Banks Asking For Customer's Voice Samples

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, June 3, 2025…

• Many of us have become accustomed to giving up some personal data to access financial services accounts, like Social Security numbers and the places we were born. But a growing number of financial institutions are also asking for customers’ voice samples.
• Bay Area members of Congress are pushing the Trump administration to rehire National Weather Service workers it cut from its Sacramento and Hanford offices.
• Anyone entering a California prison could be subject to a canine search under a new policy that rolls out statewide this week. That’s according to a department of corrections memo obtained by our partner, CalMatters.

Why Does My Bank Want My Voice to Login?

We’re all used to giving out a bit of personal data to get into our financial accounts: social security numbers, our birthdays and so on. However, a growing number of financial institutions are asking for a sample of our voices. Should we be concerned?

Voice authentication systems are a form of biometric authentication, similar to a fingerprint. It relies on voice recognition software, which verifies customer identities by detecting the unique patterns in a small speaking sample.

Banks have to try something new because our personal data is no longer so private, according to James Lee, Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center outside of San Diego. “All of that data’s been compromised. Our Social Security numbers, our driver’s license numbers, where we live, our phone numbers, you know. …That’s all readily available,” Lee said. He and other cybersecurity experts warn that a readily available pool of personal data contributes to fraudulent logins and financial theft.

With California Weather Service Offices At ‘Half Strength,’ Lawmakers Want Cuts Reversed

Several members of the Bay Area’s congressional delegation are pressing the Trump administration to reverse firings at the National Weather Service offices in Sacramento and Hanford that curtailed their 24-hour operations.

Eight Bay Area representatives were among 23 California Democrats who signed a letter criticizing the “terminations, hiring freezes, and vacancies” that led the weather service to reduce services at these forecast offices.

“These service reductions represent the beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences if the NWS is unable to retain the staff necessary to maintain around-the-clock weather monitoring in California,” the letter said. “Across the state’s airports, highways, farms, and reservoirs, accurate, reliable, and timely weather forecasting is critical for every Californian.”

Lawmakers addressed the letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Laura Grimm, acting administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is housed in the Commerce Department. The letter urged them to halt any service reductions, reinstate terminated workers and lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS.

California Prisons Have A Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

Anyone entering a California prison — including visitors, staff and attorneys — will be subject to a canine search under a new policy rolling out today across the state.

CalMatters obtained a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation memo from March 10, announcing the statewide implementation of the policy. It said the canine searches are meant “to combat the introduction of illegal drugs and contraband into (prisons) and reduce the overall level of narcotics, contraband, and criminal activity within the incarcerated population, thereby enhancing the safety and security of all institutions,” the memo stated.

Now, visitors and attorneys will not be permitted to visit an incarcerated person in a way that would allow for close contact if they refuse a search. In some cases, a refusal “may lead to exclusion from all (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) institutions,” according to the memo.