system Ntuthuzelo Nene 30 April 2026 | 17:00SASSA says its biometric enrollment system, launched in September last year, is making it easier for beneficiaries to apply for grants and verify their status remotely. Picture: @OfficialSASSA/X The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) said that it’s working to cut down the number of grant recipients visiting its offices. SASSA said that its biometric enrollment system, launched in September last year, is making it easier for beneficiaries to apply for grants and verify their status remotely. The system uses fingerprint and facial recognition to curb fraud and confirm identities. SASSA’s Executive Manager for Grant Administration, Brenton van Vrede, said that applicants can now apply online without setting foot in an office. He said that beneficiaries with access to a computer and a fingerprint reader can also complete verification from home. "Obviously, we can't force you to just use the online system. If you need assistance, you can come into a SASSA local office where we would be able to assist you to do that, particularly those maybe with the old greed ID's." Van Vrede added that the biometric system, integrated with the Home Affairs department and already used for the Social Relief of Distress grant, is simplifying verification for both the agency and recipients. ALSO READ: SASSA plans to introduce voice recognition systems Get the whole picture 💡 Take a look at the topic timeline for all related articles.
May 1, 2026 · via ewn.co.za
Now, tourists and visitors heading to Dubai and other emirates in the UAE, like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, and others can take advantage of the new biometric- based service to open bank accounts and get a digital debit card which would allow them to make cashless payments once the account is created. According to a report from Khaleej Times, one of the oldest newspapers in the UAE, visitors can now open digital bank accounts within minutes using a new âTourist Identityâ initiative launched on Wednesday, as stated by the authorities Also read: Dubai Residential Visa: You no longer need minimum 7.5 lakh Dirhams to buy a property, Dubai Land Department makes Visa rules easier According to the report, this initiative uses biometrics and facial recognition as its backend technology and is thus fully digital. Moreover, this new system links the digital identity system with ADCBâs mobile banking application, enabling tourists and visitors to open bank accounts within minutes and instantly access essential banking services, including digital debit cards. Earlier, non-residents, tourists and visitors could open accounts in certain UAE banks only, but that process was document-heavy. To help visitors and touritst, now this new initiative shifts that old document heavy process to an official digital identity-led model, allowing tourists to open a digital bank account within minutes. According to the report, UAE officials said that the move is aimed at boosting financial inclusion and accelerating the countryâs push towards a digital payments ecosystem, while reducing reliance on cash transactions. Saif Humaid Al Dhaheri, Assistant Governor for Banking Operations and Support Services at the CBUAE, said that this initiative connects visitors to the UAEâs national payment ecosystem, including the âJaywanâ card scheme and the instant payment platform âAaniâ. âThe initiative contributes to enhancing ease of doing business and delivering an integrated
May 1, 2026 · via m.economictimes.com
Abstract Generalist foundation models (GFMs) are renowned for their exceptional capability and flexibility in diverse tasks. In the field of medicine, while GFMs exhibit superior generalizability, specialist models excel in precision because of their domain-specific knowledge. Here we show a cooperative framework, Generalist–Specialist Collaboration (GSCo), that synergistically combines a powerful generalist model with lightweight specialists. In this framework, specialists provide expert guidance, such as diagnostic predictions and visually similar clinical cases, as contextual information to the generalist, which then makes a final diagnosis. We developed MedDr, an open-source GFM tailored for medicine, as well as a suite of lightweight specialist models crafted for specific downstream tasks. A comprehensive evaluation on 32 datasets across diverse medical modalities shows that MedDr outperforms state-of-the-art GFMs on downstream datasets. Furthermore, GSCo exceeds GFMs and specialists in medical image diagnosis and report generation. This approach offers an effective and computationally efficient paradigm for deploying GFMs in clinical settings, enhancing scalability and enabling precise analysis across a wide range of scenarios. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles $119.00 per year only $9.92 per issue Buy this article - Purchase on SpringerLink - Instant access to the full article PDF. USD 39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Similar content being viewed by others Data availability This study incorporates a total of 45 datasets. Among these, 28 datasets were used for the training of MedDr, including SLAKE45, VQA-RAD39, Path-VQA18, PMC-VQA46, PMC-CaseReport14, MIMIC-CXR20, IU-Xray21, VinDr-SpineXR24, VinDr-PCXR32, VinDr-Mammo67, VinDr-CXR68, CheXpert69, ChestX-ray1435, PCam20070, PAD-UFES-2036, DermNet71, HAM1000033, ISIC202072, Kvasir73, Kvasir Capsule37, WCE74, GastroVision75, ODIR76,
May 1, 2026 · via nature.com
