Identity authentication

IBM signs U.K. biometric passport deal
IBM signs a £265 million contract with the U.K. Border Agency’s (UKBA) to provide UKBA with fingerprinting capabilities and run the database that will store the facial images and fingerprints needed to keep the passport in line with international standards
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The Obama administration would require federal contractors to use E-Verify
The Obama administration said it would support a George Bush administration regulation that would only award federal contracts to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization
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Criminals can figure out an individual's Social Security number
Researchers show that statistical techniques can be used to determine an individual’s Social Security number, based on the person’s birth date and birth location
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KISS helps winnow biometric technologies
Fingerprints still appear to have the edge among biometric technologies; standardization drives down prices and increases choice of vendors, but it reduces the variety of metrics and the languages by which they are described
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U.K. Home Office makes ID card trial voluntary
Bowing to pressure, the Home Office has abandoned attempts to force workers at Manchester and London City airports to carry ID cards, opting to make the trial voluntary
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U.K. biometrics industry signs up to new guidelines
The new guidelines will define the level of competence needed for a particular job role or occupation, and will be used to support individual and organizational development and quality assurance
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Real ID 2.0 introduced in Congress
Many states saw the provisions of the The Real ID Act of 2005 as onerous — and the price tag of $12 billion as prohibitive; legislators revamp the original act to accommodate the preferences of states
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New tattoo identification biometrics for law enforcement
Law enforcement still relies mainly on soft biometrics — such as height, weight, ethnicity, and identifying marks — to identify suspects; researchers offer law enforcement a better way of identifying tattoos
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Biometric use in Australia grows
National Australia Bank is now using voice biometrics to authenticate its customers; the bank joins a lengthening list of Aussie businesses relying on biometric technology for quicker and more accurate identification of customers
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E-Verify implementation delayed yet again
DHS created E-Verify to allow employers to check on line the eligibility of employees to work in the United States; implementation of the system has been delayed for the fourth time; new deadline: 8 September 2009
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TSA clarifies fingerprinting requirements
TSA makes clear that only non-U.S. citizens will have to give fingerprints upon leaving the United States — and for now, only for a pilot project at Atlanta and Detroit airports
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Congress requires competition for for aviation security services
Despite heavy lobbying by airport managers, Congress insists that TSA must hold open and full competition for security background screening services for aviation workers
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Canada to start fingerprint residency applicants
The Canadian federal government plans to start fingerprinting applicants for temporary residency permits
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Identity fundamentals. pt. 1: Who cares who you are anyway?
Identity can be defined as a combination of the uniqueness of an individual (or device) and the attributes which are associated with that uniqueness; in the absence of a standard unique personal identification number, personal names are often used to build a single view across different unconnected applications
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More companies use DHS immigration database
DHS says that more than 118,000 public, private, and government employers enrolled in its E-Verify database as of 1 May; enrollment is growing, but E-Verify still is used by less than 2 percent of the nation’s more than 7.4 million employers
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