• DHS grants Maine Real ID extension

    Unless a state received a Real ID extension from DHS, then the driver’s licenses it issues to its residents must be Real ID-compliant by 11 May or state residents will not be able to board a plane, open a bank account, or enter a federal building; Maine’s application was not to DHS’s liking, so the state missed the extension application deadline; DHS decided to give the state 48 hours to comply

  • "Fingerprints are forever": Battle over using biometrics in school continues

    Arizona has been a battleground for the use of biometric technology in schools; citing the threat of identity theft, senators pass measure requiring parental consent before any biometric information is collected from children; “Fingerprints are forever,” says sponsoring senator

  • As Real ID kicks in 11 May, some states may be left in limbo

    Beginning 11 May, individuals who want to enter federal buildings or board a plane will have to show a state driver’s license complying with the Real ID Act — unless their state has been granted an extension by DHS (the extension is until 11 October 2009); Maine and South Carolina do not have Real ID-compliant licenses, and they are yet to apply for an extension (the deadline is today)

  • Security concerns over U.S. decision to outsource e-passport production

    The U.S. Government Printing Office’s (GPO) decision to outsource the production of the new e-passports to companies in Europe and Thailand makes legislators, security experts worry; Thailand is an unstable country with a tradition of corruption and rising Islamic terrorism problem; the Dutch company which operates the Thai e-passport production facilities filed court papers in October 2007 charging that China had stolen the company’s patented technology for e-passport chips

  • JFK now requires 10 fingerprints from visitors

    New York’s JFK joins a list of other U.S. airports now requiring non-U.S. citizens to submit ten fingerprints; on a typical day, JFK sees almost 14,400 international visitors complete US‑VISIT biometric procedures

  • Sequiam files for Chapter 11

    Orlando biometrics company claims its lead investor reneged on as much as $3 million of the firm’s $11 million loan commitment; late last week this investor announced plans to become the lead financier for Sequiam’s rival

  • Fingerprint market to reach $2.1 billion by 2013

    The fingerprinting/biometrics segment will reach $940 million in 2008 and $2.1 billion by 2013; next five years will be a boon to forensic technologies

  • Pay By Touch discontinues biometrics services

    Pay By Touch came to market with much fanfare, offering to process biometric transactions for merchants; things did not work as planned, and company discontinues service

  • New U.K. approach to national ID card scheme

    Technology is just one issue in the U.K. government’s overhaul of controversial identity plan

  • DHS insists on states' complaince with Real ID

    DHS wants all states to incorporate biometric and RFID technologies into the driver licenses they issue — or risk having citizens of states which fail to do so being barred from flights and federal buildings; the states argue that they do not have the funds to implement this mandate; DHS says it may be willing to be flexible, but at the end states would have to comply

  • Fingerprint scheme at Heathrow's Terminal 5 challenged

    BAA’s plan to require fingerprints from both international and domestic passengers who use the terminal may violate the U.K. Data Protection Act; Thursday’s opening of the £4.3 billion terminal may be delayed

  • Three more EU members on way to visa waver status

    The United States, continuing to defy the EU, grants pre-visa waiver status to Slovakia, Hungary, and Lithuania; EU wants to negotiate a package deal on behalf of the twelve new EU members, while U.S. prefers to deal with each country on its security merits

  • More than 4 million credit, debit cards exposed in security breach

    Supermarket chain Hannaford Bros., with 270 stores nationwide, says that a security breach in its system exposed 4.2 million credit and debit cards; 1,800 cases of fraudulent use already detected

  • Campaign to launch U.K. e-crime unit gathers momentum

    What with the growing worries about the safety of e-commerce, silicon.com launches an e-commerce security campaign; industry likes the idea, but wants government to fund it; government says businesses should pay, too

  • Taking stock of UKVisas program

    UKVisas is part of the U.K. government’s e-border program - and to date has moved faster than other components of the scheme; the program wins a technology award, which is a good occasion to see where the program stands today