Today, IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, announced a top-tier finish during the 2020 Biometric Technology Rally, hosted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). During the Rally, IDEMIA’s overall performance significantly exceeded the original goals. The expert in biometrics demonstrated its industry-leading position by consistently ranking among the top three. IDEMIA’s algorithms achieved the best accuracy (True Identification Rate) with and without a mask (code-named West and Fray), and gave an exemplary biometric performance for throughput (Efficiency) and user experience (Satisfaction).

In the face of the pandemic, the 2020 Biometric Technology Rally challenged the biometric industry to bring forward new algorithms that could correctly identify individuals while wearing face masks. During the rally, biometric acquisition systems collected biometric images from a demographically diverse set of volunteers. The images were then processed by matching systems. Notably, this Rally was specifically designed to see how these systems would hold up in real-life settings, including at airports or ports of entry.

IDEMIA’s algorithm achieved over 99.5% True Identification Rate (TIR) without a mask. IDEMIA’s acquisition technology displayed over 95% accuracy with a mask.

The strong performance of IDEMIA’s biometric technology at the Biometric Technology Rally is a testament to IDEMIA’s 40+ years of leadership in the industry and our commitment to developing the best available solutions for public security, civil identity, border control and enterprise access control challenges. The 2020 Rally was truly an exciting event as we worked alongside other industry leaders to help enable a seamless identification process, even while individuals are wearing masks.

Lisa Sullivan, Vice President of Transportation at IDEMIA

As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic, it is imperative that DHS is able to provide travelers with low-touch options when moving through high traveled areas. Additionally, it will be vital for the biometric industry to meet the rising need for contactless solutions. The 2020 Biometric Technology Rally and IDEMIA’s algorithm show that the industry has made great progress in turning contactless solutions into reality – even with masks.

About IDEMIA
IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.