• New imaging technique for identifying the age and sex of a corpse

    Researchers have developed a new technique for identifying the age and sex of a corpse. It is based on a computing system which relies on free software, and has a reliability of 95 percent.

  • Thwarting facial-recognition, photo-tagging software

    Information about when and where photographed subjects were when their pictures were taken is readily disclosed through photos taken, and the information is disclosed and distributed without their permission. The problem has become even worse due to the popularization of portable terminals with built-in cameras and developments in SNS and image search technologies. Japanese researchers offer a solution: goggles or glasses which, when equipped with near-infrared LED emitter. :

  • Feds to fund DNA collection from suspects

    Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has revealed a plan to collect DNA from suspects upon arrest, and while Republicans who support the plan look for ways to fund it, some of the money could come from Congress.

  • Instant DNA analysis worries privacy advocates

    In the past, it took weeks to analyze a person’s DNA, but with new technology it can take less than a day, and in most cases less than two hours; Rapid DNA analyzers can process a DN sample in less than ninety minutes; these machines, the size of a household printer, are now being marketed to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies around the country; privacy advocates worry

  • U.K. political activist enters U.S. using a friend’s passport

    Stephen Lennon, the 30-year old leader of the English Defense League, a street protest group active in organizing demonstrations against what group members regard as the growing influence of Islam in British life, was sentenced to ten months in jail for using a friend’s passport to enter the United States

  • Federal ID deadline draws near, but some states are not yet ready

    A federal deadline imposing security standards for states-issued driver’s licenses is drawing near, but according to New Mexico’s congressional delegation, an extension is possible for the state for complying with the law; the act currently has thirty-one requirements, but New Mexico has not met sixteen of them and eight of those are related to the driver’s license law

  • Supreme Court to hear police DNA-collection case

    The United States Supreme Court last week granted certiorari in Maryland v. King; in the case, Maryland law enforcement stands to lose the right to require a DNA collection as part of booking procedures for certain felony crimes; a similar law was passed by Congress in 2004 for federal arrests, and twenty-four other state legislatures have also passed such laws

  • New strategy for fingerprint visualization

    Identifying fingerprints on paper is a commonly used method in police forensic work, but it is not easy to make those fingerprints visible. Now, scientists have developed a new approach for making such fingerprints more readily readable

  • Face-recognition e-Gate at Amsterdam airport moving passengers at rapid pace

    E-Gate, the automated border control system developed by Accenture and Vision-Box for the Netherlands Ministry of Internal Affairs, is on target to process its one-millionth passenger at Schiphol Airport  in December

  • Aussie banks considering biometric security

    Australia’s major banks are considering a move to biometric security systems in an effort to boost security for their customers; the banks are changing their systems as a way for customers to keep their money and valuables safe without ATM cards

  • Biometric technologies adopted by more Australian banks

    The use of face-recognition biometrics technology will soon become main stream in Australian banks, and may even be used in conjunction with other technologies; in a survey, 79 percent of Australians said that they were comfortable with fingerprint technology replacing banking PINs

  • Law enforcement can store, identify millions of voice samples using new software

    Everyone this day can be identified by a fingerprint, DNA, or even a picture. Now, with the help of a Russian company, the FBI will soon be using voice recognition to identify people; the FBI says voice biometrics will be a “reliable and consistent means of identification for use in remote recognition”

  • GAO: Easily obtained counterfeit IDs present real risks

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in which the agency demonstrates that counterfeit documents can still be used easily to obtain valid driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards under fictitious identities; GAO recommended that DHS exert more assertive leadership in an effort to correct the problem

  • Voice verification technology prevents impersonators from obtaining voiceprints

    Computer users have learned to preserve their privacy by safeguarding passwords, but with the rise of voice authentication systems, they also need to protect unique voice characteristics; researchers say this is possible with a system they developed which converts a user’s voiceprint into something akin to passwords

  • "Cognitive fingerprints" for bolstering computer passwords

    It will not make passwords passé, but researchers intends to use “cognitive fingerprints” to make sure you are you, and not an imposter; a novel software-based authentication tool called covert-conditioned biometrics will attempt to use a unique sequence of problem-solving moves to distinguish between a legitimate user and an identity thief