SASSA aims to reduce long lines with its biometric system Ntuthuzelo Nene 30 April 2026 | 17:00SASSA says its biometric enrollment system, launched in September last year, is making it easier for beneficiaries to apply for grants and verify their status remotely. Picture: @OfficialSASSA/X The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) said that it’s working to cut down the number of grant recipients visiting its offices. SASSA said that its biometric enrollment system, launched in September last year, is making it easier for beneficiaries to apply for grants and verify their status remotely. The system uses fingerprint and facial recognition to curb fraud and confirm identities. SASSA’s Executive Manager for Grant Administration, Brenton van Vrede, said that applicants can now apply online without setting foot in an office. He said that beneficiaries with access to a computer and a fingerprint reader can also complete verification from home. "Obviously, we can't force you to just use the online system. If you need assistance, you can come into a SASSA local office where we would be able to assist you to do that, particularly those maybe with the old greed ID's." Van Vrede added that the biometric system, integrated with the Home Affairs department and already used for the Social Relief of Distress grant, is simplifying verification for both the agency and recipients. ALSO READ: SASSA plans to introduce voice recognition systems Get the whole picture 💡 Take a look at the topic timeline for all related articles.
May 1, 2026 · via ewn.co.za
A simple facial photograph may reveal more than appearance. This study shows how tracking subtle changes in facial aging over time could help predict survival and reshape cancer care. Study: Face aging rate quantifies change in biological age to predict cancer outcomes. Image credit: hedgehog94/Shutterstock.com A study published in Nature Communications examines the predictive capability of photograph-based face aging rate (FAR) for overall survival in cancer patients. AI-derived facial age as a measurable biological indicator Biological aging rates vary substantially between individuals and can influence cancer outcomes independently of chronological age. However, their clinical use remains limited by the lack of practical, noninvasive biomarkers that can be easily applied in routine care. FaceAge is an artificial intelligence–based tool that estimates biological age from facial features such as skin texture, volume loss, and structural changes. Previous studies have shown that cancer patients predicted to be older than their chronological age have poorer survival outcomes, supporting its potential as a prognostic biomarker. Using Face Age to measure aging rate The authors previously developed a model called Foundation Artificial Intelligence Models for Health Recognition (FAHR-FaceAge), which was trained to recognize signs of ill-health on over 40 million facial images. When used with Face Age, they found that patients whose predicted age was five or more years greater than their chronological age had a 21 % higher mortality risk. Building on this, the researchers examined serial photographs to understand the signs associated with disease progression or treatment response. Such longitudinal measures are already widely used in clinical practice; for example, changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels over time help assess prostate cancer risk, while variability in blood pressure provides insight into cardiovascular risk. FAR and overall survival in cancer The researchers conducted a retrospective study on 2,276 cancer patients on radiation therapy. Most participants
May 1, 2026 · via news-medical.net
There’s no shortage of speculation about what generative AI portends for culture: Visions range from a “dead internet,” in which bots produce the majority of online content, to utopic redistribution scenarios, in which universal basic income grants humans unprecedented creative leisure. But for more than a decade—before many people had ever heard of a large language model (LLM)—artist Trevor Paglen has been making work about what generative AI is already doing to culture. His incisive new book, How to See Like a Machine: Images After AI, distills key insights from his practice to make the case that mainstream understanding of images remains stuck in an outdated paradigm. The old paradigm is semiotic and human-centered: Our species treats images as “representations, signs, allegories, or metaphors” to interpret. The new paradigm—which doesn’t supplant the old one so much as add another, less immediately apparent, layer to it—is operational: “a universe of images made by machines for other machines,” whose goal is to shape reality rather than merely represent it. For Paglen, seeing like a machine entails recognizing how images serve as “activations”—“stimuli that trigger automated, preconscious, or affective responses”—within technical or cultural circuits. He believes this recognition moves the critical question away from “What does this image say?” and toward “What does this image do?” Paglen acknowledges that the latter question is not new. Over the past half-century, media theorists such as Vilém Flusser and Paul Virilio, as well as artists such as Harun Farocki and Hito Steyerl, have perceptively addressed similar questions. Indeed, image activations “have existed throughout all known human history and across every culture,” as in the use of icons in premodern rituals. What’s new, according to Paglen, is the contemporary technological environment. He contends that in the past decade or so, “we have witnessed two great upheavals in
May 1, 2026 · via artnews.com
