IDS Worldwide wants its Bio-Track Identification Card and software to be part of the proposed immigration solution announced recently by President Bush. To make it happen, the company has dispatched lobbyists to Washington, D.C. to prove its case. The company also thinks its system could be part of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program. 

VASCO, producer of user authentication products, has purchased an Austrian company experienced in smart card-based authentication, Logico, whose customers include those in the healthcare, manufacturing industry and government markets. The move will help VASCO expand and strengthen its position in the smart card-enabled password and PKI market. 

Mobile and wireless technology provider Mobilisa recently announced receipt of a $3.8 million contract with the U.S. military for implementation of an ID card verification system known as SEMD, which uses handheld computers to verify ID cards. The application reads the electronically formatted information contained on common forms of ID cards and then compares it to various databases, alerting security personnel of individuals wanted for criminal offenses or who are barred from the military base for other reasons. 

EMV chip migration is alive and well, according to Visa Asia Pacific, which announced a 43% growth rate in compliant chip cards and a 105% increase in numbers of chip terminals. Visa’s EMV chip cards are in use in 18 markets, with four–Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia–currently in the middle of a national migration program. 

Want a Heineken? Think again if you’re under age. The brewery said it is now using Intelli-Check-equipped mobile devices to scan driver’s licenses, military IDs and state-issued identification cards to determine if the person is of age. The new system is being used at events in which Heineken participates. 

by Sara Pralle, Contributing Editor, AVISIAN Publications

Increased airport security since 9/11 has led to a frustrating flying experience for many travelers. While few deny the need for safeguards, frequent flyers desperately want a means to avoid the lines and the hassle these security measures have created. Enter the Registered Traveler program, initiated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), but now operated by the private sector. From the initial launch in Orlando, a handful of other airports have signed on and creative ways to expand the issuance opportunities are coming to fruition. 

Automated fare collections system provider Cubic, which maintains London’s Oyster card, has installed 491 unattended terminal payment devices in the United Kingdom, allowing Transport For London customers to use debit or credit cards to purchase transit tickets.