BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In 2019, the infamous Varsity Blues conspiracy implicated several well-known business people and celebrity actors in an elite college admissions scandal. Part of this scheme involved expert test-takers standing in to take college entrance exams in place of students using fake IDs.

Amid ongoing sentences for key participants in the Varsity Blues scandal, the issue of fraudulent test-taking, including business certifications and exams, continues to draw attention – challenging many institutions, large or small. Aware, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWRE) teamed up with the major player in examination and accreditation services, PeopleCert, to demonstrate how this issue can be addressed. By incorporating biometric authorization, specifically Aware's Knomi^® solution, PeopleCert bolstered their KYC (Know Your Customer) process, showcasing to all that the security and credibility of certification procedures can be bolstered – resolving the challenge many institutions face.

“Unfortunately, it can be far too easy for an expert test-taker to sit in and take an exam for someone else, which is a deceitful and illegal practice known as ‘proxy testing,’” says Craig Herman, CRO, Aware. “The ease of proxy testing has increased due to online exams, e-learning and online certifications which makes the risk from it rise. This problem, whether online or in-person, can seriously impact test validity. If not stopped, it means someone can pass a test without having the requisite skills and experience - which in the worst case scenario can be very dangerous.”

PeopleCert delivers millions of exams in over 200 countries and territories, including business, IT and language exams. PeopleCert has integrated Aware’s Knomi mobile biometric authentication framework as part of the eKYC identity verification process for individuals who intend to take an online exam or certification.

“Biometric authentication is an unsurpassed measure to prevent proxy testing in several ways,” Suzy Gunn, Chief Operating Officer for PeopleCert. “Biometric data can be gathered upon registration and checked in exam delivery. Or biometrics can be used to crossmatch people to their identity documents, ensuring they are the people represented in the documents. The technology can also detect the presence of a single proxy test taker who may be taking multiple exams or pretending to be different people. Security within exams is of paramount importance to PeopleCert and is a collaborative effort involving technology, processes, human expertise, and judgement. Biometric authentication is one of the many steps PeopleCert take in maintaining security, trust, and credibility.”

About Aware
Aware is a global authentication company that validates and secures identities using leading-edge adaptive biometrics. Aware’s offerings address the growing challenges government and commercial enterprises face in knowing, authenticating and securing individuals through frictionless and highly secure user experiences. Now celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary as a leader in biometrics, Aware’s algorithms are based on diverse data sets from around the world and can be tailored to the unique security needs of its customers. The company empowers users to control identities through clear, easy opt-in and opt-out features, helping them feel secure and improving their lives. Aware is a publicly held company (NASDAQ: AWRE) based in Burlington, Massachusetts. To learn more, visit https://www.aware.com  or follow Aware on Twitter @AwareBiometrics.

About PeopleCert
PeopleCert is the global leader in the certification industry, delivering millions of exams across 200 countries and territories in 25 languages through an extensive network of test centres and online proctoring. With a focus on innovation, security, and customer experience, PeopleCert emboldens people and organizations to achieve what they are capable of. Dream it, Do it!

peoplecert.org

Safe Harbor Warning
Portions of this release contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as our expectations regarding our new product. Aware wishes to caution you that there are factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results indicated by such statements, including the risks that (i) current and prospective customers do not purchase our new product in the quantities that we expect and (ii) our new product does not perform as well as we expect because of errors, defects or bugs. 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, 2022 and other reports and filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT
Company Contact                         
Gina Rodrigues                                                                                           
Aware, Inc.                                                                                                  
781-687-0300
grodrigues@aware.com 

Source: Aware, Inc.