Mah-jong: old Chinese tile game finds new life Young people click with game’s community and sensory pleasures The popularity of the tile game mah-jong “spans continents and centuries”, said Vanity Fair. And, these days, it’s moving firmly from “amusing pastime” to “a lifestyle” for many young people. A combination of “ritual and mystery”, the game requires “skill and intelligence” and can feel “nearly impenetrable” to observers. But Gen Zs are increasingly entranced by the “hypnotic and persistent clicking of tiles” and “silent swapping of pieces”. ‘Pattern recognition’ skills Originating in 19th century China, mah-jong was brought to the West in the 1920s by Joseph Park Babcock, a US Standard Oil representative who’d been living in Shanghai. Back then, it was played with imported, heavy, traditional tiles. These “could easily stand on edge on a table” but soon “cheaper, lighter” tiles were being manufactured in the US that needed additional racks and pushers for support. Article continues belowThe Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Babcock adapted the game’s rules to “an American style of play”, and what had started out in China as a male-dominated gambling game “associated with insalubrious venues” was picked up fervently by “society women” in the US. They had a “wealth of time to play and money to buy tile sets”. The game’s current boom in popularity has been driven, in no small part, by social media and popular culture, said The Economist. In manga and
May 1, 2026 · via theweek.com
Colonel Russell Savatt, base commanding officer, Sgt. Maj. Mario Virto, base sergeant major, Mayor Tim Silva of City of Barstow - The Hub of the West, Steve Reyes, Supervisor Dawn Rowe and representative, representative of Congressman Jay Obernolte along with several other guests of honor joined MCCS Barstow & MCCS Barstow Behavioral Health in recognizing the many volunteers that have dedicated their time, support, and service to the readiness of our #marines, civilians, aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) - Barstow, California, April 30.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2026 18:57 |
| Photo ID: | 9652234 |
| VIRIN: | 260430-M-XD809-5462 |
| Resolution: | 6960x4640 |
| Size: | 17.08 MB |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 6 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Volunteer Recognition Ceremony [Image 11 of 11], by Kristyn Galvan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
May 1, 2026 · via dvidshub.net
KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — The Kuala Lumpur City Hall today said all of its 10,000 CCTV cameras have been upgraded with high-resolution facial recognition technology that could help authorities monitor, identify lawbreakers and respond swiftly. The upgrade, announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh and DBKL Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud here, is part of a large‑scale rollout of an integrated system that would connect monitoring, enforcement and city management capabilities. “This is part of efforts to make the city safer,” Yeoh said at a press conference to unveil the system. “If you think about doing crime in KL, don’t.” Also present was Kuala Lumpur Police Chief CP Datuk Fadil Marsus. Fadil said CCTV monitoring has been shown to be effective in increasing suspect detection and investigation capabilities by 50 per cent, contributing to more effective case resolutions. With the upgrade, the police can now monitor suspicious behaviour, track suspects’ movements and respond early if needed. “What this means is that it gives us (the police) quicker time to respond if, say, civilians have any concerns about suspicious behaviour... the immediate effect from this is we expect to see a reduction in physical crimes,” Fadil said. Yeoh said the integrated system enables stronger coordination between DBKL and the police, as well as other agencies. Fadlun said talks with the Ministry of Transport to integrate the system for their own enforcement work is already in the pipeline. This could mean quicker response by agencies like the Road Transport Department to traffic violations like encroachment of bus lanes or other forms of obstructions. Fadil, on the other hand, expects the integrated system would help the police manage traffic better. At the moment, traffic management by the police is still done “manually”, he said. Other advanced
May 1, 2026 · via malaymail.com
The Walt Disney Company's decision to introduce facial recognition technology at the entrances to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park has sparked strong reactions from visitors. The technology aims to speed up entry and reduce ticket abuse. The camera at the entrance scans the visitor's face and compares it to the image recorded during the first use of the ticket. The data is converted into numeric codes for verification and, according to the company, is deleted within 30 days, unless required for legal or security reasons. Mixed reactions Although use of the system is voluntary and alternative entrances without biometric technology exist, many visitors have described the move as "dystopian", comparing it to "Big Brother"-style surveillance. Some have raised privacy concerns, asking why the data is not deleted immediately, while others are particularly concerned about the use of technology by children. Arguments in favor On the other hand, some visitors have welcomed the system, emphasizing that it significantly reduces waiting time in line. They argue that similar technologies are already widely used in various institutions and companies. Security and limitations The company emphasizes that technical and administrative security measures have been put in place to protect data, but acknowledges that no system is completely secure. For children under 18, the use of technology is only permitted with parental approval. A step towards the future or a risk to privacy? The debate remains open between the convenience offered by technology and concerns about the protection of personal data. For many, this is a clear example of the difficult balance between innovation and privacy in the digital age. /GazetaExpress/
May 1, 2026 · via gazetaexpress.com
Explore the things
you love
.
