Frequently Asked Questions

Wink’s SOC 2 compliance demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of data security and privacy. It means that we have undergone an independent audit to validate that our systems and processes meet the rigorous standards for protecting sensitive customer information.

For merchants, this ensures that partnering with Wink provides a secure environment for transaction processing and data handling. For customers, it builds trust in Wink’s ability to safeguard their personal information, making every interaction secure and reliable. Compared to competitors, Wink’s SOC 2 compliance underscores our leadership in delivering secure, trustworthy solutions, giving merchants and customers an edge in a security-conscious market.

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance is a standard developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) that specifies how organizations should manage customer data. It is based on five trust service criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

Passkey represents an interoperable solution offered by Platform vendors (Apple, Google and Microsoft) in order to allow app developers to use device based biometrics to be directly used as a replacement for password for account access. Under this technology, an app developer, say Bank X, can allow a user to create a Passkey in order to login to Bank X mobile app or website. This Passkey lives on the user’s personal device and is accessed via the device’s on board biometrics sensor such as Face ID or Touch ID

Passkey’s improve upon Face ID by allowing Face ID to be usable on websites (as against mobile apps only before Passkey). Passkeys also allow devices that don’t have integrated biometrics sensors to be able to perform password-less authentication by using a QR code mechanism to log into a non-compatible device by scanning the QR and performing the Passkey authentication on the original compatible device.

However, while the above two shortcomings of device-based biometrics are improved, Passkeys are still Single Factor Authentication (SFA) and still exhibit the other limitations.

Passkeys also introduce a new limitation on OS versions. For example, they are supported on iOS16 and above on iPhone, MacOS Venture and above on Macbook and similar latest versions of Windows and Androids only. For a conceivable period of time, app developers who rely on passwords would need to support both passwords and passkeys until their entire subscriber base has the correct hardware (supporting integrated device biometrics) and correct OS version (supporting Passkey).

Passkey implementation also requires app developers to add a Fido or Webauthn server to their backend infrastructure which could be an added complexity as compared to passwords or SMS/OTP based authentication that most app developers are used to.

Wink plans to adopt Passkey as an option on compatible devices (replacing one of Wink’s three factors used in authentication that is based on device). This feature will be available on Wink 2.0 product lines in 2023. For users on compatible Passkey enabled devices, Wink Login would allow login via Passkey while maintaining the use of Wink’s AI/ML authentication, voice recognition and the fallback to cloud based biometrics on devices that don’t support Passkey, thereby continuing on its promise of providing a completely passwordless solution that works on all devices, irrespective of hardware, software and form factor. This will allow app developers to also get access to Passkey without deploying the additional servers on their side.

Wink has several features, multiple patents pending, that are industry first. These features are not available in Single Factor Biometrics solutions such as Apple Face ID or Touch ID

• Simultaneous MFA via video performing face, voice and device recognition simultaneously using a single video stream
• Decentralized biometrics and payments wallet on blockchain
• A private wallet encompassing anonymous biometrics and payment tokens only accessible to the user
• Artificial intelligence in biometrics matching with continuous enrollment
• Multifactor authentication protocol using AI and ML to ascertain identity and continuously improving enrollment biometrics data with every authentication

The most important standard related to Authentication (of which Biometrics is a part) is called AA (Authentication Assurance level) 1/2/3 certification from NIST ( National Institute of Science and Technology ). Refer to the following detailed description of AAL. (https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63b.html#sec4)

In short

• AAL1 is for authentication technology that only are single factor (like Apple Face ID or Android TouchID or Windows Hello)
• AAL2 is a multifactor authentication technology that has at least two factors (usually something you have and something you know) – such as Apple Face ID combined with an OTP code sent to the phone
• AAL3 is an enhancement of AAL2 where the technology also offers impersonation resistance (that means that another user cannot share the same access privilege granted to the authorized user)

All device based biometrics technologies by themselves, being single factor, can only provide AAL1 access. Hence they are suitable for certain actions like device unlock and password autofill.

This is why most banks use a second factor such as code sent to email or SMS to protect more advanced use cases (such as wire transfer) where AAL2 access is recommended. However, AAL2 allows for account sharing and fails to meet impersonation resistance. For example, an iPhone user can share the PIN of their device with another user who can then unlock the phone and also receive the OTP to gain access.

Wink’s technology can provide AAL3 type access since it also provides impersonation resistance. Since there is no OTP/PIN based bypass, if the device is shared with another user, Wink’s technology requires both face and voice to be verified thereby denying access to another user.

