• Kiwi immigration authorities testing facial recognition system

    New Zealand’s immigration authorities are testing facial recognition system from Daon to verify the identity of people coming through New Zealand customs; a decision about whether or not to adopt the system will be taken after a 12-month trial period

  • IBIA challenges NRC's state of biometrics report

    The International Biometrics & Identification Association (IBIA) says that the NRC report — especially the press release which accompanied it and which was titled “Automated Biometric Recognition Technologies Inherently Fallible” — created the inaccurate impression that biometric technologies were not yet ready for “prime time”; IBIA believes that for many useful applications, biometric technology is appropriate, effective, accurate, and reliable and is being widely deployed today

  • Multiple-biometric IDs to become a reality in India

    India’s government now issues multiple special-purpose IDs, including a Permanent Account Number for income tax transactions, an Electors Photo Identity Card for voting, ration cards, health care cards, driver’s licenses, and passports; India’s Aadhaar program, referred to as the UID, will eventually replace all of those. The UID system will process hundreds of thousands of identity validation requests each second, against the world’s largest database of individuals

  • Cogent, 3M clears legal hurdle

    3M Co. has cleared a major hurdle in its $943 million bid to acquire Pasadena, California-based biometrics firm Cogent, Inc.; a Delaware Chancery Court denied a Cogent shareholder’s motion to block the proposed acquisition of Cogent by 3M, citing the plaintiff’s inability to show reasonable probability of success on the merits of any of the claims

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  • Voice biometrics help detect Euro terror plot

    Western intelligence services say that the discovery of the recent Euro terror plot owes at least some of its success to voice recognition technology that allows law enforcement electronically to match a voice to its owner; the technique can be an effective antiterror tool, and law enforcement agencies are already considering how a voice database could help thwart future plots

  • A glimpse at the future direction of biometrics

    The 18th Biometric Consortium Conference (BCC) was held in Tampa, Florida, last week; hundreds of exhibitors and speakers offered a window into the future of biometrics; attendees could not but notice the presence of large number of companies offering iris scan solutions, but NIST’s Fernando Podio, the event’s co-chair responsible for the development of the conference programs, is right: “Considering the number of high-level demonstrations, and highly detailed users’ and industry presentations, it would be impossible to pick out any program, company or product that was any more remarkable than the next”

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  • Behavioral biometrics to detect terrorists entering U.S.

    DHS prototype designed to detect “fidget factor” of possible terrorists; the behavioral biometrics monitoring system gauges small changes in a person’s body, dubbed the “fidget factor,” especially in answer to a question such as “Do you intend to cause harm to America?”

  • Aussies launch security research network

    The Australian government has launched National Security Research Directory — a directory of hundreds of experts operating in a burgeoning list of fields across IT security, biometrics and counter-terrorism

  • Fast DNA analysis for law enforcement unveiled

    The cost and complexity of current forensic DNA analysis methods have contributed to significant processing backlogs throughout the criminal justice system; Lockheed Martin and ZyGEM Corp. unveil a new platform that uses recent developments in microfluidic research and development to accelerate the DNA identification process

  • NYPD buys new portable fingerprint scanners

    The NYPD is armed with a portable fingerprint reader that allows cops immediately to confirm identities at crime scenes with the roll of a thumb; they can also be used to identify the dead at homicide and accident scenes; the NYPD has become increasingly dependent on technology, a move that has helped it offset a decrease in the size of the force; there are about 6,000 fewer officers than there were in 2001

  • DHS testing iris scan technology at border crossings

    DHS is beginning a 2-week trial of iris scanning technology at a Border Patrol station in McAllen, Texas, where they will be used on illegal immigrants; a new generation of cameras that capture images from six feet away instead of a few inches; DHS will test cameras that take photos from 3 or 4 feet away, including one that works on people as they walk by; the ACLU is raising objections, saying the cameras could be used covertly

  • AuthenTec and UPEK merge to form formidable biometrics provider

    Florida-based AuthenTec merges with fingerprint biometric company UPEK; AuthenTec will be expanding its intellectual property to nearly 200 issued and filed U.S. patents, “the largest patent portfolio in the industry today,” the company says; UPEK had $18 million in revenues last year and has made $11.7 million in the first half of 2010

  • Biometric companies see government as the driver of future market growth

    Observers say that most of the growth in the biometric market will be driven by government spending; many still agree that the marketplace for biometrics is likely to continue to grow, but one of the bigger points of contention is that some are arguing that the growth will not be in United States but more likely in Central and South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia

  • Mobile biometric and document device for borders

    NEC shows a tablet computing device for biometric identity enrollment and verification using multiple biometrics — and which can also read travel documents; the company says the device will be sold to border control agencies

  • Until biometric standards are developed, passwords should be retained

    Biometric technologies offer many advantages, but until universal standards are set, the use of passwords should not be abandoned; the permanence of biometric characteristics creates a situation in which if someone were to intercept or hack one’s biometric data, a person’s entire livelihood would be at stake, as opposed to a simple password change