The US Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) has launched the ID document authenticity track of the Remote Identity Validation Rally (RIVR), following its 2023–2024 evaluation of remote identity verification systems at the Maryland Test Facility. The earlier Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD) trials revealed significant variability in document authentication performance, particularly when validating state-issued IDs captured via smartphones or webcams under uncontrolled conditions.

The Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards form part of the industry’s High Security Printing™ (HSP) Latin America conference. This year’s event was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the awards presented at a special ceremony during the conference dinner on 10 June, on top of the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain.

A Korean technology startup has developed what is believed to be the world’s first smartphone-based solution capable of simultaneously capturing facial and fingerprint biometrics using the built-in front and rear cameras of a mobile device. The innovation, created by WINNING.I, enables fully contactless multimodal biometric authentication through a single application, removing the need for additional hardware or multi-step user procedures.

In recent years, the digitalisation of services has become a key area of focus for governments and businesses alike. With digitalisation comes an increasing reliance on digital interactions, and it is therefore becoming paramount for individuals to possess secure, accessible, and verifiable digital identity credentials.

Over the past year, I have found myself returning to a recurring theme: the transition from physical to digital identity is inevitable, but that transition is not without cost. With the growth of electronic identification (eID) systems comes a shift in both the nature and scale of identity-enabled financial crime.

The High Security Printing™ (HSP) Latin America 2025 conference was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 9-11 June. As a regional event dedicated to government-issued identity documents, banknotes, and secure document printing, it brought together key public and private sector stakeholders across Latin America. The identity stream of the event focused on the pressing challenges and innovations shaping civil ID and travel document security in the region.

In an article recently published in Securing Industry, Dr Mark Deakes, chair of the new International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA), sets out how optical technologies are spearheading efforts to protect identity documents.

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) has signed a share transfer agreement to acquire a 75% stake in Rubicon SEZC, the Cayman Islands-based holding company of the Laxton group.

The debate around biometric authentication continues to evolve, driven not only by technical innovation and operational efficiency, but increasingly by questions of privacy, data stewardship and consumer trust. A recent $1.4 billion settlement between Google and the state of Texas has once again spotlighted the fragility of public confidence in biometric systems – and how quickly that confidence can be eroded when privacy safeguards fail.

The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) has announced the introduction of a new identity document for asylum seekers in the second half of 2025. Revealed at Identity Week in Amsterdam, the new ID card aligns with updated ICAO standards for vertically oriented identity cards. This layout allows for a significantly larger portrait image, improving manual identity verification by frontline officials.

The US Inland Revenue Service (IRS) has not been independently evaluating the digital identity proofing services provided by ID.me, its exclusive vendor for access to sensitive taxpayer services. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the IRS is relying solely on ID.me’s internal performance assessments, with no external verification or established performance benchmarks.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a public reminder that retail membership cards — including those issued by Costco, a US-based warehouse club and wholesale retailer — do not constitute valid identity documents for use at airport security checkpoints.

A Korean technology startup has developed what is believed to be the world’s first smartphone-based solution capable of simultaneously capturing facial and fingerprint biometrics using the built-in front and rear cameras of a mobile device. The innovation, created by WINNING.I, enables fully contactless multimodal biometric authentication through a single application, removing the need for additional hardware or multi-step user procedures.

A recent online article from Maryia Valchanina, Head of Data Processing at Regula, sheds light on one of the lesser-discussed challenges in the field of document authentication: the verification of professional identity documents.

The future of ID cards, passports and driving licences is mobile. But the path to full digitisation still involves overcoming many challenges. At the heart of these challenges is the need to build trust with citizens.

It won’t come as a surprise to readers of ID & Secure Document News™ that the global digital identity market is entering a phase of accelerated growth, with spending projected to increase from $15.2 billion in 2024 to over $26 billion by 2029, according to Juniper Research.

In April 2025, the Republic of Suriname officially introduced its new ePassport, designed to meet international security and durability standards for travel documents. The project was delivered in partnership with OSD International, a global provider of secure identity solutions.

Following the ID4Africa 2024 AGM in Cape Town, Nicola Sudan from Reconnaissance interviewed Dr Joseph Atick, co-founder and Executive Chair of ID4Africa. The interview, for ID & Secure Document News™, covered a range of topics, including Dr Atick’s pioneering work in biometrics, the origins and growth of ID4Africa, the challenges and progress of digital identity systems across Africa, and the need for depoliticising identity programmes (see IDN November 2024).

The recent power blackout across the Iberian Peninsula gave a stark reminder that electricity powers our lives — and particularly our digital lives. Behind the headlines about the increased frequency of energy infrastructure failures lies a critical question for the industry: what happens to our digital identity systems when the power goes out?

Set in the historic and vibrant city of Warsaw, Poland (15-17 September), the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) 2025 conference continues its mission of showcasing the most advanced research, innovation, and debate in the field of document protection.