Managing Watchlists

Managing Watchlists

Watchlists are one of the most powerful security features in KyberAccess. They allow you to automatically screen visitors during check-in against databases of individuals who should be flagged, denied entry, or monitored. KyberAccess supports both built-in screening databases and custom watchlists that you create and maintain.

This guide covers how to configure, manage, and respond to watchlist screenings.

Understanding Watchlist Types

KyberAccess supports three categories of watchlists:

1. Sex Offender Registry

Automatically screens visitors against the national sex offender registry database.

• Data Source — National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) and state-level registries
• Matching — Compares visitor name and date of birth (from ID scan) against registry entries
• Update Frequency — Database is updated daily
• Availability — Included on Professional and Enterprise plans

2. Custom Watchlists

Create your own lists of individuals to flag or deny. Common uses include:

• Former employees who are banned from the premises
• Known shoplifters or troublemakers
• Individuals with active restraining orders
• Terminated contractors
• Previously banned visitors

3. BOLO (Be On the Lookout) Alerts

Urgent alerts for specific individuals with photo matching capability. Covered in the BOLO Alerts & Threat Management article.

Enabling Watchlist Screening

1. Log in to your KyberAccess dashboard at app.kyberaccess.com.
2. Navigate to Settings from the left sidebar.
3. Click Security under the Configuration section.
4. Scroll to the Watchlist Screening panel.
5. Toggle Enable Watchlist Screening to On.
6. Select which watchlists to activate:
   • Sex Offender Registry — Toggle on/off
   • Custom Watchlists — Toggle on/off
   • BOLO Alerts — Toggle on/off
7. Click Save.

Adding Watchlist Screening to the Check-In Flow

1. Go to Settings > Check-In Flow.
2. In the Flow Builder, click + Add Step.
3. Select Background Screening.
4. Configure the step:
   • Screening Databases — Choose which watchlists to check
   • Screening Trigger — Screen after ID scan (recommended) or after visitor information entry
   • Action on Hit — What happens when a match is found (see below)
   • Show Status to Visitor — Toggle whether the visitor sees a "screening in progress" message on the kiosk
5. Click Save.

Tip: Place the screening step after ID scanning for the most accurate results. ID data (name + DOB) provides better matching than manually entered names alone.

Configuring Hit Actions

When a visitor matches a watchlist entry, KyberAccess can take several actions:

Automatic Deny

• The visitor is immediately denied entry
• The check-in flow stops
• The visitor sees a message: "We are unable to complete your check-in. Please see the front desk."
• Front desk staff receive an immediate alert with the match details

Flag for Review

• The check-in continues but the visitor is flagged in the system
• Front desk staff receive an alert to review the match
• The visitor's record shows a warning indicator
• Staff can then approve or deny the visitor manually

Silent Alert

• The check-in continues normally
• No visible indication to the visitor
• An alert is sent to designated security personnel in the background
• Used for monitoring situations where you want to track individuals without alerting them

To configure hit actions:

1. Go to Settings > Security > Watchlist Screening.
2. For each watchlist type, select the default action:
   • Sex Offender Registry: Default is Automatic Deny
   • Custom Watchlists: Default is Flag for Review (configurable per list)
   • BOLO Alerts: Default is Automatic Deny with Silent Alert to security
3. Click Save.

Creating and Managing Custom Watchlists

Creating a New Watchlist

1. Go to Settings > Security > Custom Watchlists.
2. Click + New Watchlist.
3. Enter the watchlist details:
   • Watchlist Name — Descriptive name (e.g., "Banned Individuals", "Terminated Employees")
   • Description — Notes about the purpose of this list
   • Default Action — Automatic Deny, Flag for Review, or Silent Alert
   • Applies to Locations — All locations or specific ones
4. Click Create.

Adding Individuals to a Watchlist

Method 1: Manual Entry

1. Click on the watchlist name to open it.
2. Click + Add Person.
3. Enter the individual's information:
   • First Name (required)
   • Last Name (required)
   • Date of Birth (recommended for accurate matching)
   • Photo — Upload a photo for photo matching (optional but recommended)
   • Aliases — Known alternate names
   • Reason — Why this person is on the list (e.g., "Trespassed 2024-06-15", "Former employee - terminated for cause")
   • Added By — Auto-populated with your name
   • Expiration Date — Optionally set when this entry should automatically expire and be removed
   • Notes — Additional context for front desk staff
4. Click Save.

