• U.K. approves well-capping and containment study; new prevention, mitigation solutions sought

    In response to BP’s Gulf disaster, the U.K. offshore oil and gas advisory group charged its technical review group to proceed with developing new solutions for preventing or mitigating similar catastrophes in the future; over the past twenty years nearly 7,000 wells have been successfully drilled in the U.K. continental shelf

  • U.S. quietly launches protection program against cyber attacks on critical infrastructure

    The administration has quietly launched Perfect Citizen, a digital surveillance project to be run by the NSA; the project’s goal is to detect and detect cyber attacks on private companies and government agencies running critical infrastructure such as the electricity grid, nuclear-power plants, dams, and more; the program would rely on a set of sensors deployed in computer networks for critical infrastructure that would be triggered by unusual activity suggesting an impending cyber attack — although it would not persistently monitor the whole system

  • China's nuclear reactors to use technology rejected by U.S., U.K. as unsafe

    Ten of China’s proposed nuclear power reactors will use Westinghouse’s AP1000 advanced technology; the United States rejected the AP100 design, saying key components of the reactormight not withstand events like earthquakes and tornadoes; the United Kingdom indicated it, too, would reject Westinghouse’s new reactor because it could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks

  • Lawmakers say Chinese investment in a U.S. steel mill poses national security risks

    A Chinese steel company — China’s fourth largest — plans to invest in a Mississippi-based steel maker; this is the first investment by a Chinese company in a U.S. mill; fifty U.S. lawmakers write the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury urging him to block the deal; they argue that the investment poses a national security risk as Anshan Steel is controlled by the Chinese government

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • MorphoTrak receives secure driver license contract award from North Carolina

    The $47.5 million contract calls for the company to supply the state with MorphoTrak’s Secure Credentials Center for identity assurance; the company will implement its 3D Photo IDTM technology, which features laser-engraved three dimensional photo-images

  • Schlage, Solero Systems form technology partnership

    A manufacturer of contactless smart credentials and readers and a developer of identification and access solutions have formed a technology partnership to bring advanced identification and access solutions to customers

  • U.S. gives $2 billion to solar energy companies

    The Obama administration awarded nearly $2 billion to two solar energy companies for three large solar energy projects — in Arizona, Indiana, and Colorado; the projects will create more than 3,000 jobs, power 70,000 homes, and produce millions of solar panels each year

  • Defending U.S. civilian aircraft against shoulder-fired missile may cost $43 billion

    Equipping U.S. passenger aircraft with defenses against shoulder-fired missiles may cost $43.3 billion over twenty years, DHS says in an unpublished report; airlines say the expense exceeds the risk, and oppose installing the systems — or, if such installation is made mandatory, than the government should pay for it

  • Second pipe may have crippled BP well's defenses

    The discovery of a second drill pipe joins a list of clues that is helping scientists understand the complexities of the Deepwater Horizon accident, and learn lessons which will inform changes in how deep-water drilling is conducted; evidence emerges that BP cut safety corners because the drilling fell behind schedule; one expert says: the accident “absolutely was preventable—[the rig lacked] “a regulatory presence onboard that said, “I don’t care how late it is, you do it right or you go home.”

  • Undocumented immigrants flee Arizona ahead of harsh law going into effect

    Undocumented workers begin to flee Arizona ahead of Governor Jan Brewer’s immigration law going into effect; businesses suffer — and experts say the exodus could really hurt the state’s economy

  • Airport security is big business, and Rapiscan Systems benefits

    Airport security is serious business and, increasingly, it is also big business; TSA plans to deploy as many as 1,800 full-body scanner at U.S. airports by the end of 2014; at $170,000 a scanner, this is a $300 million proposition