Face aliveness or simply “liveness” detection is a challenging problem during (remote) authentication and identity verification. Such techniques are often used for Know Your Customer (KYC) during opening a bank account, applying for a mortgage, log into HMRC, apply for universal credit, to name a few. In this context, by liveness detection we refer to the genuine presence of a live human’s biometrics such as their face. Liveness detection confirms that such presence is not coming from a replica, that is, a pre-captured photo, a pre-recorded video or a mask. EYN developed a prototype of a novel passive liveness detection system. Our proposed solution is innovative for three main reasons. First, we conduct liveness detection passively without asking the user to do something and unlike existing “active” approaches it protects the “how” and “when” of the challenge-response that is being done, therefore, limiting the scope of an adversary to counter-attack. In other words, we leverage short ultrasound pulses to detect genuine presence of the human face and leverage corresponding video to cross-check results. Second, the solution does not require any custom hardware, but leverages existing hardware, that is, the camera, loudspeaker and microphone which are available in most portable devices such as a smartphone or a tablet. Third, it is a 100% software-only solution that can be deployed in billions of portable devices available in the market, at scale.

Governments around the globe are currently using/trialing proximity tracking apps to trace people infected with Covid-19\. Apple and Google collaboratively developed tracing techniques that shall be soon available and is expected to cover 99% of smartphone users. Due to the sensitive nature of tracing apps, preserving a user's privacy is essential. As a consequence, the PEPP-PT project (a partnership of 130 scientists, technologists, and experts of institutions and companies across eight EU countries) is developing techniques to ensure an individual's privacy. While tracing is an important step (to detect and inform) members of the public of the virus spread (and if they should self-isolate), another, equally important step is the possibility of proving one's immunity status -- via vaccination or antibody test -- once they have surpassed the disease. To ensure the safe return of anyone infected with Covid-19 into public spaces (and/or crowded spaces such as public transport, schools, workplaces, airports), it is therefore of utmost importance to securely, accurately and in a privacy-preserving manner to allow someone to prove their immunity status. A generic way of achieving such a purpose is to link one's identity via existing identity documents (eg. passports, residence permits, driving licenses) to their immunity status (issued by a certified provider such as the NHS). Such 'immunity certificates' must ascertain the identity of its holder and their immunity status. 'Immunity certificates' are already in wide discussion within the UK government (and, other governments around the globe, as well as other providers). A much simpler (and, more accurate and privacy preserving way) is to use face biometrics instead of linking to identity documents (e.g. passport, driving license) or patient records. We simply aim to link face-biometry with immunity status. Such a system resolves four core issues: \[a\] fraud (ie. nobody can steal your face and your face is not a secret); \[b\] asserts the identity of an individual (ie. removes the intermediary step of an id document); \[c\] available offline (ie. does not need to be connected to the Internet); and \[d\] preserve's one's privacy (ie. storage of encrypted face biometry without linkage to other personally identifiable information). In the UK alone, it is estimated that over 1.5 million vulnerable people will be the worst affected by this crisis (with recent news suggesting lockdown procedures until 2022). In order to protect them and other members of the public, let's take a step towards proving immunity.