Method 2: CSV Import

1. Click Import on the watchlist page.
2. Download the CSV template provided.
3. Fill in the template with your data:

   first_name,last_name,date_of_birth,reason,expiration_date,notes
   John,Doe,1985-03-15,Trespassed,2025-12-31,Banned from all locations
   Jane,Smith,1990-07-22,Former employee,,Do not admit
   

4. Upload the completed CSV file.
5. Review the import preview showing how many entries will be added.
6. Click Import.

Method 3: From a Visitor Record

1. Go to the Visitors page.
2. Find the visitor you want to add to a watchlist.
3. Click on their name to open their profile.
4. Click the More Actions menu (three dots).
5. Select Add to Watchlist.
6. Choose the target watchlist.
7. Enter the reason and any notes.
8. Click Add.

Tip: Adding a visitor from their record automatically includes their name, DOB (if scanned), and photo, saving you from manual data entry.

Editing a Watchlist Entry

1. Open the watchlist.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the entry.
3. Modify any fields.
4. Click Save.

Removing an Entry

1. Click the trash icon next to the entry.
2. Confirm the removal.
3. The entry is permanently deleted.

Note: Removing an entry from a watchlist does not delete the visitor's historical records or the log of previous watchlist hits. All past screenings remain in the audit trail.

Watchlist Matching Logic

KyberAccess uses a multi-factor matching algorithm:

Name Matching

• Exact Match — Full first and last name match
• Fuzzy Match — Accounts for common misspellings, nicknames, and name variations (e.g., "Bob" matches "Robert")
• Alias Matching — Checks against any aliases configured for the watchlist entry
• Phonetic Matching — Uses Soundex/Metaphone algorithms to catch similar-sounding names

Date of Birth Matching

• When a DOB is available (from ID scan), it adds a second verification layer
• Reduces false positives significantly
• A name match without DOB match generates a lower-confidence alert

Photo Matching

• When a photo is uploaded for the watchlist entry AND the visitor has a selfie captured during check-in, AI-powered facial recognition compares the two
• Match confidence score is displayed (e.g., 92% match)
• Threshold is configurable (default: 80%)

Match Confidence Levels

You can customize these thresholds under Settings > Security > Matching Sensitivity.

Responding to Watchlist Hits

Real-Time Alerts

When a watchlist hit occurs during check-in:

1. Front desk staff receive an on-screen alert on their dashboard with a red banner.
2. An audible notification sounds (configurable).
3. An email alert is sent to configured recipients.
4. A push notification is sent to the KyberAccess mobile app.
5. If Slack is integrated, an alert is posted to the configured security channel.

Review Queue

For hits configured as "Flag for Review":

1. Navigate to Visitors > Review Queue (or click the alert banner).
2. The Review Queue shows all pending watchlist hits with:
   • Visitor name and photo
   • Watchlist entry that was matched
   • Match confidence level
   • Reason the person is on the watchlist
3. For each hit, you can:
   • Approve — Allow the visitor to continue check-in
   • Deny — Block the visitor's entry
   • Override — Approve with notes explaining the override reason
4. All review decisions are logged in the audit trail.

Watchlist Reports

1. Go to Reports in the left sidebar.
2. Select Watchlist Activity.
3. View:
   • Total screenings performed
   • Number of hits by watchlist
   • Hit rate (percentage of visitors flagged)
   • False positive rate
   • Actions taken (approved, denied, overridden)
4. Export the report as CSV or PDF.

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

• Require ID scanning — ID-scanned data (name + DOB) dramatically reduces false positives compared to manually entered names.
• Upload photos — Photo matching adds a powerful third verification layer.
• Review regularly — Audit your custom watchlists quarterly. Remove entries that are no longer relevant.
• Set expiration dates — Use expiration dates for temporary bans to avoid maintaining stale entries.
• Train staff — Ensure front desk staff know how to respond to watchlist alerts and use the Review Queue.
• Document reasons — Always include a clear reason when adding someone to a watchlist, for legal and audit purposes.