Ping Identity has entered into a binding agreement to buy Keyless, a London-based specialist in privacy-focused biometric authentication, as enterprises face mounting threats from AI-powered identity fraud.
The deal, pending regulatory clearance, will bring Keyless' Zero-Knowledge Biometrics technology into Ping's security portfolio. This approach allows users to authenticate with a simple glance at their device camera, without storing retrievable biometric data anywhere—neither locally nor in the cloud.
What sets Keyless apart is its cryptographic method that verifies a person's face and device against enrollment records without ever creating a reconstructable image. The system works across standard devices, eliminating the need for specialized hardware and making deployment straightforward for organizations of all sizes.
Andre Durand, Ping Identity's founder and CEO, framed the acquisition as a response to eroding digital trust. He said the goal is to make secure authentication as effortless as looking at a screen, reducing friction while raising security standards.
Andrea Carmignani, Keyless' co-founder and CEO, emphasized that trust underpins every digital interaction. He views the deal as a way to embed stronger verification throughout the entire identity lifecycle—from initial setup through ongoing access control.
Once finalized, Ping plans to integrate Keyless' biometric capabilities across its platform, supporting customer-facing applications, workforce access, and business-to-business scenarios. The technology is designed to combat account takeover attempts while enabling passwordless multi-factor authentication and single sign-on.
Performance benchmarks show the system can authenticate users in under 300 milliseconds, making it suitable for frontline workers and mobile environments. It also includes deepfake detection to counter AI-generated impersonation attempts.
The combined offering aims to help organizations meet evolving privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and the upcoming PSD3 requirements. Europe's eIDAS 2.0 framework and various national digital identity programs are driving demand for privacy-preserving authentication methods.
Ping Identity continues to position itself at the intersection of security, privacy, and user experience, with this acquisition reinforcing its commitment to frictionless yet robust identity verification.