Biometrics

Sector Report for Saturday, 31 July 2010: Authentication / Biometrics
This report contains the following stories.
* New cybersecurity threat: smartphone apps that do more than what they say they do

* ATMs easily compromised by hacker at Black Hat

* Huge jump in IED attacks in Afghanistan

* Engineering graduate schools address homeland security

* Identifying future digital leakers, whistle-blowers

* U.S. nuclear weapons detection skills, capabilities deteriorate
Plus 3 additional stories
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The revival of CLEAR's Registered Traveler program
In 2003, Steven Brill, founder of Court TV and American Lawyer magazine, founded Verified Identity Pass and used it to launch the CLEAR program at Orlando International Airport; the program made it possible for pre-registered travelers to skip security checks at airports; the initial 8,000 travelers enrolled in 2003, and the service would grow to nearly 260,000 paying customers in a matter of five years; CLEAR went belly up in 2009, and its assets were bought by Algood Holdings, which relaunched the program; “Same brand, same logo, different company,” says CEO Caryn Seidman Becker
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U.K. removes lead contractor Raytheon from e-Borders program
The U.K. hits out at Raytheon, removing the company from the £1.2 billion e-Borders program; the immigration minister Damian Green said earlier today that the program was running at least twelve months late and that Raytheon had been in breach of contract since July last year; Home Office says it has “no confidence” in the company; Raytheon was the lead contractor of the Trusted Borders consortium, which won a £650 million deal in 2007 to build the e-Borders system; other members of the consortium, including Serco, Detica, Accenture, and Qinetiq will keep their contracts; Raytheon was responsible for systems integration, travel services, and overall project management
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Sector Report for Tuesday, 20 July 2010: Biometric technologies
This report contains the following stories.
* Safran in Talks to acquire most of L-1 Identity Solutions Inc.

* Facial-recognition solution offers surveillance new edge

* EU biometric passports not that safe, experts say

* Here's looking at you: Tokyo digital billboards scan passers-by
Plus 1 additional story.
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Safran in Talks to acquire most of L-1 Identity Solutions Inc.
Paris-based Safran SA is exploring the acquisition of Connecticut-based L-1 Identity Solution; L-1 is likely to be split up, with another buyer acquiring a separate unit that sells consulting services to U.S. intelligence agencies; L-1 had a stock market value of about $670 million as of last Thursday; L-1’s CEO, Robert LaPenta, formed the company after serving as president and chief financial officer of L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. from 1997 to 2005; LaPenta helped start L-3 with co-founder Frank Lanza after both men left Lockheed Martin Corp
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Facial-recognition solution offers surveillance new edge
When the new facial-recognition solution finds a match in a database for someone who may be on a watch list, the client may be notified in multiple ways, including text message or e-mail alerts; biographical information such as criminal records are added and the images and made available to the client from any Web browser, including Web-ready mobile phones
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EU biometric passports not that safe, experts say
The EU’s e-passports were supposed to be fool-proof, even impossible to counterfeit; Europol has warned, though, that despite the biometric changes to passports, counterfeiting still remains a major problem for criminals or others “who are determined to do so,” with the provision of documents for irregular immigrants being the main driver of the activity
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Here's looking at you: Tokyo digital billboards scan passers-by
Billboards in Tokyo “look” at passers by, identify their age and gender, and then flash advertisements which are tailored to these people; a consortium of eleven railway companies launched the one-year pilot project last month, and has set up twenty-seven of the high-tech advertising displays in subway commuter stations around Tokyo
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Ireland to block EU-Israel data-sharing agreement
The EU and Israel planned on launching a data sharing agreement aimed to enable law enforcement better to identify and track terrorists and criminals; Ireland, still smarting from what it says was Israel intelligence’s misuse of Irish passports in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai earlier this year, blocks the agreement
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Immigration control at Welsh ports "risks U.K. security"
Immigration control at some of Wales’s ports is “limited” and jeopardizing the U.K.’s border security, says a watchdog; Holyhead seaport, for example, has no permanent immigration controls
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Hand-held scanner checks 100 databases -- in one second
Army guards at Fort Sam Houston are using a hand-held identity detector that taps information from more than 100 databases — in one second; the manufacturer says that the use of the device has resulted in 60,000 arrests since the start of 2004; Senator Schumer wants TSA to use the device at airports
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Europe's first finger-vein biometric ATMs installed in Poland
Poland claims to be the first European country to install finger-vein biometric ATMs; the authentication system developed by Japanese tech giant Hitachi; unlike fingerprints, which leave a trace and can be potentially reproduced, finger veins are impossible to replicate because they are beneath the surface of the skin
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Docusign commemorates ESIGN anniversary by launching new e-signature tools
Exactly ten years ago — on 30 June 2000 — President Bill Clinton signed the Electronic Signatures in Global National Commerce (ESIGN) Act, which aimed to encourage the use of e-signatures on business documents; to commemorate the anniversary, Docusign, a provider of an e-signature platform, is releasing of Docusign Spring 10, a major upgrade to its service
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Florida implements ICE's Secure Communities program
The United States DHS has deported 30,700 illegal aliens with level 1, 2, or 3 crimes in their past; of these, 1,800 illegal aliens have been removed from Florida; as Florida implements the Secure Communities program, the expectation is that the number of deportees will increase
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Omiperception and MaxVision to join forces
Partnership between two companies will enhance marketing offering; ruggedized portable computer adds facial recognition biometrics to allow law enforcement, first responders to collect and process biometric and other relevant in-the-field information
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