The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has deployed a voice biometrics-based “proof-of-life” authentication system in the administration of state welfare grants for citizens receiving social security benefits and services.

The welfare agency is tapping a Net1 electronic grant payment disbursement system, combined with AGNITiO Voice iD authentication engine, to “accurately identify beneficiaries based on its proven technology leadership and track record in government applications,” according to the announcement.

The system allows beneficiaries to receive welfare payments by verifying their identity over the phone rather than traveling long distances and waiting in lines. In deploying the payment authentication system, SASSA hope to improve efficiencies, provide greater convenience for grant beneficiaries, and reduce the impact of fraud on government services.

According to AGNITiO, the integrated Net1 UEPS system has been rolled out to 10 million citizens and is “saving SASSA millions of dollars per year.”

In June 2014, Net1 UEPS Technologies announced it received approximately $25.7 million from SASSA as part of implemention costs associated with developing biometric registration of all social grant beneficiaries. At the time Net1 noted, “The decision to re-register all 21 million social grant beneficiaries has enabled SASSA, through the use of Net1′s biometric search engine and data analysis tools, to identify and remove any duplicate, invalid and non-existent grant recipients from the grant system.”

Categories: Conversational Intelligence, Intelligent Authentication, Articles

Tags: Voice biometrics, authentication, Agnitio, South African Social Security Agency, social security