The Biometric Update Podcast

Host Joel McConvey talks with Irene Hernandez (Gataca) and Andy Lulhum (VerifyMy) about evolving online safety laws across Europe and the UK. Topics include the EU Kids Act, the EUDI wallet and anonymous age proofs, debates over facial age estimation, and country-by-country rollout challenges.

Lulham also discusses a new UK law criminalizing realistic depictions of strangulation and incest in online pornography, the growing responsibility placed on platforms, and why AI-driven content moderation and consent management are essential to detect and remove harmful material at scale.

Together the interviews explore whether these regulatory and technical changes are making the internet safer. 

She has 25 years of prognosticating in the identity industry. What did she get right? Joel McConvey speaks with industry veteran C. Maxine Most about Acuity Market Intelligence’s Sunday Brief — a 25-year audit of past predictions — and lessons learned from scoring her own forecasts.

They also discuss the Deepfake Summit’s warning about trust in the age of synthetic media and agentic AI, the need to rethink organizational and identity infrastructure, and how these shifts will reshape markets, security, and digital identity.

Host Joel McConvey interviews Pindrop CEO Vijay Balasubramanian about the rising danger of AI-generated deepfakes: how they’re used in political ads, robocalls and scams, and the threat they pose to trust ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

The episode also covers findings from the 2026 Deepfake Summit and Interpol’s awareness campaign, and explains why continuous authentication, agent governance and new defenses are essential to protect elections, institutions and individuals.

Host Joel McConvey interviews industry leaders on the governance challenges common to digital credentials and agentic AI.

Cameron Walker-Miller of the SIA discusses mobile credential standards, interoperability, privacy trade-offs, and security best practices for protecting access systems.

Evin McMullen of AmanTrue explains agent passports, border controls, and cryptographic audit trails designed to ensure that AI agents act within authorized bounds, especially as the UAE pursues widespread government use of agentic AI.

Together they outline the urgency of standards, robust data governance, and technical controls to ensure privacy, security, and trust as digital identity and agentic systems scale.

A concise exploration of what makes AI an "agent," how terminology shapes governance, and the practical risks and safeguards -- covering MCP, autonomy, rogue agents, and why defining terms matters for authentication and regulation.

Part one of the After September series features Janice Kephart, a key author of the 9/11 Commission report, who explains how the September 11 attacks reshaped travel policy over the last 25 years — from passport rules and Real ID to the rise of biometrics and identity verification at the border.

The episode looks at successes and remaining gaps: how biometrics have improved air travel safety, challenges like biometric exit and privacy oversight, and why identity remains central to national security and the evolving threats to travel.

Alexandre Kech, CEO of GLEIF, discusses using verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI) and open standards to govern AI agents, ensure cryptographic delegation of authority, and create auditable chains of trust for agentic commerce.

Major changes in the regulatory world are paving the way for digital identity. Will Fall 2026 be looked back on as a tipping point for digital ID? In this episode, host Joel McConvey and Biometric Update Managing Editor Chris Burt offer a survey of how regulatory and operational approaches have set the stage for a global shift. 

Changes to the UK's Mandatory Licensing Conditions for alcohol sales have been promised for years. This month, the bill passed; now all that's left is to sign it into law. But that's just the legislation. Yoti's Group Product Manager, Emily Hyett, joins the Biometric Update to talk implementation, trust and what the identity sector can expect. 

Tony Allen of the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) and Julian Corbett of the OpenAge initiative join the Biometric Update Podcast to discuss reusable age checks, certification, and the path to trust for online age assurance.