• Animetrics chosen by Unisys for facial biometric contract for U.S. DoD

    Unisys selects Animetrics for U.S. Department of Defense synthetic identification project; the company uses 2D to 3D face creation technology for face recognition matching in difficult face imaging environments

  • Update: The FBI caps nearly 90 years of use of biometrics with its Biometric Center of Excellence

    The FBI has been using various forms of biometric identification since its earliest days — from photographs and fingerprints in its first years (and assuming responsibility for managing the U.S. fingerprint collection in 1924), to applying handwriting analysis in the Lindbergh kidnapping case in 1932, to its laboratory’s pioneering work on raising latent finger, palm, and other soft tissue prints from evidence, to today’s development of DNA analysis as a means of genetic fingerprinting

  • Proposed bill calls for ID card for U.S. workers to curb illegal immigration

    Advocates of immigration reform are pushing for a bill in the Senate which would create a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain; the biometric data would likely be either fingerprints or a scan of the veins in the top of the hand; employers will not be able to hire applicants who do not present a valid ID

  • Voice security technology advanced

    The acoustic parameters of the voice are affected by the shape of the vocal tract, and different people have different vocal tracts; new research will help improve the speed of speech authentication, without sacrificing accuracy

  • New identity authentication method: nose biometrics

    Unlike other facial features used for biometrics, such as eyes or ears, noses are difficult to conceal and also are not changed much by facial expression; researchers find that nose scanning showed good potential for use as a biometric, with a good recognition rate and a faster rate of image processing than whole face recognition

  • Animetrics receives patents for face recognition

    The company receives three patents for generation of 3D models from arbitrary numbers of uncalibrated photographs; generating databases from 3D models for use in biometric systems for training or for recognition; and face recognition systems based on normalization using 3D models

  • U.S. buys iris scanners for prisons to prevent mistaken release of inmates

    The U.S. government has allocated funds for prisons to purchase iris recognition scanning machines; the purpose is create fool-proof system which would prevent inmates from impersonating other inmates to gain early release

  • Identical DNA a problem for Georgia police: Which identical twin committed the crime?

    DNA found at the scene of a murder in Georgia pointed to a felon known to the police; when he was arrested, he insisted the crime was committed by his identical twin; the two twins share identical DNA — but fingerprints, and cell phone records, pointed to the second brother, who confessed to the crime

  • New facial authentication system installed at Israel Discount Bank

    A bank installs an advanced facial recognition system to verify the identity of employees and customers who want to go into the vault; the system can identify people in difficult conditions such as dim light; changes, such as sunglasses, beards, moustaches, different hairdos, or a hat do not affect its ability

  • Polish priest installs fingerprint reader to check for mass attendance

    A Polish priest installs a biometric fingerprint reader at his church to monitor schoolchildren’s attendance at mass; the pupils will mark their fingerprints every time they go to church over three years, and if they attend 200 masses they will be freed from the obligation of having to pass an exam prior to their confirmation

  • Japanese biometric border fooled by tape

    Two South Korean women have managed to fool Japan’s expensive biometric border-control system by using special tapes on their fingers; the invisible tape carries the finger prints of another person, and the South Korean broker who supplied the tape also provided false passports to go with it; this is the third known case of South Korean women using the fingerprint-altering tape to enter Japan; in all three cases, the women managed to fool the biometric screening, but were later caught because they over-stayed their visas

  • L-1 Identity Solutions’ Daugman-based iris algorithm passes test

    Rigorous tests by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) find that the accuracy of L-1’s iris recognition technology as markedly higher than prior results, and that improvements came without sacrificing speed; the evaluation also showed that L-1’s accuracy did not come at the expense of template size

  • Applying FIPS 201 to aviation security and counter-terrorism information sharing

    Would implementation of PIV based access control help improve the performance of the intelligence community? One expert wonders whether the fundamental ability of PIV and PIV-I to improve creation, distribution, and access to information is fully appreciated by the U.S. intelligence community and DHS

  • Keyboard strokes reveal who you are – and whether your are stressed

    The rhythms of a person’s typing style are stable over time, allowing computers and ATMs to identify you; researchers suggest key strokes could be used not only to verify identity but also to detect stress or even spot early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

  • U.K. ID card scheme for foreigners extended

    On Tuesday the U.K. government announced that from now on, Tier 2 foreign nationals will have to apply for a card if they wish to extend their stay in the United Kingdom; Tier 2 includes skilled workers, ministers of religion, sportsmen and women, representatives of overseas businesses, and dependants