After a disastrous start to its digital transformation, Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec begins using facial recognition to ensure the integrity of driver license holders.
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According to Digital Minister Éric Caire’s annual information resource plan, the project aims to “launch a facial recognition solution” to optimize the SAAQ’s photo bank.
It is the Cognitec technology from the supplier Thales DIS Canada, which was taken over by the Crown Corporation.
The company that uses the biometric data specializes, among other things, in searching for facial images in databases (see below).
Screenshot of Cognitec
The technology used by SAAQ to scan driver’s license photos is for biometric verification and identification of individuals. It compares new ID photos with existing images to prevent identity fraud, like here in these bogus photos
Recently, the disastrous launch of new digital platform SAAQclic coupled with the launch of Quebec’s first digital identity milestone went awry, resulting in a chaotic transition and long queues at SAAQs.
In an interview, the SAAQ spokesman assures that everything is done in accordance with government regulations.
The authorities of SAAQ have approved the realization of this project, which has also been classified as of state interest by the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital (MCN).
“We’re talking about a facial recognition project, it always scares the world a bit. But we, the project, instead of saying it’s about facial recognition, we’re going to talk about the document management of our photo bank,” said Gino Desrosiers, media relations coordinator at SAAQ.
“Clean up” in the photos
However, the project is actually called: “Facial recognition solution for photos of the driver’s license that entitles to drive road vehicles. »
The photos stored in its system are targeted by the software. With this, the state body can “clean up” its driver’s license photo bank and ensure that duplicates are avoided, errors are corrected and fraud is detected, argues Mr Desrosiers.
“In the event that we have two different photos with the same information, we could check if there has been an attempt at fraud if someone tries to impersonate someone else,” he said.
No surveillance
Biometric technology could be used for surveillance, but that is not the aim of SAAQ, the spokesman said.
“That’s not the goal […] It is not intended that someone would show up and walk through the door of a SAAQ service center to have their file appear directly on the computer. »
The state-owned company, which manages almost 5.5 million files, has been considering such a project since 2017.
The appearance of new technologies on the market in 2020 accelerated the reflection and the project was launched internally.
SAAQ invested $600,000 to write the business case and conduct the public tender.
This is the second government facial recognition project. The Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital is also working on such a technology for its digital identity project.
BIOMETRIC FACE RECOGNITION ON SAAQ
- Enable verification and identification of people
- Compare new ID photos with existing images to prevent fraud
- Identify or detect input errors
- Compare, cleanse and maintain identity databases with facial images
- measure facial features
- process databases
- Protect biometric data
* Cost and commissioning schedule of the project are still unknown
Multiple security issues
The Société d’assurance automobile du Québec must ensure that the identity of its customers and access to citizens’ sensitive data, such as their face and address, are protected, according to an expert.
“There’s no harm in clarifying everything,” admits cybersecurity expert Patrick Mathieu. “Technically, they need something to help them. »
risks
However, the risks of breaching the privacy of license holders are very real, especially when a large number of people have access to this database.
“At Thales, you have to respect privacy. What I mean is that the data read, e.g. B. driver’s license photos, can identify someone, so that’s very sensitive. Undoubtedly in the most sensitive area SAAQ considers,” said the expert, who is a co-founder of Hackfest.
“So you have to be careful who has access to this database. »
According to him, the SAAQ must ensure that the company providing the technology cannot have access to this data, as can the employees of the SAAQ.
“What is certain is that when it comes to access security to computer systems, we start with two catches, above all with what just happened. [à la SAAQ] “, illustrated Patrick Mathieu, pointing out that this is an external and internal problem.
“It will be necessary to protect the management of access to all these photos. If there is a security breach, who is responsible? »
Anxious Quebecers
According to a study published by Capterra Canada last year, 35% of Quebecers already use facial recognition, for example with their smartphone.
However, 49% of them are “also worried about their biometric data being misused” and “45% worry that biometric technology could harm privacy”.
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