Wink plans to use accredited labs by NIST such as iBeta to achieve AAL3 certification in 2023. As explained above, solutions based on Face ID alone cannot achieve AAL3.

Both approaches offer some advantages, but Cloud-based Biometrics have a wider appeal:

• Device based biometrics are faster than Biometrics on Cloud/Edge
• The biggest drawback with device based biometrics is a very poor customer experience if your device is lost or stolen or damaged – your biometrics are lost and have to be recreated and they don’t move from one device to the other easily especially if you are moving let’s say from Android to Apple
• Device based biometrics on iPhone have a PIN fallback, and Android and Windows can allow multiple users to setup their biometrics on the same device which could be a big drawback for authentication as multiple users can access the same device.
• Device based biometrics do not combine identity with authentication — you can only authenticate the device but can’t identity the device holder
• Device based biometrics are better for enterprise use cases where it’s important to protect access to data in a controlled environment like logging into your computer, accessing your CRM database from a company computer but not from a personal computer, etc.
• Device based biometrics do not scale well to consumer use cases (logging into websites or apps from multiple devices and computers owned by a user)
• Device based biometrics have very poor fallback – No Artificial Intelligence (they all fallback to a PIN or password because they are designed to unlock the device)
• Device based biometrics have poor coverage, gazillions of low- to mid-end Androids, Chromebooks, Windows laptops out there with no integrated biometrics
• Device based biometrics do not scale to public devices and IOT, smartTVs, connected cars, fridges, Alexa speakers, etc.

Apple’s Face ID makes use of an integrated specialized sensor and a security chip that is part of the iPhone hardware. The security chip stores biometric data representing the main user’s face. The Face ID technology is able to quickly match the face belonging to the holder of the iPhone with the biometric data in the security chip to unlock the iPhone. Face ID can also be used to unlock username and passwords stored in iCloud keychain that allows other apps on the iPhone to use Face ID to automatically fill-in username and passwords for login without the need for the user to manually type the passwords. Apple’s Face ID is the most popular and widely used device based biometrics technology. Other device based biometrics technology are TouchID (fingerprint sensors found on some models of iPhones, iPads, Macbooks and Android phones) and USB keys (like Yubikey) that have a fingerprint sensor on them.

Wink’s biometrics technology uses multiple factors to authenticate users without the need of any password. It uses the common selfie camera and microphone to capture biometric vectorized data representing a user’s face, voice and device and this data is stored in a private wallet belonging to the user on the cloud (blockchain). Wink’s biometric matching happens in the cloud and is an example of multifactor authentication as at least two factors relating to the user must match (out of device, face and voice) for the user to be granted access. There are many other companies using Cloud-based biometrics to offer services like KYC and identity verification.

We understand the importance of timely and efficient implementation of new technologies. That’s why Wink’s biometric authentication platform is designed to be easily integrated into existing systems with no need for proprietary hardware, allowing for a streamlined and seamless integration process. While the implementation time can vary depending on the specific needs and technology infrastructure of the retailer or service provider,  Wink offers a low code option via popular SDK for different development environments.  For more complex or enterprise solutions, Wink’s dedicated implementation team works closely with customers to provide a tailored plan for their specific requirements. Depending on the readiness and complexity of the existing systems, some retailers can implement Wink’s biometric authentication platform in as little as a few days or weeks, allowing for a fast and efficient upgrade to their security and authentication processes.

To get started, just visit Wink’s thorough Documentation repository where you can read about our implementation process and request credentials.

Wink’s multifactor biometric authentication platform is a game-changer for retailers, helping them combat shrinkage by preventing fraud and theft. With advanced AI and machine learning, Wink’s face and voice recognition technology provides secure and accurate identity verification for every transaction. With traditional authentication methods such as passwords and PINs, there is a risk of fraud and theft, as these can be easily stolen or guessed. However, with Wink’s biometric authentication, the customer’s face or voice is used as the means of identification, making it much more difficult for unauthorized individuals to complete a purchase. This not only helps prevent fraudulent purchases, it ensures loyal customers are accurately identified, and their loyalty rewards or other incentives are properly applied, reducing the risk of loss due to fraud or mistakes.

Wink’s payment orchestration platform features an innovative failover system, which ensures that payments continue seamlessly, even in the event of an outage or technical difficulties. With support for multiple payment gateways and methods, Wink’s platform can automatically switch to the next available option, without any interruption to the payment process. This guarantees maximum reliability and uptime, providing a secure and streamlined payment experience for both retailers and customers. With Wink, merchants can rest assured that their payment infrastructure is always up and running, ensuring maximum satisfaction and trust from their customers.

