Biometrics

Growing problem in Canada: stolen passports
On average, 1,000 Canadian passports are stolen across Canada every month; in FY2009-10, 13,077 passports were stolen in Canada; by comparison, only 631 were swiped overseas; another 47,704 passports were reported lost in Canada; late next year, Passport Canada will begin distributing e-Passports to the general public
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Law enforcement and privacy concerns in Vancouver
Last month, the police in the otherwise sedate Vancouver had to use tear gas, pepper spray, and flash bombs in downtown Vancouver to try to disperse angry rioters who set cars on fire, looted stores, and taunted police officers after the Canucks’ 4-0 Stanley Cup final loss to the Boston Bruins; the police wants to use facial recognition technology to identify the rioters, but privacy advocates are worried
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Law enforcement and privacy concerns in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a plan: create a database which could map drivers’ whereabouts with police cruiser-mounted scanners that capture thousands of license plates per hour — and store that information indefinitely so local police, state police, federal agencies, and prosecutors could access it as they choose; privacy advocates are worried
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 19 July 2011: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* U.S. troops deploy biometrics in the field

* Biometrics for Indian cabs

* L-1 Identity, Safran merger given green light

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
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U.S. troops deploy biometrics in the field
Biometric databases in Iraq and Afghanistan are helping U.S. troops combat violent insurgents; in an ambitious move, troops have sought to capture iris scans, facial photographs, and fingerprints from men of fighting age especially those who have been detained for insurgent or terrorist ties.
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Biometrics for Indian cabs
Officials at India’s New Delhi International Airport will soon begin using biometrics to monitor taxi drivers; the move comes after a Saudi businessman was abducted and murdered by two cab drivers in 2008
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L-1 Identity, Safran merger given green light
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) recently gave the go ahead to French defense firm Safran SA to close its bid for L-1 Identity for $1.6 billion
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New tools identify a person's expression, estimate their mood
Biometrics company releases software that allows users to “cartoonize” photos; cartoons aside, the company announced the release of more free API (application programming interface) face detection tools: the service can identify a person’s expression as well as estimate their mood
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 5 July 2011: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* Smarter speech technology to enable smooth-talking gadgets

* New Android facial biometric app available

* Biometrics for mobile phone market to grow 500 percent by 2015

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
Read more
Better than SecurID?
The man who invented the two-factor authentication SecurID token has just unveiled a more secure authentication system using voice biometrics; Kenneth Weiss, the founder of Universal Secure Registry, says his latest invention is more flexible and secure than SecurID tokens as they can be used to authenticate individuals on mobile phones, payments, and cloud computing; by adding a voice biometric component, the new device offers three-factor authentication
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Smarter speech technology to enable smooth-talking gadgets
Voice-activated devices that can interact with people in a natural, intelligent way could soon be available, thanks to a major new project involving researchers at the Universities of Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Cambridge
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New Android facial biometric app available
A new app for Android smartphones allows users to secure their phones using facial biometrics; the Visidon Applock application, which is currently available for free, locks a user’s apps until their identity is verified using facial biometrics
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Biometrics for mobile phone market to grow 500 percent by 2015
A recently released report projects that the market for biometric security devices on mobile phones will reach $161 million by 2015, an increase of $30 million; the analysis found that embedded fingerprint sensors in mobile phones will primarily drive growth in this market as more firms seek additional security measures for mobile phones; voice biometrics is also expected to be another large driver of growth
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Wireless fingerprint readers help police fight crime
Using a new wireless device, police across the country are now able to quickly and accurately identify a suspect in the field; using RapID, a small handheld unit, officers can read a suspect’s fingerprint and check it against a database for any matches; if any matches are found the device will pull up the person’s real name, date of birth, gender, and race, making it more difficult for criminals to use a false identity
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 21 June 2011: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* NYU hospital unveils new biometric palm readers for patients

* Popeye's gets serious about fraud, implements biometric system

* Philippines mandate biometric registration for voters

* Also noted
Plus 1 additional story.
Read more

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