GenKey, a trusted provider of biometric identification solutions, is delivering secured  and protected biometric national ID cards to all the citizens in Ivory Coast, supporting the country’s efforts to effectively digitize the identification systems of its citizens.  The ID cards, delivered by the main contractor Semlex, are in full compliance with the  ECOWAS Biometric ID Card program which sets a standard for a new generation of  eID documents to facilitate the movements of the 350 million citizens of the 15  countries constituting the ECOWAS zone. The ECOWAS biometric ID card aims at  providing the maximum protection against fraud and identity theft while offering  interoperability with existing national systems. 

Standard chip memories in ePassports and eIDs digitally (and conventionally) store  fingerprint biometric images in Data Group 3 (DG 3) of its memory data groups. The  use of biometric identity checks with DG 3 is however limited due to border crossings and the complex PKI-based security measures associated with the data group,  limiting the practical use of fingerprint verification in the public and private sector.  GenKey hence approached the storing of the biometric credentials in DG 13 (optional  details), with the application of its BioHASH® to all captured fingerprints. This  procedure prevents the storage of captured biometric images onto a card and allows  for a public download of secured BioHASH® codes retrieved from DG 13 of the ID 

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cards for various verification purposes. This procedure does not make use of PKI structures and is geared towards a more privacy-enhancing approach to storing of  biometrics of individuals. 

GenKey’s BioHASH® is a radically different approach to storing and comparing  biometric information. GenKey’s BioHASH® generates a reproducible, stable code  from any captured biometric image, and allows for verification without reference to  the original biometric image. BioHASH® is GenKey’s privacy-by-design implementation of Biometric Template Protection, which conforms to ISO 24745. The  core approach is storing Biometric Templates in such a format that it is impossible to  reverse engineer the original biometrics from the stored template. GenKey has  worked on this innovative & industry-leading technology since 2001 and has  successfully reached many milestones with its implementation. 

GenKey’s CEO, Michiel Loeff, had this to say, “It’s incredible how the application of our  BioHASH technology vastly improves the safety and security of the biometrics of  individuals we work with.” Stephan Delforge, the newly appointed CEO of Semlex  Europe added, “This privacy-by-design approach to storing and verifying biometric  information pioneers a next level in identity security and the standards in the  protection of biometric data, providing a much more efficient way to provide ID  verification.”