Wink’s fraud protection is different from traditional methods as it utilizes proprietary multifactor biometric authentication technology that eliminates the need for passwords, PINs, or one-time codes, making it nearly impossible for fraudsters to bypass security measures. Additionally, Wink uses AI-powered risk assessment algorithms that analyze multiple data points to identify and block fraudulent transactions in real-time. In case of an attempted fraud, Wink’s failover protection ensures that the payment transaction is automatically rerouted to a secure backup processor, avoiding any disruption in service. These advanced features make Wink’s fraud protection more effective and reliable than traditional fraud prevention methods.

At Wink, we proudly support a variety of major e-commerce platforms, such as Magento, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, enabling our users to seamlessly integrate our checkout technology into their existing online stores. We are committed to expanding our platform integrations to other platforms such as Shopify, Salesforce and other popular platforms to offer our users even more flexibility and convenience. For the most up-to-date information on the platforms we support, please visit the Wink website.

Yes! Wink offers a seamless and flexible checkout experience for retailers and their customers, including a guest checkout option. Wink understands that some customers may prefer not to enroll their biometrics and create an account before making a purchase, which is why we have integrated a Guest Checkout Experience. This allows users to add their face and voice data when they are ready, and after the purchase is complete, they can choose to save their account information and layer in their biometrics at a later time. It is important to note that no payment information will be stored until all necessary biometrics have been attached and verified with the account, ensuring maximum security and privacy for the user.

No. With Wink, Merchants can “bring their existing processing relationships.” Wink has pre-built support for over 200 major payment processors making it very easy for merchants to adopt Wink’s advanced biometrics and payments technology.

Our platform supports various payment methods, including traditional options like credit and debit cards, as well as popular mobile payment solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay. We also provide support for digital wallets such as PayPal and Amazon Pay, making it easy for customers to pay for their purchases securely and conveniently. Moreover, Wink is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation and is constantly adding support for alternative payment methods such as Account to Account, ACH, FedNow and BNPL, providing greater flexibility and choice to our customers and end users.

1. Simplified Checkout:
Wink’s multifactor and passwordless Biometric Authentication can prefill checkout and payment screens with verified data belonging to the user resulting in a streamlined and hassle-free checkout experience for customers.

‍2. Secure Payment Experiences:
Unlike today’s e-commerce payment transactions, Wink can ensure each payment transaction is biometrically authenticated and has been conducted by a live human being vs a BOT. For the first time, merchants and financial institutions can reliably block man-in-the-middle, phishing and other type of attacks without jeopardizing or compromising transactions from authentic users.

‍3. Cost Reduction:
With Wink’s PCI-compliant infrastructure and advanced biometric protection, retailers can reduce their compliance costs and minimize the risk of fraud, resulting in significant cost savings for the business.

‍4. Payment Orchestration, Tokenization and Failover Protection:
Wink comes pre-built with advanced connectivity to over 200 payment gateways, support for state of the art card tokenization capabilities and support for multiple gateways in failsafe mode ensuring that even the smallest merchant has access to the most advanced payments technology without a large investment in development or maintenance.

We believe technology should be accessible and easy to use. That’s why our multifactor biometric authentication platform is designed to work with existing hardware and software, without the need for any proprietary equipment. App developers can integrate to our platform quickly and easily, without significant investment in new technology. Our solution is compatible with a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and point-of-sale systems, ensuring a hassle-free authentication experience for both customers and merchants. Trust us to provide a reliable and convenient authentication solution that fits seamlessly into your existing infrastructure.

Wink’s biometric authentication platform utilizes cutting-edge algorithms and machine learning to effectively detect and prevent spoofing attempts during the authentication process. By analyzing a variety of factors, such as facial expressions and voice patterns, the platform can ensure the authenticity of the user’s biometric data.

To prevent spoofing, Wink incorporateeffectively s liveness detection, which checks for signs of a live person during the authentication process, including detecting the presence of the face on a flat surface such as paper or another screen (like mobile), eye movements or head rotation. This ensures that the captured biometric data is from a live person, and not a static image or pre-recorded video.

Wink takes liveness detection to the next level by adding voice verification to analyze  a user’s unique vocal patterns. The technology requires the user to speak a particular phrase or answer a question, and then analyzes the variability of speech patterns to ensure that samples are coming from a live person and not a pre-recorded sample, ultimately providing advanced verification to prevent fraud.

Wink’s platform leverages a mix of anti-spoofing technology to identify and prevent synthetic and deepfake attacks. This technology analyzes multiple facial and voice features to differentiate between real and fake biometric data, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the system.

