Variety of cards and technologies facilitate current border crossings but will they will be accepted if and when the PASS Card arrives? By Andy Williams, Contributing Editor The jury is still out on whether the other border crossing cards currently in use will serve as a substitute for the proposed PASS Card. The launch is […]

Miami-based Merkatum, a biometric ID management solutions provider, has deployed a facial recognition system for Florida’s Department of Motor Vehicles to detect possible identity fraud and duplicate records in the agency’s driver license database. The system is capable of comparing a person’s facial image against 52 million others in three seconds. MIAMI–Merkatum, a leading developer […]

Four Canadian provinces have tapped Digimarc’s Canada operation to deploy and maintain a digital driver’s license issuance program. The USD $16 million contract will run through mid-2014 and will also help facilitate citizen identification and access to various social privileges and services within the country. Beaverton, Ore.–Digimarc Corporation announced its Canadian-based operation, Digimarc ID Systems […]

Digimarc has been awarded a $3.5 million contract to provide Ghana with its first digital driver’s license system that will replace the African country’s current paper-based license. Beaverton, Ore.–Digimarc Corporation announced a new $3.5 million contract award under which it will deliver market-leading products enabling Ghana to provide to its citizens a convenient, durable and […]

Even in a post 9-11 world, college campuses remain fairly open. Anyone can enter the campus itself with barely a nod from security. Corporations are a different matter and many have hardened building access in recent years. So, too, have K-12 schools. But with more options and lower costs, is it now time for colleges […]

Promoting the security and reliability of smart cards, the Smart Card Alliance is urging states to consider using this technology when it comes time to issue new driver’s licenses to comply with the Real ID Act. To back up this premise, the alliance has issued a white paper, available as a free download, titled “Why […]

Viisage’s Integrated Biometric Technology (IBT) division now controls 75% of the U.S. market for hazardous materials endorsed driver licensing systems. Illinois becomes the 35th state to employ the company’s technology as part of the TSA’s HAZPRINT program that establishes a nationwide system to collect and transmit fingerprint data of commercial driver license candidates seeking, renewing […]

Semiconductor provider Atmel Corp. says an e-passport based on its dual contact/contactless microcontroller has achieved a one to two second read rate, making it, the company maintains, one of the fastest around. The smart card chip is compliant with most standards, including ICAO specs for e-passports. San Jose, Calif – Atmel Corporation , a global […]

Ecuador has chosen the Zebra P640i, a dual-sided color printer with a built-in laminator, to create driver’s licenses that also are used as national ID cards for the country’s 13.5 million citizens. 96 Printers to be Located at Government Offices throughout the Country Ecuador, located in the rugged Andean highlands on the west coast of […]

By Marisa Torrieri, Contributing Editor While some countries continue to debate national ID cards, citizen smart card initiatives in some European countries are well underway. Technology players are working to secure contracts to provide services to card-holding citizens, many with an eye on what’s happening in Belgium – the European nation that is seen as […]