Generative AI tools are becoming more easily available and another big-figure deepfake heist has been reported, though Pindrop and Prove have technologies they say can defend against them. The multi-hundred million dollar acquisition of Onfido by Entrust, meanwhile, extends a promising trend for the industry, as Idemia makes changes that may presage another, even larger instance in the series.

Top biometrics news of the week

The acquisition of Onfido by Entrust at a reported valuation well north of $400 million allows the latter to address the entire identity lifecycle. Entrust will integrate Onfido's selfie biometrics, orchestration services and reusable digital identity capabilities, which were bolstered with Onfido's acquisition of Airside less than a year ago.

Onfido Co-founder Husayn Kassai writes a summary in Sifted of how the company made a 320-times return on investment for its first investor, from 2010. Kassai credits the company's success to a healthy ecosystem that supplied advice from peers, and an empowered team that owned more than 20 percent.

Eurostar says the passport biometric checks mandated by the EU's EES will cause delays of "many hours" for departures from the UK. At issue is the number of pre-departure kiosks deployed, with the French government ordering roughly half the number modeling shows will be needed at peak traffic.

A new authentication service has been introduced in the Philippines through the QR code included with the national digital ID. As PhilSys Check launches, the PSA has put out a public service announcement to sensitize the population about its enrollment drive for isolated and disadvantaged areas.

More than 600,000 applications for ID cards are reportedly sitting in limbo, accumulating since the Kenyan High Court halted the rollout of the new national ID, Maisha Namba. The system is awaiting a final judgement, but the printing had already been reconfigured, preventing the issuance of previous cards in the meantime.