Biometrics

Businesses customizing ads with facial biometrics
In a futuristic turn, some advertisers have already begun customizing their digital ads to whoever passes by using facial recognition software; so far the Venetian resort in Las Vegas, Nevada has been the first to adopt this technology in the United States; the resort has installed cameras with facial recognition technologies near their digital displays to customize restaurant and entertainment suggestions for individuals passing by
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Expert warns facial biometrics could compromise privacy
As facial biometric technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, IT experts warn that these systems can easily be abused and therefore require stringent privacy policies and data encryption
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Mexican trucks cited for 1 million violations since 2007
Trucks transport roughly $275 billion worth of goods — or 70 percent of the total — that pass between the United States and Mexico annually; the trucks from Mexico, however, often fail to meet U.S. safety standards
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DHS report: gap in TSA badging process poses threats
A new government report revealed that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is unable to accurately account for its employees who have access to secure areas in airports, resulting in a significant security gap
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Face-mapping app for smartphone searching
A new app, when combined with a centralized server, combs people’s cell phones looking to find photos that have a face in them that match what someone is looking for; the app could be used to look for an abducted child, or a criminal hiding in crowds
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 16 August 2011: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* Mississippi schools consider fingerprint scanners

* Aware wins TSA contract for employee fingerprint scanners

* Bio-Key acquires S.I.C., hopes to tap mobile phone fingerprint market

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
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Mississippi schools consider fingerprint scanners
A school district in Mississippi is considering installing biometric fingerprint scanners at its cafeterias to identify students; Tupelo School District officials are currently debating a proposal to use biometrics instead of the existing system which relies on student ID numbers for meals; one official argues that the new system would make lines flow more quickly and ultimately contribute to increased student performance
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Aware wins TSA contract for employee fingerprint scanners
Aware Inc. recently won a contract to supply the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) with biometric fingerprint scanners to help the agency conduct employee background checks
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Bio-Key acquires S.I.C., hopes to tap mobile phone fingerprint market
On Monday Bio-Key International, Inc. announced that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire S.I.C. Biometrics Inc., a manufacturer of a plug-in biometric fingerprint scanner for mobile phones; the acquisition leaves Bio-Key International in position to tap into the lucrative mobile biometric market, especially for Apple products
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Senator Schumer targets fake IDs from China
Fake IDs have long been a problem for law enforcement agencies, but the recent discovery of counterfeit IDs from China that appear nearly identical to the real thing have lawmakers particularly concerned
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Face recognition software may reveal one’s social security number
Researchers demonstrate ability to predict social security numbers from people’s faces; “When we share tagged photos of ourselves online, it becomes possible for others to link our face to our names in situations where we would normally expect anonymity,” one of the researchers said
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 2 August 2011: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* FBI approves Neurotechnology's latest biometric algorithms

* Google acquires facial biometric company

* U.K. airports install biometric passport readers

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
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Oklahoma woman battles against REAL ID
An Oklahoma woman has sparked a federal controversy after she refused to renew her driver’s license; in February Beach was pulled over by law enforcement officials in Norman, Oklahoma and ticketed for driving with an expired license and she is now fighting that ticket as part of a larger campaign against REAL ID
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FBI approves Neurotechnology's latest biometric algorithms
Last week Neurotechnology, a developer of sophisticated biometric identification solutions, announced that two of its newest fingerprint compression algorithms received WSQ Certification; the certification means that the FBI has verified that these two algorithms meet the accuracy requirements in its latest standard for exchange of fingerprint images within the biometrics and law enforcement community
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Google acquires facial biometric company
Following Facebook’s decision to implement biometric facial recognition software, Google has acquired a company to boost its facial recognition capabilities; the search giant recently purchasd Pittsburgh Pattern Recognition (PittPatt), which develops technology that can search images and videos for a specific face
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