iProov received accolades for its identity authentication tools after being voted an audience favorite and winning Best of Show at FinovateEurope 2018. Now, the U.K.-based company is boasting social proof from another audience– the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
iProov recently won a bid with the government agency to support border security for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This makes iProov the first overseas company to win a contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP).
The government will leverage the company’s Flashmark technology, which allows users to take a photo of themselves using their smartphone to verify their identity at border crossings. CBP will cross-check the live photo against travelers’ pre-registered information complete the authentication without human intervention. The process is not only more secure, it is also much faster for the traveler to self-authenticate than to wait in line for a border patrol agent.
In the press release, iProov stated that the reason it was selected by CBP is because of its ability to detect spoofs, recognizing when users attempt to trick the technology using a fake photo, screenshot, or doctored video. Andrew Bud, chief executive of iProov, said that this capability is due to advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In a press release, Bud said, “We’re now seeing more and more cases of governments and banks turning to self-service, spoof-resilient face verification as the biometric of choice to both increase security and ensure ease of use.”
Founded in 2011, iProov demoed at FinovateEurope earlier this year, showcasing its ID-Matcher, a technology that uses selfie face verification to authenticate users against their photo ID. In addition to winning Best of Show for their demo, the company has received multiple other accolades, including winning the 2017 National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Dragon’s Den competition at CYBERUK 2017, receiving numerous grants from Innovate U.K., and being named member of the SINET16.