Introducing Enhanced SmartSelfie™: ISO 30107-3 Certified Biometric Security for the African Market

At Smile ID, we continue to push the boundaries of biometric security. Today, we are proud to introduce Enhanced SmartSelfie™, the latest advancement in our active liveness detection technology. This new feature incorporates dynamic, randomised liveness checks, requiring users to perform specific facial movements for secure identity verification. Enhanced SmartSelfie™ provides advanced fraud prevention for high-risk industries, including banking, remittance, digital merchant acquiring, and payments.

The Rising Threat of Fraud and the Role of Biometric Authentication

The increased reliance on digital services has resulted in a surge of fraudulent activities, especially in high-risk sectors. For example:

• Nigeria: Fraud losses in the banking industry reached N42.6 billion between April and June 2024, surpassing total fraud losses for 2023 (FITC Q2 2024 Fraud and Forgeries report).
• South Africa: Digital banking fraud cases rose by 45% in 2023, leading to a 47% increase in financial losses.
• Kenya: A recent debit card fraud incident cost a leading bank $2.1 million.

These escalating fraud rates demand advanced identity verification systems that protect businesses and users. Traditional methods, such as passwords or static documents, cannot address these challenges. Biometric authentication has proven to be one of the most effective defenses, leveraging unique physical traits like facial features for secure verification.

At Smile ID, we’ve experienced a 700% increase in biometric verification jobs between January and December 2024. This surge highlights how businesses adopt biometric technologies like Enhanced SmartSelfie™ to combat fraud and secure transactions.

What Sets Enhanced SmartSelfie™ Apart?

Enhanced SmartSelfie™ strengthens Smile ID’s verification technology with randomised liveness challenges that prompt users to perform movements, such as turning their heads or making specific facial gestures. This feature is available across our biometric authentication products, including SmartSelfie™ Authentication, SmartSelfie™ Enrollment, SmartSelfie™ Compare, Smile Secure, Biometric KYC, and Document Verification. Businesses can use this adaptable feature to enhance security without disrupting user workflows.

Key Features of Enhanced SmartSelfie™:

1. Dynamic Liveness Challenges: Users perform random head and facial movements, making it harder for fraudsters to bypass the system.
2. Enhanced Selfie Quality Analysis: A more sophisticated scoring system (0-100) that ensures high-quality submissions and rejects low-quality images.
3. Advanced Fraud Detection Algorithms: Increased metadata collection and fraud analysis provide real-time insights into suspicious activities.
4. Real-Time User Feedback: Instant feedback simplifies the verification process, improving the user experience.
5. Strict Mode for Compliance: Enforces rigorous image capture standards for high-security environments.

Achieving Global Standards in Security

Enhanced SmartSelfie™ has achieved ISO/IEC 30107-3:2023 Level 2 certification, a globally recognised standard for biometric liveness detection. This certification tests systems against advanced spoofing techniques like 3D masks and deepfakes. Smile ID achieved an impressive 0% penetration rate during testing, demonstrating the system’s effectiveness in preventing fraud.

“Fraudsters are constantly evolving, and so are we,” said Mark Straub, CEO of Smile ID. 

With Enhanced SmartSelfie™, we’re providing our partners with a secure and reliable way to verify and authenticate identities, reducing fraud risks while ensuring a seamless user experience”

Watch Enhanced SmartSelfie™ in Action 👇🏾

Optimised for Africa

Our biometric authentication solutions are designed with Africa’s unique technological landscape in mind. They’re optimised for low-bandwidth environments and compatible with the budget-friendly Android devices that are most common across the continent. Our solution works seamlessly across web and mobile platforms, ensuring that businesses of all sizes can benefit from continuous authentication and machine-learning-powered fraud detection.

To learn more about Enhanced SmartSelfie™ and how it can safeguard your business, speak to one of our experts here.