“Our strategy remains being committed to delivering a platform through which the identity of a user can be established, authenticated and recovered. Digital onboarding represents an important area and builds on Daon’s history of delivering proven mobile biometric authentication to millions of consumers.” – Tom Grissen, CEO, Daon

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has launched a new mobile identity app for citizens, and it’s based on Daon’s IdentityX biometric platform.

Called RealMe Now, the app allows the DIA to confirm an end user’s identity with facial recognition. To register, the user takes a selfie photo, which is then compared to face images from citizens’ passports in DIA databases. When a match is found and confirmed by a DIA agent, the end user is then issued a verified RealMe ID.

Whereas citizens could previously sign up for RealMe Now by visiting a post office location, Daon’s mobile app will offer some considerable advantages in terms of convenience. A citizen can register from the comfort of their own home, and can then use the digital ID to access government services, student loan services, and online banking with major institutions like BNZ, ANZ, and Kiwi Bank.

Commenting on the launch of RealMe Now, DIA General Manager of Partners and Products David Philp said, “The Department of Internal Affairs is committed to putting people first – we’re focusing on what people need from the government and how to better meet those needs using emerging technologies. It’s about doing things differently in this changing digital environment, and transforming the way we provide our services. This contributes to New Zealanders engaging with an open, transparent and inclusive government.”

For Daon, it’s the latest high-profile deployment of its IdentityX mobile biometrics platform, which has been widely embraced as a white label framework for authentication apps from companies like Visa and Mastercard.

(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)