The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region has been showing signs for continued future growth in the biometrics market, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan, a research firm. Specifically, they cite the growing government sponsored biometric programs, such as e-passport and other national identification programs, as counter-balancing the negative impacts failing economies […]

Rickshaw pullers in Delhi, India may be issued biometric badges following traffic safety courses in an effort to not have to ban the profession altogether, according to a Calcutta News article. The Delhi government brought the proposal of the biometric badges to the city’s High Court citing that such a program would allow for the […]

Germany’s Interior Ministry has announced that it will begin issuing smart ID cards to German citizens on November 1, 2010, according to DW-World. The encrypted contactless chips installed in the cards will contain ID information, biometric data–including optional fingerprints–and a digital passport photo. Additionally, users have the option of enabling an electronic signature function, which […]

Australia plans to crack down on welfare and medical fraud cheats, according to a news report in the West Australian. To do so, the Australian Government along with the Human Services Agency will introduce a plan that will assign each of its citizens with a virtual ID card. The government plans to centralize information from […]

By Ruediger Stroh, general manager, Identification Business, NXP Semiconductors As we ring in 2010, signs of economic recovery are promising yet cautious. While the path to recovery for some industries may take longer, NXP believes we will see positive growth of contactless transactions on a global scale. The below focuses on the main growth areas […]

UK Chancellor Alistair Darling has said that the government’s ID card Scheme is done, according to a news report in the TimesOnline. Darling said his “intervention would probably sound the death knell for ID cards.” The program is a victim of spending cuts following pre-budget report. Darling had suggested that the cards may no longer […]

L-1 Identity Solutions Inc. has introduced new automated kiosks for processing driver’s license renewals and replacements. With more than half of all license transactions relating to replacements and renewals, the self-service kiosks are designed to streamline Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) operations and offer the public a faster and more convenient alternative to waiting in […]

The December meeting of the Government Smart Card Interagency Advisory Board (IAB) was recently held in Washington D.C. FIPS201.com was on hand to cover the event and has provided, as a service to the IAB and the smart card community, an audio recording of the presentations. Click on the link below to access a list […]

Before the end of the year smart card vendors could have a standard card command set that enables interoperability between credentials without middleware. The General ID Card Command Set (GICS) builds a standard language for the card command set so that different card standards can communicate without middleware, says Patrick Hearn, vice president of government […]