Blockchain and digital ID are helping humanitarian workers across the globe better distribute aid and reduce fraud in those programs. Via a new initiative in Africa, newborns are being registered via blockchain to ensure delivery of health and other services.

The iPhone maker recently has moved to facial recognition technology, following larger trends, but the new patent seems to indicate other biometric authentication possibilities, including a possible renewed focus on fingerprint.

Long considered the world leader in digital ID and the tasks it enables, Estonia has taken online secure voting to a new level. In a humorous look at what that means, Estonia residents test out voting from a sauna.

One of the most expensive and cumbersome parts of a secure ID implementation is the proofing of employees prior to credential issuance. For government credentials issued by federal agencies and contractors, the identity proofing process can now be managed remotely rather than via in-person interviews.

The controversial biometric ID program has been approved by authorities in India for voluntary use by people seeking to open bank or mobile phone accounts. The move stands as the latest example of biometrics helping to authenticate payments and commerce.

Evernym, which promotes use of blockchain for digital ID, has awarded the Red Cross and four other global humanitarian groups free access to an accelerator program. The effort, involving organizations with wide reach, could further promote the deployment of cutting-edge digital IDs among millions of people.

Facial recognition is increasingly being deployed to tighten security, improve authentication, and streamline payment and retail transactions. But an ordinance in San Francisco — the first of its kind — would ban its use by city government, potentially restricting police from using evidence gained from the biometric tool.