Log into Facebook
Email or mobile number
Password
Log in
Forgot password?
Create new account
English (US)
Español
Français (France)
中文(简体)
العربية
Português (Brasil)
Italiano
More languages…
Sign Up
Log In
Messenger
Facebook Lite
Video
Meta Pay
Meta Store
Meta Quest
Ray-Ban Meta
Meta AI
Instagram
Threads
Privacy Policy
Consumer Health Privacy
Privacy Center
About
Create ad
Create Page
Developers
Careers
Cookies
Ad choices
Terms
Help
Contact Uploading & Non-Users
Meta © 2026
Apr 30, 2026 · via facebook.com
Lawmakers voted Thursday to approve a new local law that prohibits the collection, use and sale of biometric identifier information in commercial settings in Erie County. The "Biometric Transparency and Privacy Act" was approved by a 7-3 vote. In passing the law, Erie County lawmakers said that it is intended to "promote transparency and protect the public." "The Erie County Legislature finds that biometric identifier technologies are increasingly used in commercial settings by commercial establishments for purposes including, but not limited to, customer authentication, building access, and fraud prevention," lawmakers said of the intent of the new act. "The legislature also finds that biometric identifier information in uniquely sensitive because it is derived from a person's physical or biological characteristics and poses serious privacy and security risks to individuals if compromised. The Erie County Legislature further finds that the collection, storage, procurement, use and sale or other monetization of biometric identifier information is inconsistent with basic privacy expectations." This comes after Wegmans recently deployed cameras equipped with facial recognition technology at select stores, saying some stores are using the technology to help with misconduct and retail theft, and that it doesn't collect other biometric data and disposes of the images and video after security purposes are fulfilled. Democratic Legislator Lawrence Dupre said that he first proposed the legislation to make any retailer using the technology more transparent. "You can reset a password. You cannot reset your face," said Dupre. "Your face is yours. It is not a data point for a corporation to collect and sell. As of today, that practice is banned in Erie County. This law does not ban security cameras. It does not ban loss prevention. The line it draws is between a security camera and a biometric database. A store can record video for security. What
Apr 30, 2026 · via spectrumlocalnews.com
Artificial Intelligence Sun Finance automates ID extraction and fraud detection with generative AI on AWS This post was co-authored with Krišjānis Kočāns, Kaspars Magaznieks, Sergei Kiriasov from Sun Finance Group If you process identity documents at scale—loan applications, account openings, compliance checks—you’ve likely hit the same wall: traditional optical character recognition (OCR) gets you partway there, but extraction errors still push a large share of applications into manual review queues. Add fraud detection to the mix, and the manual workload compounds. Sun Finance, a Latvian fintech founded in 2017, operates as a technology-first online lending marketplace across nine countries. The company processes a new loan request every 0.63 seconds and delivers more than 4 million evaluations monthly. In one of their highest-volume industries, with 80,000 monthly applications for microloans, approximately 60% of applications required manual operator review. Sun Finance partnered with the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to rebuild the pipeline. Within 35 business days of handover, the solution was live in production. The following timeline shows the full project journey from kickoff to production launch. Sun Finance project timeline from kickoff to production The project moved through four milestones over 107 business days. The AWS Generative AI Innovation Center engagement ran 32 days from kickoff (August 26, 2025) to final presentation (October 9, 2025), followed by 26 days for technical handover (November 14, 2025). Sun Finance then took 35 business days to move the solution into production, including a 14-day production freeze over the holiday period (December 18 – January 7), and went live on January 22, 2026. In this post, we show how Sun Finance used Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Textract, and Amazon Rekognition to build an AI-powered identity verification (IDV) pipeline. The solution improved extraction accuracy from 79.7% to 90.8%, cut per-document costs by 91%, and reduced processing
Apr 30, 2026 · via aws.amazon.com
