2 8 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
2 8 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
The Rock and facial authentication
a game changer for intelligent access control
The use of biometrics in access
control systems is becoming
increasingly common, especially
fingerprint reading. Convenient
facial recognition for access control
is also in demand, but often dif-
ficult to adapt to meet different
countries' privacy protection laws.
However, Alcatraz AI has succeed-
ed with their facial authentication
solution. Their solution the Rock,
is not just an unique approach to
use the face as a credential, it is
also designed in compliance with
the latest privacy frameworks
including General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR), the Illinois
Biometric Information Protection
Act (BIPA) and the California
Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
A rainy day was a trigger
The company was founded in
2016 by Vince Gaydarzhiev,
now the chief technology head
of the company. He was part of
the team that developed Apple
FaceID.
The embryo to Alcatraz AI
came as during a rainy and
stormy day he and his fellow team
members were getting drenched
while slowly accessing the facility,
according to Tad Druart, Vice
President, Marketing at Alcatraz
AI.
"They fumbled with badges
and umbrellas, or misplaced their
badge and were trying to talk
to security at the entrance. He
thought, if I just put my phone
on the door I could authenti-
cate people more quickly and
securely", states Tad Druart who
also points out that Alcatraz AI
is not using Apple technology,
neither is Apple affiliated with
Alcatraz AI.
So, then the ending of the
short story about the birth of
Alcatraz AI.
"Vince Gaydarzhiev started
meeting with some of the world's
largest corporations to ensure he
understood their enterprise needs
and the Rock was born," states Tad
Druart.
Several awards
Quickly Alcatraz AI became a
well-known name for its innova-
tive approach to intelligent access
control, based on face authen-
tication. In 2019 the company
received the awards "Startup of the
Year" and the "Most Innovative
Startup" by the Security Industry
Association (SIA). The company
was also named "Cool Vendor in
IoT Security" in Gartner's 2019
report for its innovative approach
to access control using facial rec-
ognition. In 2020 Alcatraz AI was
also included in the "Top 50 Most
Innovative Companies" by Built In
San Francisco.
That the Security, Sales &
Integration magazine named the
Alcatraz Rock as one of the "30
Top Technology Innovations" of
2020 and that Innovation & Tech
Today in 2022 awarded the Rock
a "Most Innovative Product "in
2022, speaks highly for the tech-
nology and problems it solves.
Facial authentication
a new approach
Alcatraz AI uses AI and machine
learning to deliver facial authenti-
cation solutions that work natively
with existing access control systems
eliminating the need to rip and
replace infrastructure.
But how does Alcatraz AI's fa-
cial authentication differ from the
more common facial recognition
systems on the market?
"Facial recognition software ap-
plies algorithmic pattern matching
software to identify an individual's
face in a digital image or video.
Organisations can use it for a
variety of purposes, such as verify-
ing a person's identity for security
purposes or tracking individuals as
they move through a public space,"
states Tina D'Agostin, CEO of
Alcatraz AI.
"By contrast, facial authentica-
tion uses the unique characteristics
of an individual's face to verify
their identity to authenticate the
person at access points or for
certain transactions. This gets done
by using an algorithm to compare
a live image of the user's face to
reference data to confirm that they
are who they are supposed to be
and that they are authorised to
access a designated space, device or
information, such as their iphone."
The approach to privacy that
facial authentication offers is
something Tina D'Agostin likes to
emphasise.
"Unlike facial recognition,
which often takes place without
either the knowledge or permission
of an individual, facial authentica-
tion requires the user's consent,"
she says and adds.
"We take this a step further
with our newest feature, Privacy
Consent Management. Now, in
addition to the technology being
opt-in and private, customers can
share their privacy processes, poli-
cies, and data retention practices
with users ahead of enrollment and
allow them to provide legal opt-in
consent."
Cyber security and
secured privacy
For Alcatraz AI privacy and cyber
security are of high priority. The
facial templates cannot be reconsti-
tuted to identify a person, yet they
are still AES 256 encrypted at the
Edge and are TLS 1.2 encrypted
during transmission to the Cloud
Alcatraz AI uses AI and machine learning to deliver facial authentication solutions
that work natively with existing access control systems eliminating the need to rip and
replace infrastructure.
Special Feature: Access Control
Alcatraz AI
2 8 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
With the Rock, Alcatraz AI may well have introduced
a game-changer to the access control market. This
facial authentication solution is not just offering
an intelligent tailgating detection, and a simplified
enrollment process that works natively with exist-
ing access control systems it is also designed to
protect individual privacy.
Now Alcatraz AI invests in a global expansion,
and as the Rock is designed in compliance with the
GDPR and other privacy frameworks, the expecta-
tions are high.