Has Google’s AI watermarking system been reverse-engineered?

A software developer claims to have reverse-engineered Google DeepMind’s SynthID system, showing how AI watermarks can be stripped from generated images or manually inserted into other works. A claim that, according to Google, isn’t true. The developer, going by the username Aloshdenny, has open-sourced their work on GitHub and documented his process, claiming all it […]

Da Nang Airport opens biometric priority lane

Da Nang International Airport has introduced a dedicated priority lane for passengers using biometric identification.

Airport director Phan Kieu Hung said the rollout reflects ongoing work by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam to apply technologies that streamline procedures and improve the passenger experience.

The new system is built on the VNeID platform and uses pre‑verified biometric data to identify travellers, enabling faster and more secure processing.

Located in the domestic departure terminal, the lane is open to passengers with Level 2 electronic identification accounts. Eligible travellers can clear security and boarding using face biometrics or QR codes, without presenting physical documents.

Passengers reported shorter wait times and greater convenience, especially during peak periods.

Biometric processing has been piloted at the airport since 2023 and is now fully operational following upgrades to infrastructure and procedures. Authorities say the system automates verification steps, reduces processing times to a few minutes, and maintains required security standards.

The airport plans to expand biometric services in collaboration with relevant agencies, viewing the launch as a step in improving service quality and supporting a smoother travel experience.

At the end of last year, Vietnam began requiring most domestic air travellers to complete ticketing, check-in, security screening and boarding through biometric verification linked to VNeID.

Vietnam’s national digital identity system, the VNeID app, and biometric verification have expanded into Vietnam’s everyday infrastructure.

Hanoi, the country’s capital, deployed biometric identity verification with digital ID credentials and open-loop payments (interoperable payment acceptance) in its metro system. All 12 stations on Hanoi’s Metro Line 2A feature digital identity infrastructure.

Vietnam intends to have all citizens on digital ID and digitalized public service access in 2026.

On January 5 of this year, Vietnam made biometric verification mandatory for opening bank accounts under a new regulation from the state bank. It was aimed at tightening security in electronic transactions.

Meta urged to halt facial recognition glasses rollout, disclose law enforcement ties

Meta’s plan for facial recognition smart glasses is facing more opposition from civil society.

More than 70 organizations have called on the tech company to “immediately halt and publicly disavow” its plans to deploy facial recognition features on its Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses, including a feature known as “Name Tag” that would reportedly allow users to identify people.

The letter was signed by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Access Now. It asks Meta to publicly disclose any known instances of its wearables being used for stalking, harassment, or domestic and sexual violence, as well as any discussions and plans with law enforcement agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) related to wearables.

The letter also calls on the tech giant to stop opposing privacy legislation that would require Meta to obtain explicit user consent before collecting or processing biometric data. According to a 2025 New York Times report, Meta restructured its privacy risk review process by laying off more than 100 employees and replacing most manual reviews with automated systems.

The company introduced the process after receiving a US$5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019 for undermining users’ privacy preferences. Meta also agreed to pay roughly $2 billion in settlements for unauthorized collection and misuse of user biometric data after privacy lawsuits in Illinois and Texas.

“Consumers have no reason to trust Meta to manage the complex social and political problems created by consumer-facing facial recognition tech,” the letter says. “ A company with this track record should be working to earn back public trust – not looking for creative ways to exploit our current political crisis by deploying the next iteration of the same technology it was just recently forced to abandon.”

News of Meta’s plan to include facial recognition in its smart glasses broke out in February. In an internal memo, the company noted that the current situation in the U.S. was a good time for the feature’s release.

“We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,” says the document.

The news caused a backlash among lawmakers and civil society organizations. EPIC sent letters to the FTC and state enforcers requesting a prompt investigation, while Democratic senators urged Meta to explain how it would obtain consent, handle biometric data, test for bias and prevent misuse.

Earlier in April, a coalition of more than 60 civil organizations led by the Consumer Federation of America and UltraViolet Action, wrote to the U.S. Congress to oppose the company’s plans, citing numerous reports of misuse of Meta’s smart glasses.

The latest letter shares similar arguments, noting that facial recognition built into consumer eyewear represents a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups.

