Sagem Sécurité to coordinate TURBINE project

Published 8 April 2008

TURBINE aims to develop advanced digital identity solutions, combining automatic fingerprint recognition and innovative cryptographic techniques; research efforts will focus on burying secret information inside a description of fingerprints

Sagem Sécurité, a SAFRAN Group company, announced last week
that it has been chosen to coordinate the European research project TURBINE (TrUsted
Revocable Biometric IdeNtitiEs) within the scope of the European Union’s 7th
Research & Development Framework Program. Lasting three years, this project
aims to develop advanced digital identity solutions, combining automatic
fingerprint recognition and innovative cryptographic techniques. Research efforts
will focus on burying secret information inside a description of fingerprints,
so that the secret can only be revealed by the person with the fingerprints.
Calling on state-of-the-art cryptographic techniques, this research could lead
to fundamental changes in the protection of personal data based on
fingerprints. For example, it would be possible to design biometric personal
data files, which could only be accessed with the explicit authorization of the
owner of this private data. “This research harbors the promise of creating a
disruptive technology for information system protection based on biometric
technologies,” said Jean-Paul Jainsky, chairman and CEO of Sagem Sécurité. “The
consortium we are leading has both the international breadth and multidisciplinary
expertise needed to rise to this challenge.”

The TURBINE consortium comprises major players in this sector,
including Philips Research Europe, Sagem Orga, Precise Biometrics in Sweden, Cryptolog and ARTTIC in France, and 3D-GAA in Greece, as well as the research labs
K.U. Leuven in Belgium and Gjovik University College in Norway.