In an effort to create a system to curb forged identification papers as well as improve government agency’s abilities to properly identify citizens without proper identification on them the Israeli government has approved a motion calling for biometric passports and a database of biometric information of the Israeli citizens, according to a Y Net News […]

The German government has proposed and electronic ID card that would use contactless smart card technology, according to a report from Electronics Supply & Manufacturing. The new credential would be similar to the electronic passport, but could also carry an electronic signature that could be used for online authentication. Berlin-based Bitkom, a trade organization in […]

By James M. Anzalone, Compliance Assurance LLC Did you know that many biometrics technologies are controlled for export? The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) controls the export of biometric technologies for crime control reasons, a policy aimed at promoting human rights throughout the world. The idea is that that crime […]

At the United States and Mexico border patrol stations, fingerprinting is being used as a secondary means of identity verification, and sometimes a way to catch suspects in criminal cases, according to a Tuscon, Arizona KVOA News 4 article. If someone crossing the border gives reason for a secondary inspection, they are brought into an […]

In an effort to curb cheating in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), test takers will soon be required to submit to a palm-vein scan as an additional form of identity verification, according to a Wall Street Journal article. Officials from Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), who oversee the test, feel that the additional verification […]

Biometrics pass speed and security tests, accuracy not quite there The National Institute of Standards and Technology is continuing its march towards approving an ID card with a stored fingerprint that can be quickly authenticated without the data on the card ever leaving. The match-on-card fingerprint trials show that existing technology will work, although accuracy […]

Sagem Morpho Inc. introduced the MorphoAccess 521 TWIC biometric reader, a smart card access device to meet Transportation Security Administration implementation requirements for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program. The MA521 TWIC is designed to read encrypted biometric data, such as a digital fingerprint, perform the match to the cardholder and perform an active card […]

Biometric and smart card companies aim to educate lawmakers on how the technologies can be privacy enhancing and not privacy invasive By Zack Martin, Editor RFID. It’s hard to believe that four little letters can cause individuals to imagine such evil things. Mention RFID and people envision Big Brother or another type of all-seeing specter […]

Secondary schools in Nampa School District in Idaho will enable students this fall to use their finger to identify themselves instead of a student ID card when they buy school lunch. While some parents have voiced privacy concerns, school officials stress that the new technology does not record a student’s fingerprint but instead assigns a […]

Hirsch Electronic’s biometric security system, the Verification Station, has earned the editor’s choice top pick from Buildings magazine. Buildings is a publication that frequently looks at products that are beneficial for use by building owners. The Verification Station operates as a check point or gate identity authenticator. By first registering a user’s prints into the […]