Biometrics

EU security watchdog draws privacy baseline for national ID cards
As a dozen of EU members move toward e-IDs, a EU privacy and security watchdog raises questions about these ID schemes, calling for developing a strategy for protecting the privacy of data held through national ID card projects
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New York State looking for new finger-imaging system
New York State issued an RFP for finger-imaging system which would allow government agencies ti identify and verify the identity of recipients of government services;
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Gemalto reports profitable fourth quarter
Smart-card specialist Gemalto reports $625.4 million in revenues for the fourth quarter
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Biometric system on trial for airport security
Unisys to install iris recognition devices at Australian airports; authorities want to speed up security checks of passengers
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Beyond fingerprints: The FBI's next generation database
New, mammoth database will include not only enhanced fingerprint capabilities, but also other forms of biometric identification like palm prints, iris scans, facial imaging, scars, marks, and tattoos — in one searchable system
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India to see a large, broad growth in expenditures on domestic security
A series of terrorist attacks, culminating in the coordinated attack in Mumbai last month, convinced both government and industry in India that more security — much more security — is required to cope with mounting threats to domestic peace; business opportunities abound for companies in IT security, biometric, surveillance, detection, situational awareness, and more
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Heartland says it has fixed security problem
Heartland Payment Systems, the sixth-largest payment processor in the United States, processes payments for 250,000 companies; thieves install malicious program on company’s computers which captured data as it flowed across the network
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The largest data breach ever?
In what may yet be the largest personal information breach ever, Heartland Payment Systems, which processes payroll and credit card payments for more than 250,000 businesses, announces that consumer credit card data may have been exposed
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Warwick Warp uses government funds to develop better fingerprint technology
Coventry, U.K.-based company uses research funding from regional authorities to develop software which significantly improves matching accuracy by being able to handle low-quality prints and a variety of spatial distortions
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CBP deactivates old SENTRI cards
SENTRI, launched in 1995, is a land-border crossing program that provides expedited CBP processing for pre-approved, low-risk travelers along the U.S./Mexico border
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DHS delays e-verify requirement for contractors
E-Verify was supposed to take effect 15 January, but was delayed to 20 February; system allows employers to verify their employees’ eligibility to work legally in the United States
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Continental student ID: Europe moving toward standard, contactless ID
The economies and societies of the member states of the European Union are becoming more and more integrated — from currency to soccer teams; the latest move is a pilot project examining continent-wide standard student ID
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Security specialist Core Systems sees U.S. prisons as opportunity
Belfast-based Core Systems provides biometric equipment to prisons in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland; it is now expanding to the United States; with a prison population of 2.2 million; “In the prisons business, the United States is the market leader,” says Patricia O’Hagan, company’s co-owner
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South Korean woman fools Japanese finger printing system
Japan spent more than $44 million dollars to install the biometric system at 30 airports; a deported South Korean woman was able to re-enter Japan by using fingerprint-altering special tape
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Britain may outsource large surveillance database
The U.K. Home Office is moving forward with a £12 billion plan for a massive database to track phone calls, e-mails, and chat conversations in the country; the Home Office said it is considering outsourcing the database’s maintenance to private firms
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