This week’s roundup of FindBiometrics’ top stories delivers a varied assortment of news, but concerns about privacy and security on the part of everyday citizens and consumers play a major theme.

Such concerns come through pretty clearly in the week’s top story, a feature that delved into a security groups’ claims about the ease with which they were able to hack a pioneering mobile ID system. Dvuln Labs’ report detailed how various bits of information within Australia’s New South Wales digital ID app could be altered – things like the user’s address and age – and in so doing, made it pretty clear how biometric technology can be used to secure the many digital ID apps that are starting to emerge today:

ID Tech: How an Easily Hacked Mobile ID Shows the Need for Biometric Security

Privacy is also a serious concern in another of the week’s most popular stories, due to a dramatic and unexpected move by an authoritarian government. According to new reports, the Russian government is now asking state-owned banks in the country to hand over a wealth of their customers’ biometric data, an order that is complicated by the issue of obtaining consent. Sberbank, which has proven to be a biometrics innovator in Russia, is among the targeted financial services institutions:

Russian Government Orders Banks to Hand Over Biometric Data

And privacy proved to be an important issue a live webinar aired on Wednesday. Featuring the Security Industry Association (SIA), FaceTec, and FindBiometrics, the webcast panel tackled a number of issues including biometrics-focused legislation, compliance with regulations like BIPA, and the need for sophisticated testing frameworks in the biometrics industry. A full replay of the discussion is now available on-demand:

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: ‘The Way Forward For Biometrics’ Presented with SIA

Turning to the advance of biometric technology itself, FindBiometrics readers showed strong interest this week in a remarkable technological achievement by researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Seoul’s Yonsei University. They have developed a new sensor, offering computer vision and facial recognition applications, that mimics and even exceeds the natural capabilities of the human eye:

New Computer Vision Sensor Might Be Even Better Than the Human Eye

And the innovative biometric payment card concept continues its emergence. Fingerprint Cards attracted some attention this week with its announcement that its Tokyo-based electronics partner, MoriX Co., had received a Letter of Approval from Mastercard concerning its card solution developed in collaboration with FPC, clearing the way for its launch in the Japanese market:

Mastercard Approval Clears Launch of FPC’s Biometric Payment Card Tech in Japan