Aware’s Newly Appointed Chief Product Officer to Lead Biometric Deepfake Discussions at Identity Week Europe 2024

Over the past few years, businesses and consumers across the globe have been delighted and terrified by the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). The technology no longer needs an introduction to consumers. Further, it has evolved beyond a software buzzword into a strategic investment area for businesses and has been accepted by consumers through user-friendly applications on their devices.

Alarmingly, the usage and manipulation of AI-based software for committing fraud has also evolved. Biometric deepfakes have experienced exponential growth, doubling in number every six months. Organizations and consumers are quickly finding that fraudsters are able use AI for their own nefarious purposes. Against this backdrop, Aware, Inc., a global biometric identity platform company, will be showcasing its offerings and speaking at Identity Week Europe 2024, June 11 - 12, 2024 in Amsterdam (booth #294). Here, the company’s new Chief Product Officer, Heidi Hunter, will lead speaking engagements and booth discussions around demystifying deepfakes for attendees.

“Deepfakes aren’t necessarily a new problem, but the tools needed to create them are becoming much more readily available and advanced,” says Hunter. “Despite the growing threat of deepfakes in identity management, individuals’ online presence, and society overall, many people still don’t know what a deepfake is. That’s why Aware will spearhead sessions dedicated to exploring this question; various deepfake creation methods; and top strategies to prevent them.”

Hunter has more than 10 years of experience in product strategy and development, product market fit, product management, data analysis and automation, and market intelligence. In addition to being an expert on fraud prevention, she brings demonstrated success in securing product market fit and driving product adoption, enabling organizations to develop and systematically expand their product offerings and build solutions to customer challenges through software.

“As the identity industry continues to evolve, and Aware continues to transform, we couldn’t be more excited to have Heidi on the leadership team,” said Bob Eckel, president and chief executive officer at Aware. “With her expansive expertise over a tenured career in identity, we’re looking forward to Heidi’s leadership in increasing adoption of our biometric offerings. Specifically, by continuing to drive our value propositions, further evolving our highly configurable product platforms, and identifying new best practices for use-cases in our pre-configured systems. With the nature of the Identity Week Europe event, it makes sense that presenting there will be Heidi’s first public engagement on behalf of Aware.”

Specifically, visitors to Identity Week Europe can attend the following sessions led by Aware:

• On Day 1, Gina Rodrigues, Aware’s vice president of marketing will dive into “Biometrics and the Consumer Mindset: Unpacking Trust in Digital Identity.” Rodrigues will walk the audience through the evolving landscape of consumer attitudes towards biometric authentication and the strategic challenges businesses face in leveraging this tech. Covering insights into the delicate balance between convenience, security, and privacy that shapes consumer acceptance, attendees will get practical guidance for businesses seeking to integrate biometrics responsibly. (Located in Seminar 1 at 10:20 a.m. local time)
• Also on Day 1, Heidi Hunter, Aware’s chief product officer will present “Biometric Spoofing: How Synthetic Biometrics are Generated. Digging into what biometric deepfakes are and how fraudsters are leveraging artificial intelligence to create them, Hunter will cover how to build strategies and enable organizations through multi-modal biometrics to enable safe consumer transactions and prevent fraud. (Theatre 2 at 4:20 p.m. local time)
• On Day 2, Hunter and Rodrigues will team up to host a roundtable on “Deepfake Detection: Unmasking Digital Deception” where participants will test their ability to identify manipulated media, learn about the emerging challenges posed by deepfakes in today’s digital landscape, and explore practical measures to safeguard against them. (Roundtables at 12:10 p.m. local time)

To learn more about Aware’s solutions, stop by booth #294 at Identity Week Europe, June 11 – 12, or book a virtual meeting.

About Aware Aware is a global biometric platform company that uses data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to tackle everyday business and identity challenges through biometrics. For over 30 years we’ve been a trusted name in the field. Aware’s offerings address the growing challenges that government and commercial enterprises face in knowing, authenticating and securing individuals through frictionless and highly secure user experiences. Our algorithms are based on diverse operational data sets from around the world, and we prioritize making biometric technology in an ethical and responsible manner. Aware is a publicly held company (NASDAQ: AWRE) based in Burlington, Massachusetts. To learn more, visit our website, review our Investor Presentation, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Safe Harbor Warning Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as estimates or projections of future revenue, earnings and non-recurring charges, and the growth of the biometrics markets. Aware wishes to caution you that there are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by such statements. Risk factors related to our business include, but are not limited to: i) our operating results may fluctuate significantly and are difficult to predict; ii) we derive a significant portion of our revenue from government customers, and our business may be adversely affected by changes in the contracting or fiscal policies of those governmental entities; iii) a significant commercial market for biometrics technology may not develop, and if it does, we may not be successful in that market; iv) the biometrics market may not experience significant growth or our products may not achieve broad acceptance; v) we face intense competition from other biometrics solution providers; vi) our business is subject to rapid technological change; vii) our software products may have errors, defects or bugs which could harm our business; viii) part of our future business is dependent on market demand for, and acceptance of, the cloud-based model for the use of software: viii) our operational systems and networks and products may be subject to an increasing risk of continually evolving cybersecurity or other technological risks which could result in the disclosure of company or customer confidential information, damage to our reputation, additional costs, regulatory penalties and financial losses; ix) we must attract and retain key personnel; and x) our business may be affected by government regulations and adverse economic conditions; and . We refer you to the documents Aware files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Risk Factors in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and other reports and filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6b64f23-7fb3-4319-a361-325a6a231a23

CONTACT
Company Contact                
Gina Rodrigues                                                        
Aware, Inc.                                                        
781-687-0300                                                                
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