Simpletech leverages IDVoice® to give BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay control over security with less friction than methods such as one-time passcodes
NEW YORK, August 4, 2022 — ID R&D, an award-winning provider of AI-based biometrics and liveness products, today announced that its voice biometrics product IDVoice® is being deployed within a Simpletech chatbot solution to be used by BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay to communicate securely with customers via WhatsApp. Incorporating voice biometrics directly within a chat provides true multifactor authentication without adding inconvenient steps such as one-time passcodes.
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world, with more than two billion users in 180 countries. The WhatsApp Business Platform is designed to let businesses communicate more easily with customers. The Simpletech solution lets platform subscribers access their personal data and services using their voice within a chat instead of PINs or passwords. This is more convenient and puts security directly within the control of the business, incorporating biometrics-grade multifactor authentication directly within chatbot interactions instead of relying on device-based security features.
“Simpletech helps companies create innovative omnichannel experiences for their customers and stakeholders. Among different channels, the WhatsApp Business Platform provides powerful, media-rich interactions with users at scale, with over 7 billion voice messages exchanged per day, on average,” added José Luis Horta, Ph.D., CTO at Simpletech. “Our goal was to make WhatsApp transactional, adding security without friction, and that required voice authentication.”
BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay uses Wittybots, a no-code chatbot builder solution created by Simpletech that easily integrates with ID R&D voice biometrics and liveness technologies. The integration provides a convenient and secure way for customers to access personal data and services by incorporating liveness detection and biometrics-grade multifactor authentication directly within chatbot interactions. It is the first time that a business will apply biometric authentication to secure communications with their customers on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
“We are really excited to help businesses communicate more securely with their customers by using voice biometrics right within a WhatsApp chat,” commented Alexey Khitrov, CEO and Co-founder of ID R&D. “Users can access their personal data just by speaking a short phrase to the bot, removing friction and simplifying an otherwise complicated authentication process. The deployment at BlueCross and BlueShield de Uruguay is a great example of voice biometrics being an optimal solution to an authentication challenge.”
“This new voice biometrics application achieves the goal of innovating in the quest for improving customer experiences in healthcare coordination processes, while maximizing security requirements,” said Roberto Sarni, CTO of BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay.
Voice biometrics and liveness detection are ideal for making WhatsApp communications more secure for businesses. Voice-based messaging is already very familiar for WhatsApp users, and now at a press of button they are able to use their voice in a chat to secure access. These voice messages must be captured in real time, in contrast to attached audio and selfies, which present a security challenge. Finally, ID R&D voice biometrics and liveness are extremely accurate and provide strong security when used in concert, as demonstrated in recent independent evaluations.
The solution works as follows. Either BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay or a customer can initiate a chat via WhatsApp. If they are a new user, the chatbot automatically initiates registration of the customer’s voice biometrics, which prompts them to enroll a short voice passphrase. Once enrolled, for all future interactions the customer can simply send a voice message to schedule a medical appointment by mentioning the clinic and the specialist. The solution will automatically authenticate the user with a liveness check, interpret the request, and suggest the next available slots accordingly. This ensures for BlueCross & BlueShield de Uruguay that the communication is taking place with the same person that initially registered.
ID R&D and Simpletech will demonstrate their products for WhatsApp security next week at FEBRABAN TECH, a world-class event highlighting innovations in the financial services sector, taking place in São Paulo, Brazil from August 9th to 11th.
About ID R&D
ID R&D, a Mitek company, is an award-winning provider of AI-based voice and face biometrics and liveness detection. With one of the strongest R&D teams in the industry, ID R&D consistently delivers innovative, best-in-class biometric capabilities that raise the bar in terms of usability and performance. Our proven products have achieved superior results in industry-leading challenges, third-party testing, and real-world deployments in more than 60 countries. ID R&D’s solutions are available for easy integration with mobile, web, messaging, and telephone channels, as well as in smart speakers, set-top boxes, and other IoT devices. ID R&D is based in New York, NY. Learn more at www.idrnd.ai.
About Mitek
Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK) is a global leader in digital access, founded to bridge the physical and digital worlds. Mitek’s advanced identity verification technologies and global platform make digital access faster and more secure than ever, providing companies new levels of control, deployment ease and operation, while protecting the entire customer journey. Trusted by 99% of U.S. banks for mobile check deposits and 7,500 of the world’s largest organizations, Mitek helps companies reduce risk and meet regulatory requirements. Learn more at www.miteksystems.com.
About Simpletech
Simpletech develops intuitive and powerful solutions, which combined make communications thrive between business and clients. We directly impact our clients´ customer experience to guarantee the satisfaction and well-being of their customers. Relying on technology and innovation we make complexity simple, by developing software tools and solutions to excel companies´ communications globally, based on AI. We empower more than 150 businesses of all areas, in 20 countries across the world. Learn more at www.simpletech.com.uy.