• Biometrics not yet ready for banking transactions

    Security expert: Biometrics plays a role in banking and financial institutions — but until 2016 or so, it should be used mostly to add a third security factor to existing chip and PIN systems

  • Precise Biometrics in SEK 2.3 million Middle East deal

    Precise strengthens its already-strong position in Middle Eastern biometric markets by signing a contract to supply its200 MC combined fingerprint and smart card readers to an unnamed government

  • Problems plague worker ID program

    The TWIC program is being rolled out, but long lines at enrollment centers, jammed phones, redundant background checks, and paperwork slow the process down

  • IBM joins Next Generation Identification (NGI) system team

    NGI, the FBI’s new multi-modal, state-of-the-art biometrics system to be used by state, local, and federal authorities, will store fingerprints, palm prints, iris, and facial recognition information; it will accommodate other biometric modalities as they mature

  • Electronic "pets" to tackle identity theft problem

    Forget passwords, PINs, or even biometric security measures; a new, if futuristic, solution is offered for the problem of identity theft: Electronic pets; the pets would recognize their owners’ voiceprint, fingerprints, or walking style; researchers say it will be important for owners to bond with and nourish their electronic pets by playing with them

  • Existence of new basic element for electronic circuits proven

    There are three fundamental elements to electronic circuits: resistor, capacitor, and inductor; nearly forty years ago, Leon Chua of the University of California at Berkeley theorized that there was a fourth element — memristor — which had properties that could not be duplicated by any combination of the other three elements; HP researchers have now proven the existence of memristors; facial recognition biometrics will benefit

  • U.K. government developing London Olympics ID card

    The U.K. will host the 2012 Summer Olympic games, and the government is in the process of developing what it describes as a “pretty inclusive and far-reaching” Olympics accreditation card

  • Facial recognition scans to be deployed in U.K. this summer

    U.K. government plans to deploy facial recognition scanners at U.K. airport this summer; scanner will allow for automatic security checks at gates

  • DHS proposes biometric airport and seaport exit procedures

    Moving to implement one more recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, DHS announces that by 30 June 2009 all visitors leaving the United States will have their biometric details taken and recorded

  • California passes smart-gun law

    Several companies are now working on embedding palm biometrics security mechanism in guns: The gun grip will store the image of the owner’s palm, and the gun will unlock only if the image of the palm holding the gun matches the stored image; California wants this mechanism in all guns sold in the state

  • UK Biometrics offers new finger print reader

    Newcastle-based biometric company introduces its Evolution product; company says Evolution can scan one million records per second

  • Biometric empire building: L-1 Identity Solutions acquires Bioscrypt

    Robert LaPenta’s L-1 has been steadily, methodically pursuing an acquisition campaign which would make the company an identification authentication superpower; latest acquisitions: Bioscrypt and the ID systems business of Digimarc

  • IrisGuard awarded Jordanian bank contract

    Cairo Amman Bank, the fastest growing retail bank in Jordan, will deploy U.K. company’s iris recognition technology in its seventy branches in the Middle East

  • Scholar: More biometrics means more freedom

    Irish scholar researching the history of biometrics and its current uses says that contrary to fears about invasion of privacy, the use of biometrics will lead to enhanced freedom (except for those who try to assume false identities)

  • Behavioral observation program questioned

    TSDA has been training security officers in behavioral observation, then placed them in major U.S. airports to observe passengers and note suspicious behavior; in the past four years, 104,000 passengers were pulled out of line to answer to more serious security measures, but fewer than 700 were arrested – all on criminal, rather than terror, charges; critics are not sure the $45 million annual tab is justified