Navigating Japan's proposed APPI amendments: Key timelines, open issues and action points Exploring the expected timeline of the bill to amend Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information, areas where further rules are expected and practical steps for businesses. Contributors: Hiroyuki Tanaka Partner Mori Hamada & Matsumoto Kohei Wachi Counsel Mori Hamada & Matsumoto Japan's Cabinet 7 April approved a bill to amend the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and submitted it to the Diet, where it is expected to be enacted during the current session. These amendments aim to strike a balance. On the one hand, they promote broader use of data — including for artificial intelligence development. On the other hand, they introduce stricter rules to address risks such as biometric tracking, misuse of data and handling children's information. A brief overview of the proposed APPI amendments Promoting appropriate data use — deregulation. The most important change is a new consent exemption for the "Creation of statistical information, etc.," which includes certain AI developments. In certain cases, businesses can collect publicly available sensitive personal information and share personal information and personally referable information with third parties without the consent of the data subject, provided the purpose is limited to statistical use and is subject to strict prohibitions on repurposing or further provision of such data. The general consent requirements are also relaxed for processing that is necessary for the performance of a contract or that clearly does not prejudice the individual's rights. Also, the academic research exception now explicitly covers hospitals and clinics. Risk-based regulatory measures. New rules target "Specific Biometric Personal Information," that is, facial recognition data, requiring notification to, or making the information readily accessible to, the data subject and granting the data subject an unconditional right to demand suspension of use. Contributors:
Apr 30, 2026 · via iapp.org
It’s a biometric world after all: Disney offers facial matching for California park entry Disney has deployed facial biometrics for the majority of entry lanes at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. A notice on the brand’s website says the technology is set up at the entrances to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, to facilitate ease of reentry and help cut down on fraud. Using the facial recognition lanes is optional. The biometric access control system captures face biometrics at the entrance and “the image of your face that was saved when you first used the ticket or pass,” then uses software to convert those images into unique numerical values. Matching involves comparing the numerical values. In terms of data retention, “except in cases where data must be maintained for legal or fraud-prevention purposes,” Disney will delete all numerical values within 30 days of creation. The notice does not specify retention policies for the images themselves, or which biometrics providers have been engaged to support the system. Disney will still take your picture if you use the standard entry lanes. “However, these lanes will not utilize biometric technology on your image. Instead, a Cast Member will manually validate your ticket.” Despite the collection of biometric data, “children under the age of 18 may use this service with the consent of a parent or guardian.” Disney has trialled facial recognition at its resorts before, first in 2021 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, then in 2024 at Disney California Adventure. All of the parks run by its competitor, Universal Orlando, have had facial recognition as an entry option since 2023. Coverage in the Los Angeles Times notes the concern from privacy rights groups and academics. It quotes Ari Waldman, a professor of law at UC Irvine, who says “the
Apr 30, 2026 · via biometricupdate.com
LOS ANGELES -- There's nothing quite as identifiable as a face. Retailers use facial recognition technology to more easily nab shoplifters. Casinos have deployed it to keep card counters away. Even a popular New York City venue allegedly uses it to blackball people its millionaire owner considers adversaries. So, it comes as no surprise to many Disneyland guests that it's now being used at the entrance to the Happiest Place on Earth. "Pretty much every other place is doing the same thing," said John LeSchofs, 73, who visits the park roughly every six weeks with his wife. "The police, the government, they're all using facial recognition. I don't think it's going to stop." Photographs of a guest's face taken at the entrance to Disneyland and California Adventure are run through biometric technology to convert the images into unique numerical values. The images can then be compared with pictures taken when a customer first used the ticket or annual pass. Disney officials say the technology helps make entering and reentering the park easier and prevents fraud. But the rapid growth of facial recognition over the last decade has raised concerns among privacy experts who caution that such data can easily be turned over to law enforcement entities or make companies hacking targets. "The normalization of facial surveillance is really problematic," said Ari Waldman, a professor of law at UC Irvine. "We can't go around life hiding our faces, so this isn't just next step in surveillance, it's qualitatively different. In a world of facial recognition, when people leave their house it automatically means they're identified." Venues over the last decade have increasingly begun to lean on facial recognition to speed up entry and purchases for guests. At Intuit Dome visitors can use "GameFaceID" to more quickly enter the stadium for Los
Apr 30, 2026 · via newstribune.com