Biometric technologies are revolutionizing public spaces and digital services by enhancing security and seamlessness through accurate, passive identity verification, shifting the paradigm from traditional document-based authentication to a more trusted and efficient identity-centric approach.
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Hello, my name is James Thorp and I'm
the editor of International Security
Journal. Delighted to be here at
Intersect Expo 2026 of Dubai World Trade
Center speaking to my good friend Aloc
Tari, VP, global head of sales for IDMIA
public security.
So can you start by telling us how
biometric technologies help make public
spaces safer and more seamless please?
>> So at the best biometric at the best
biometric technology uh removes friction
while strengthening the controls for any
enterprise setup be banks, data centers,
airports or any large public spaces like
like stadiums.
>> Uh the traditional trade-off has always
been between security and speed.
Biometric technology changes
changes that and it anchors the access
of a person
uh individual identity uh rather than
just being dependent on a document or a
token which can be lost, stolen or
forged and can be exploited by uh fraudsters.
fraudsters.
What we often overlook is that it this
isn't just about automation. It is about
confidence and security of sensitive
personal information.
So when identity verification is
accurate and passive, the authorities
can control and focus on areas where
they are required most while the people
can just move through almost invisibly. >> Frictionless.
>> Frictionless.
>> Frictionless. So this results in a
system which is which feels less intrusive
intrusive
uh even at it as it becomes more robust
in managing people and their sensitive
information in a more secured way. At
IDMA public security uh we work as at
national scale in a very regulated environment.
environment.
So this creates a discipline where
solutions become more resilient,
interoperable and trusted not by just by
the government but also by the people
who are using it every day.
>> So obviously we're catching up here as
we often do at Intersect here at Dubai
World Trade Center. Um can you just tell
us why formia this is such a a valuable
event when it comes to engaging with
your partners and customers and also
other stakeholders in the region please?
So intersect is valuable because it
reflects how security is evolving in the
region across industries and across
physical and digital channels. So it's
not just an event. It is a place where
government bodies, infrastructure operators,
operators,
>> regulators, financial institutions and
service providers convene and they are
all struggling with the same structural question
question
>> of identity and trust. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> From idea public security perspective,
Middle East region and especially the UAE
UAE
>> has been a place where innovation is welcome.
welcome.
>> Uh it is tested and deployed at scale.
So intersect gives us a direct
visibility into how policy decisions,
regulatory frameworks and user
expectations are converging in real time
to understand how innovation should be
driven to meet the customer and the
market requirements
>> uh and enables people and businesses to
flourish and strive. From a
communication standpoint, this is very
important for us because it helps us
ensure that our solutions meet the
region's priorities in terms of
innovation, in terms of accuracy, in
terms of uh design, and in terms of
human- centered security.
>> So, does the UAE's move from SMSOTP
signal a shift towards identity based
security in banking specifically?
>> Yes, it does, and it's a timely one.
>> Yeah. SMS OTPs were designed for the
earlier phase of digital banking. >> Yeah,
>> Yeah,
>> it was never designed to address the
today's threat landscape or user
expectations. The central bank's
decision reflects a broader recognition
that authentication has to be more
seamless and more secure.
By moving towards stronger identity
based methods mostly biometrics the
focus shifts from securing individual
transactions to establishing trust into
the broader customer relationship.
So this mirrors exactly what we have
seen in the physical security space that once
once
identity is verified with high
confidence the access can be seamless
and much safer. So how do you balance
innovation with different privacy and
ethical considerations when it comes to
security applications?
See in security and identity you don't
get adoption without trust and you don't
get trust unless until you define the
clear ethical boundaries.
Practically this means privacy by design
rather than privacy as an afterthought
as has been true for many technology
forward companies. Privacy that can be
monetized and exploited. Yeah,
>> it means
data minimization, transparency of
purpose and strong regulatory framework
is required when the systems operate in
in a country scale or a crossber scale
where personal sensitive information has
to be secured and protected for the user
to control it.
>> Yeah. So for us in IDMA public security
ethical considerations are not just
managed as a part of our
communications exercise.
They are embedded in our solutions the
way we they are architected the way they
are audited the way they are deployed.
So when identity systems are designed
more responsibly
it enables and accelerates the
innovation rather than slows it down. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
because regulators, users and
institutions then come together and they
are willing to move forward as one team.
>> So I know this is always a quite a broad
question but I think it's always great
to hear these these sorts of insights
looking ahead but what kind of what kind
of key trends in in biometric technology
and identity technology are you most
excited about? Personally,
what excites me personally the most is
the quiet convergence
of what is happening between the
physical and the digital identity. The
same biometric credential that was used
to allow anyone enter a secure space is
now becoming the foundation for
accessing digital services. So the same
processes of proofing
>> to verify a person and ensure high level
of assurance is now being translated
into web native uh environments and
interoperable with the physical systems.
We are also seeing a very shift into
episodic identity checks uh towards more
continuous contextual and dynamic uh authentication.
authentication.
This has profound implications.
Identity becomes uh something that
supports rather than inhibits. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh it or rather than interrupts. So for
example, today your identity can be your
signature on any payment or any
transaction and services can be unlocked
using your biometric au uh biometric identity.
identity.
Finally, what I have seen is that there
is a growing recognition that security
and identity infrastructure is
is not just a security asset but it is
also an economic one. Yeah,
>> IDMA public security is committed to
enabling this next chapter
where we are ultimately putting trust as
the engine for innovation and by embedding
embedding
ethics directly into our products. The
way they are designed uh the the way we
govern them, the way we deploy them, we
are not slowing down the progress.
>> We are basically enabling it. So that's
how IDMIA public security delivers
technologies that institutions can rely on,
on,
regulations can support and people can
really use
>> and building that trust. Yeah. Fantastic.
Fantastic. >> Absolutely.
>> Absolutely.
>> As I said, thank you so much for your insights.
insights.
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