The tiny island in the Indian Ocean has started to deploy a national ID card that also functions as a driver’s license, and a bank, health and insurance, payment and passport card. The project comes as other countries in Africa and Asia move forward with multi-application IDs.

Biometrics was neither a household term nor a ‘handset technology’ when Frances Zelazny began working with facial recognition two decades ago. During her career she has helped shape the use of biometrics for security, identity and now for payment applications. Throughout, she has advocated for responsible use guidelines and practices, something that has proven essential to the industry’s maturation.

Liane Moriyama retired last summer as Administrator of the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center and she is honored for her innovative career as a 2017 winner of the Women in Biometrics awards. She was instrumental in bringing the first AFIS to Hawaii and helping other states to follow suit. But it is her crossover between the use of biometrics for law enforcement and its use to protect vulnerable populations that defines her most significant contributions.

Mobile driver’s licenses are a very hot topic as government issuers across the U.S. and around the globe consider complementing physical ID cards with an app in the mobile device. It opens up an array of new opportunities and a list of benefits. Jean-Baptist Milan, an expert on mobile IDs from HID Global, shares the top five reasons governments should consider a mobile driver’s license.

Already known for its efforts at digital ID and online access to government services, the Baltic nation is considering a plan that would give e-residents the use of a digital currency called estcoin. The project could include raising capital via virtual money instead of traditional shares.

Creator of the FBI’s Biometric Center for Excellence and Deputy Assistant Director of the Information Services Branch of CJIS, Kimberly Del Greco is a go to biometrics lead for the Federal government. She was instrumental in the Next Generation Identification Program that redefined algorithms and modalities to increase the agency’s biometric match rates and image quality.

A patent application describes a new device that would enable consumers to use biometric authentication via a fingerprint sensor placed in one or more keys on a computer keyboard. Even as iris, facial and other biometric authentication technologies gain ground, fingerprints apparently still have new realms to conquer, and one may prove to be ongoing ambient authentication.

In this first episode of a four-part podcast series, SecureIDNews explores the use of IDs and credentials on mobile devices. Agencies and issuers are rapidly working to augment their physical ID cards and documents with mobile versions, expanding both security and functionality. Learn how and why from key industry leaders during this kick-off to our podcast series, Investigating Mobile IDs and Credentials.