Online Training FAQ

ONLINE TRAINING COURSES

Where can I contact for technical support?

You can email onlinesupport@allnycsafety.com. We try to be as responsive as possible but please allow 24 hours for a response.

How long does it take to complete a course?

It depends on the course. All course base times are listed in details section. These times are based on the time it takes to get through the material, quizzes and exam once. However, there are a number of factors that can add to this time such as personal reading speed, taking notes, repeating sections, slower internet speeds, etc. There is no penalty for going over the minimum required time.

Can I start and stop the online course?

Yes, you can start any course and pause as needed before completion. The advantage of online training is convenience, so you choose when to take your training course. The learning management system will remember where you were, so you can start right where you left off!

Do the online courses have any in-person requirements?

The only course that requires an in-person training component is the 8-Hour Fall Prevention course. You are required to attend a 1-Hour in-person training at All NYC Safety’s Brooklyn training facility. All other online courses can be taken and completed online.

Do I receive a completion certificate?

Upon completion you will receive a course completion certificate. To complete a course, you must complete all course work, quizzes and exams throughout the course. The completion certificate is not the same as an SST Card. In order to request your SST Card please follow this link: https://www.allnycsafety.com/courses/sst-card/sst-card-request/

VOICE AUTHENTICATION

Why is Voice Authentication used on the online safety courses?

The voice authenticated courses represent a best practice to ensure the identity of the student throughout the course. This is done using Voice Biometrics which every student must set up. Before you begin your online training course you will receive an automated call from the Voice Biometrics call center to your registered phone number (your personal cell phone is recommended). Follow the instructions on the call and screen to create a voice imprint by repeating a set of unique numbers. Randomly, throughout the online course you will receive a call back to the same phone and instructed to repeat a different set of numbers. If the voice matches, you will be able to continue the course. If the voice authentication fails, the course will pause until authenticated.

Who manages the Voice Authentication process?

Voice Biometrics is managed by a third party service provider. They do not license any technology from other parties. The VMM-3 voice biometric engine and platform were created entirely by their voice biometric engineers, system architects, and developers. The core team has years of experience in voice biometric engineering, digital signal processing, and software development.

How does Voice Biometrics work?

The accuracy of voiceprints is comparable to that of fingerprints and other commonly used biometrics. Our third party service provider regularly tunes verification systems to 96-99% accuracy levels. The VMM-3 voice biometric engine uses both physiological and behavioral characteristics of your voice to create a unique voiceprint. And since a majority of these characteristics tend to be consistent over time, they can be accurately measured under varying conditions.

What data is collected and is my personal information protected and private?

The third party provider who manages the voice authentication process takes the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) very seriously. They only collect speech samples (source WAV audio) which they use to process into voiceprints, or to compare to stored voiceprints during verify and identify events. Personal data can only be sent to the system via secure APIs, which require an account code and API access token. Once data is received in the system, it is either discarded from memory or written to our secure database. Any personally identifiable information that is stored in the database is encrypted using AES-256 encryption under FIPS 140-2 guidance.

I am having problems with connecting to the call center to authenticate my voice. What can I do?

Some issues can occur with the telephone network (local busy signal or not available

message or low cell signals), but they tend to self-correct.  In these cases, students simply need to try again when they make a call. It is highly recommended to register your cell phone for the voice authentication process. If technical issues persist, please email onlinesupport@allnycsafety.com.

Why did my voice authentication fail?

In general, we recommend that students call from a quiet location, where there is not a lot of background noises like cars, TV, conversations, etc. and where you can speak in a normal and comfortable voice. We ask that students not speak like a robot or too slowly and try to match the pacing of the prompts that you hear. Consistently follow these guidelines when using the system to authenticate your voice.

Here is a list of common reasons voice authentication can fail:

• Too much background noise
• Not speaking loudly enough
• Speaking too loudly
• Speaking to slowly
• Not repeating the proper numbers
• Using a different tone of voice from the initial voiceprint

In cases such as these, the system has been designed to catch these errors and provide an appropriate message for you to try again.

Here is a list of less common reasons for voice authentication failure:

• Verifying in a significantly different environment vs. the enrollment session
• Using a significantly different verification device vs. enrollment
• Being a different user
• Having a low-quality initial voiceprint

In these cases, the system will also respond with appropriate messages whenever possible and offer opportunities to retry.

The best advice is to keep things simple: always use your cell phone, try to take course modules in a similar, reasonably noise-free environment each time and keep using a normal comfortable speaking voice.

POLICY ESTABLISHING RETENTION SCHEDULE AND GUIDELINES FOR DESTROYING BIOMETRIC INFORMATION

I.           Introduction

The purpose of this policy is to define the policy and procedures for All NYC Safety & Training Inc.’s (the “Company”) storage, use, safeguarding, retention, and destruction of biometric data.

It is the Company’s policy to protect, use, and store biometric data in accordance with applicable laws.

II.           Biometric Data Defined

As used in this policy, biometric data means any biological characteristics of a person, or information based upon such a characteristic, including characteristics such as those defined as “biometric identifiers” and “biometric information.”

1. “Biometric identifier” means a retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or scan of hand or face geometry.
2. “Biometric information” means any information, regardless of how it is captured, converted, stored, or shared, based on an individual’s biometric identifier used to identify an individual.

III.           Purpose

The Company collects and stores voice data through a software service for the sole purpose of verifying the attendance by each client at the Company’s safety and training courses (“Client”).  The Company does not use voice or biometric data for any other purpose.  The Company does not currently collect, use or store an other biometric data other than voiceprints.

IV.            Disclosure

The Company will not sell, lease, or trade any biometric data that it receives from Clients.  The Company will not disclose or disseminate any biometric data to any person or entity other than the vendor and/or licensor of the software services used by The Company to collect, store, or use the voice data for the purpose stated in Section III above, unless:

1. It obtains consent to such disclosure or dissemination from the individual from whom the data was collected;
2. Disclosure is required by state or federal law; or
3. Disclosure is required pursuant to a valid warrant, subpoena, or court order.

V.            Data Storage

The Company will use a reasonable safeguards store, transmit, and protect from disclosure any biometric data in its possession, including, but not limited to, disposal of data. Such storage, transmission, and protection from disclosure shall be performed in a manner that is the same as or more protective than the manner in which the Company stores, transmits and protects from disclosure other confidential and sensitive information.

VI.            Retention and Destruction

The Company will retain biometric data collected at a particular course attended by a Client for no more than sixty days from the date the Client’s voice data is first collected at the inception of the course. The Company will thereafter destroy the biometric data subject to applicable law.