Could swipe gestures be the next big biometric factor? Geek.com ponders this notion, as other forms of authentication like passwords and PINs become more difficult to remember. Although many biometric authentication methods have yet to be adopted on a large scale, it’s possible that the swipe might work as an authentication factor. NYU doctoral student […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a new software suite called Biometric Conformance Test Software for Data Interchange Formats (BioCTS2012) for biometrics users to test biometrics apps against the NIST standard. The software tests against the ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 standard, which provides a defined method for digitally encoding and storing biometric data. […]

The Queensland government is thinking about scaling back its smart card driver license program, reports the Brisbane Times. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads is reevaluating partly because the program has cost about A$140 million to roll out and the government has taken on A$88 million in debt, part of which won’t be […]

Frost & Sullivan found that increasing crime rates and terrorism have helped speed up the adoption of biometrics, particularly in the government vertical in the Asia-Pacific region. In its new study “An Analysis of the Biometrics Market in the Government Vertical in Asia-Pacific,” Frost & Sullivan says that in 2011 the market had revenues in […]

Orange Polksa has teamed up with mBank and MasterCard Europe to bring contactless mobile payments to Orange customers in Poland. Orange will offer contactless payments via a payment card located in a mobile phone. Orange’s program stems from a pilot started in March 2011, where 2,000 customers piloted NFC payments. The company could implement the […]

Governments’ adoption and migration to next generation smart national ID cards will fuel the growth of the government smart card market, says ABI Research. In its recent report “Government and Healthcare Citizen ID Cards,” the firm says that shipments in this market will reach 765 million by 2017. National ID cards will grow from 37% […]

The Emirates Identity Authority claims to hold the world’s largest database of civil integrated biometrics and has applied to the World Record Academy to verify its record. The database holds information from the UAE population register system and as of October 11, it contains 103 million decimal and rounded fingerprints, palm prints, hand print and […]

Market research firm Paradigm Sample released the results of its new mobile survey stating that 71% of convenience store customers would be willing to pay for their purchases with mobile wallets through their phones or tablets. Paradigm conducted the survey to help companies understand the potential acceptance of mobile payments and mobile banking. Customers have […]

Taiwan’s largest telecom operator Chunghwa Telecom Co. has started a pilot to enable smart phone users to make contactless payments, reports Focus Taiwan. The first phase of the trial will last six months and involve 500 to 600 mobile services subscribers. These participants will install a customized SIM card in their smart phones to conduct […]

As schools in the United States begin implementing biometric data gathering to expedite processes such as lunch payments and bus rides, Anita Ramasastry writes on Justia that parents should also be concerned with privacy issues surrounding gathering this information on children. Ramasastry notes that a small number of schools around the nation are implementing the […]