Global ID paves new way for humanitarian aid

"In many of the contexts in which we operate, lack of access to healthcare, conflict or instability, and forced displacement can make it virtually impossible to accurately track participants' identification and medical records," said Chris Skopec, Project HOPE's Vice President for Global Health. "We are proud that this partnership is built on a foundation of ethical use of technology and a strong commitment to individual privacy. Global ID's finger vein biometric authentication solution will revolutionize the way we deliver health and humanitarian interventions, ensuring confidentiality and accuracy for those we serve, wherever they may be."

Global ID's revolutionary technology harnesses the unique patterns of finger veins to capture biometric data, ensuring unprecedented privacy and medical record accuracy. Finger vein patterns, distinct even in identical twins, remain the same throughout an individual's life, providing a reliable method for biometric identification. Unlike other biometric information such as fingerprints, facial features or iris patterns, finger vein patterns are intrinsically private. They cannot be captured or replicated without the individual's explicit consent, ensuring privacy unmatched by conventional methods. This technology facilitates the capture of biometric data with a simple, user-controlled gesture, reinforcing security by preventing remote capture and eliminating the possibility of post-pass tracing.

"This strategic partnership represents a significant step forward in the application of biometric technology to improve healthcare and humanitarian aid to beneficiaries around the world," said Lambert Sonna, CEO of Global ID. "We are excited about the potential of this technology to transform patient identification processes, ensuring more secure, accurate and privacy-friendly healthcare interventions. Together, we are paving the way for a future where technology and healthcare work hand in hand to improve lives worldwide."

The solution integrates seamlessly with existing healthcare processes and management information systems. Biometric data, stored separately from personal identity information and linked via pseudonyms, is stored on secure servers or computers to preserve confidentiality and privacy. Its accuracy is exemplary, and it accepts correct vein analyses almost instantaneously, resulting in a negligible false rejection rate. Conversely, after a few attempts, the system reliably rejects incorrect fingers, guaranteeing a false acceptance rate close to zero. This level of accuracy underlines the potential of this technology to significantly improve security and accuracy in patient medical record management and emergency interventions.

What's more, the finger vein authentication solution is consent-based, non-forensic and designed with the utmost respect for personal privacy. By converting finger scan images into mathematical representations strictly for authentication purposes, and then destroying the original images, it eliminates the risk of secondary use and ensures that biometric data cannot be read or interpreted by humans.

A first project in Namibia

Project HOPE will introduce this technology in Namibia as part of the PEPFAR/USAID-funded Reach Namibia project, which aims to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). Initial deployment of the technology will improve the quality of care and services for the project's 75,000 beneficiaries and reduce the burden on community health workers.

Contacted by our editorial team, Lambert Sonna, CEO and founder of Global ID, explains that this long-term collaboration will enable his biometric solution to be offered in other countries. Talking about the future, his startup plans to offer its solution to other NGOs, as well as to miniaturize and industrialize its contactless scanner. Based at the EPFL Innovation Park, Global ID is open to funding from individuals wishing to join the company to accelerate its growth.

(PR - ES)