New Technologies and Identity Protection: How to Regulate the Use of AI and What Tools to Deploy

Technology is becoming an increasingly integral part of everyday life. Whether for leisure or professional purposes, people around the world rely daily on technological tools. A major acceleration has come with the widespread access to artificial intelligence tools, which are now used across every sector. To better understand and govern the introduction of the latest innovations, the Comtel Group decided to analyze the current landscape in order to provide concrete answers to all stakeholders.

The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies conducted a study for the Comtel Research Center, and its main pillars were presented during the roundtable discussion “Identity and Technologies: Innovation, Regulation and Applications” at the Centro Studi Americani in Rome. The event brought together institutions, representatives of law enforcement agencies, and major Italian industrial players. The Centro Studi Americani has long served as a meeting point for fostering relationships and debates, promoting dialogue among institutions, businesses, and civil society.

At the heart of the conference was digital identity — something that must be protected and regulated while also facilitating technological evolution. Today, biometric applications make it possible to carry out payments and access critical infrastructures or major events securely. In this field, Comtel has already invested significantly, adding to its portfolio a cutting-edge solution installed in more than 80 airports across five continents, with a reliability rate exceeding 90%.

The study focuses on the use of biometric technologies, especially for public security, highlighting how they have become widespread in everyday life (station access gates, event security systems, urban spaces) and how they offer numerous benefits by streamlining processes and enabling faster identification of wanted or missing individuals. However, this significant support risks conflicting with privacy concerns, especially when targeted surveillance turns into mass monitoring. The paper therefore pays particular attention to remote biometric identification — considered more invasive because it can identify individuals without their consent — and to the provisions of the European AI Act, which generally prohibits the real-time use of these systems in public spaces for law enforcement purposes, except in cases involving terrorism or serious crimes.

This legislation prioritizes the protection of personal data, classifying non-prohibited biometric systems as “high-risk,” and allowing retrospective recognition only in limited cases and under strong privacy safeguards. These regulations, however, often struggle to keep pace with rapid technological evolution. In some non-EU regions, simple operations can already be carried out through facial recognition, such as payments, making smartphone and smartwatch-based transactions seem almost outdated. Biometrics, in fact, are not used solely for public security purposes but also apply to many other sectors, as highlighted in the Comtel – Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies study: digital authentication, private services, workplaces, finance, healthcare, and transportation, to name just a few.

Biometric technologies and digital identity are therefore central to modern society — and there is no turning back — but they require a careful balance between innovation, security, and the protection of personal rights. This is the challenge facing European lawmakers, starting with the fundamental objective of safeguarding citizens, businesses, and institutions.

Several important contributions were made during the debate, including those from the National Cybersecurity Agencyand the Supreme Court of Cassation.

Comtel also presented its proprietary solution, NeoFace Watch. This facial recognition technology ranked among the top performers in tests conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), particularly in the Face Recognition Technology Evaluation assessments. The product achieved outstanding results with an extremely low authentication error rate. This technology is particularly suitable for sectors that deal daily with large flows of people, including transportation, hospitality, banking and finance, events, and many others.

“Research and scientific progress have opened up incredible scenarios that until a few years ago seemed like pure science fiction. We are enthusiastic about the work we are carrying forward, while also being aware that constant dialogue between public and private stakeholders is necessary to regulate the use of new technologies for the protection of individuals and the community. We must not give up being human, but we must be able to seize the benefits that this new technological revolution is bringing,” commented Carlo Nardello.

“The study conducted for Comtel stems from a real need shared by companies, citizens, and lawmakers: mapping and regulating the use of new technologies. At the European level, much is already being done, but we must fully understand the risks and benefits involved. This research was developed precisely with that goal in mind, through a careful analysis of the current landscape and possible future developments,” stated Luigi Fimiani, Dirpolis Institute - Sant'Anna School