“People should be able to move through their daily lives without fear that stalkers, scammers, abusers, federal agents and activists across the political spectrum are silently and invisibly verifying their identities and potentially matching their names to a wealth of readily available data about their habits, hobbies, relationships, health and behaviors,” the letter notes.

Digital ID trust cannot be fully automated, it needs the human layer: GITEX Africa panel

A panel at the recent GITEX Africa 2026 event, which took place from April 7–9 in the imperial Moroccan city of Marrakech, described digital ID trust as something achievable not only through multi-stakeholder collaboration but also by building a strong human layer.

Three panelists from government and the private sector shared their perspectives on how collaboration between the parties involved can sustain the digital identity and trust momentum currently being built around the world.

The focus of the panel, moderated by CNBC Australia’s Amanda Drury, was on how such partnerships can boost the adoption of digital services made available to citizens across sectors, in order to improve their daily lives.

El Hadji Malick Gueye, General Director for Senegal at fintech startup Wave; Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor for Science and Environment at the Rabat-based Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO); and Dr. P.C. Jaffer, Secretary to the Government in charge of budget and resources for the Indian State of Karnataka, all emphasized the undeniable role of trust in digital ID.

Gueye described trust as a fundamental pillar of every country’s digital ecosystem but opined that it cannot be entirely automated. He and the other speakers agreed that technology alone will not convince people to trust digital identity systems. Instead, trust must be built through human networks, inclusive governance, and practical technical literacy among decision-makers.

This is exactly what they are doing at Wave, he said. Wave, which describes itself as the first unicorn in Francophone Africa, operates in ten West and Central African countries and is one of the fintechs working to deepen financial inclusion across the continent.

“Trust is vital, especially in Africa, where human contact remains very important. Even though we are a digital company, we deliberately maintain a vast network of agents. Across Africa, we have 150,000 agents,” Gueye said.

“They act as our first ambassadors. They explain the product, help customers understand the process, and reassure them. Even in countries like Senegal, where we have reached a level of saturation, they continue to help us push our development further. The reality is that trust cannot be fully automated. That is why we leverage our agents to continue our growth dynamic.”

Sharif stated that in building trust, cooperation is a very important aspect, and that is one of the priorities of their work at ICESCO.

“At ICESCO, we are firmly convinced of one thing: the importance of international cooperation. We actively foster it,” he said, adding that networking is one of the key pillars of their work as an intergovernmental, non-profit organisation that operates through a large setup of national commissions.

For Jaffer, building a solid human layer to enhance digital trust entails a great deal, including improving technical capacity and enabling a full understanding of the technology involved.

“That is a very significant challenge because most of the people who manage government programs do not come from a technology background, and they need not. They do not need to know every nuance of the technology,” he said.

“However, designing any digital system actually requires two distinct sets of skills. First, you need a very clear understanding of your domain or sector. Second, you need a certain level of technical literacy, not necessarily the ability to write code, but an understanding of the broader architecture, business processes, and the kinds of algorithms suited to the task at hand,” he stated.

He added that with constant work on different systems over time, it is possible to acquire that knowledge.

“Myself, I come from a humanities background. My formal qualifications are in education, but through experience, I have developed an understanding of how to design digital projects and can engage meaningfully with technical teams. The key thing is being able to translate your sectoral knowledge and requirements into language a technical person can understand,” he shared.

To support his point about capacity building, the official cited the work being done by the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore (IIIT-B), where MOSIP, a major global player in trusted digital ID today, was incubated.

He added that programs such as IIIT-B’s cover questions including what kind of digital ID platform to use, whether to opt for open-source or proprietary solutions, and what database structures are appropriate at different scales.

The speakers also shared their thoughts about what role AI-powered identity verification systems can play in bolstering digital ID trust.

“We do leverage AI, and it plays an important role. However, we have to be careful. Simply importing AI solutions developed elsewhere and applying them directly to our markets is not the right approach. I fully agree with my colleague’s earlier point about the need for contextual adaptation. AI has to be fitted to the specific ways people interact with digital systems in our African context,” Gueye advised.

According to Jaffer, the difficulty in building digital ID systems that enable smoother and faster access to government services is huge, but it is possible for countries to keep pace with those expectations by designing better systems which they can continue to upgrade, and ensure data security and privacy.

Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit

“This is the Strait of Hormuz in the data economy. If you want to make a change, this is where you cut it off. Anything short of that is theatrical political posture.”