Overall, Wink’s biometric authentication platform utilizes a multifactor approach to combat spoofing and provide a secure and accurate authentication process.

Privacy is a fundamental right that must be protected at all times. That’s why we take the utmost care to ensure your users’ personal data is processed only with their consent, and in strict compliance with our policies and procedures.

Wink is zero knowledge, all user data is vectorized and tokenized in such a way that it cannot be reverse engineered to retrieve user images, voice or personal information. Wink doesn’t place any tracking cookies or monitor user behavior. Wink will never share your performance and analytical data with advertisers or use it for any marketing research or advertising purposes.

Your users’ data belongs to them, and they have complete control over it. They can access, modify, or delete it at any time, and we will only use it to provide the services they have chosen with their explicit agreement. Wink is committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and security for our users.

Wink  understands the importance of safeguarding sensitive user data. That’s why we’ve taken every measure to ensure the secure storage and handling of facial and voice data. Wink is designed keeping in mind the privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA combined with secure and encrypted data storage. Wink is fully ready to help our customers further reinforce their commitment to protecting user privacy. With our blockchain and zero knowledge architecture, we do not store identifiable images or data for any consumer. Moreover, our servers are decentralized and use the top security standards provided by Microsoft Azure that further reduce the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.  This  also gives users control over their own  data, allowing them to manage and authorize access to their biometric information. At Wink, your customers’ privacy is our top priority.

Wink’s biometric authentication platform stands out with its superior technology that is both strong and intelligent, setting it apart from the competition. Its proprietary algorithms, combined with advanced AI and ML, ensure accurate authentication even in challenging scenarios. Wink’s system is designed to recognize individuals with a high degree of accuracy, regardless of minor changes in physical appearance or low-light environments that may impact face and voice recognition. The Wink biometric authentication automatically can step up the process to include voice verification in scenarios where the facial recognition is not sufficient due to bad lighting or additional elements such as sunglasses, masks or hats. This means that users will not face false rejections due to circumstances such as aging, mask-wearing or cosmetic accessories. With multifactor authentication, Wink’s platform provides a high degree of verification, ensuring the security and privacy of users’ biometric data.

Wink’s advanced technology ensures the security and privacy of users’ biometric data through vectorization and tokenization. This process involves transforming face and voice data into unique, encrypted vectors that are securely stored in different databases. The vectorization process involves generating a one-way hash of the biometric data resulting in an anonymous mathematical model that cannot be reverse engineered. These anonymous vectors are then stored and actual facial images or audio files of speaker voice are not stored, ensuring the privacy and security of users’ personal information.

When a user attempts to authenticate, their facial and voice data is similarly vectorized and the vectors are matched against the mathematical models stored by Wink.. Customers can trust Wink to protect their privacy and provide the most secure authentication experience.

Retailers and service providers should offer biometric authentication to their users for several reasons:

1. Security
   Biometric authentication is a more secure method of identity verification than traditional methods such as passwords or PINs. Biometric data such as facial recognition or voiceprints are unique to each individual and cannot be easily replicated or stolen.

2. Convenience
   Biometric authentication is a convenient and quick way for users to access their accounts or complete transactions. Users don’t need to remember complex usernames and passwords or carry physical payment or loyalty cards.

3. Reduced fraud
   Biometric authentication can help reduce fraud by preventing unauthorized access to user accounts or transactions. With biometric authentication, retailers and service providers can ensure that only the intended user can access an account or complete a transaction.

4. Increased customer satisfaction
   By offering biometric authentication, retailers and service providers can provide a more streamlined and efficient user experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction. Overall, biometric authentication offers a more secure, convenient, and efficient way for users to access accounts and complete transactions, making it a valuable addition to any retailer or service provider’s offerings.

1. Multifactor Biometrics
Wink’s multifactor biometric authentication employs AI/ML based techniques to identify, recognize, verify and authenticate users through a combination of device, face and voice biometrics. This ensures that only authorized users can access the account in a completely passwordless manner.

   ‍
2. Device Agnostic
Wink can be used on any device that has a consumer-facing camera and an internet connection. It can be used inside mobile apps, browsers irrespective of operating system, hardware or development environment
   ‍
3. Fast and Inexpensive
Wink completely eliminates passwords, the need to reset them, typing long usernames or sending OTP messages. This in turn reduces costs associated with fraud prevention, password resets, and customer support leading to fewer chargebacks and financial losses resulting in a fast and inexpensive experience completely eliminates passwords, the need to reset them, typing long usernames or sending OTP messages thereby providing a fast and inexpensive experience.