U.K. national ID schemeU.K. identity card scheme will not mandate fingerprint readers
A proliferation of different fingerprint reading machines will be used in government programs, including the proposed biometric national identity card
The U.K. Identity and Passport Service (IPS) will not mandate the use of any particular type of hardware for collecting biometrics under the National Identity Scheme. Computing’s Tom Young writes that a report by the Biometric Assurance Group to the IPS has noted that a proliferation of different fingerprint reading machines will be used in government programs. The IPS said, however, that it will only mandate accuracy standards, not specific technology. “In the case of fingerprints, image data and quality standards are imposed rather than mandating hardware choices as this brings its own problems,” the group was advised by the IPS.
In March the IPS announced that it will encourage the private sector to collect fingerprints on behalf of the agency rather than doing so itself, likening the process to buying a passport photograph.
