The Singapore government launched eGov2015, a new plan to develop new government services and delivery channels online. The plan incorporates a mobile site that serves as a central home for public sector mobile apps, as well as a portal for data sharing. Along with these products, the government is actively trying to improve information and […]

Tokenworks has released a new identification verification scanner that includes integrated customer relationship management features, as well as membership management tools. The IDVisor Touch reads IDs from all 50 states, driver licenses from all Canadian provinces and U.S. military IDs. Its ID reader features rechargeable Li-Ion batteries, a color touch screen and a scanner that […]

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is launching an electronic cash delivery system in Nepal. Aimed for people employed in the WFP’s cash- and food-for work programs in western Nepal, this smart card system will deliver financial services to 484 households. The U.N. has partnered with Nepal’s Siddhartha Bank, issuer of the smart cards, […]

Federal agencies may now purchase Datastrip’s DSV3 line of handheld biometric verification and e-passport readers, according to the General Services Administration. Agencies may use the devices for identity verification in accordance with HSPD- 12. Datastrip’s approved product line consists of the EasyRead mobile biometric device, designed for inspecting travel documents and credentials, and the EasyVerify […]

The United Kingdom government’s “ID Assurance” program that accesses certain government services will be able to include social networks, reports The Telegraph. The ID Assurance program hopes to allow independent verification of government-based online transactions. It’s expected to launch a prototype this October to use with the Department for Work and Pension’s universal credits, NHS […]

As the British government moves more services online, the Cabinet Office is working with IT companies to create a solution for identity assurance, reports Computer Weekly. This comes on the heels of the Cabinet Office’s May announcement to develop a market for private sector ID assurance services. In working with multiple solution providers, the government […]

The much-anticipated FIPS 201-2 draft was released in March. The team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology had been collecting comments on possible additions to the U.S. federal smart card standard since the first specification was released in 2005. The new draft focuses on clearing up some confusion from the first standard, enhancing […]

With the budget battle underway, the case for a strong identity credential for Medicare may be too good for Congress to pass up. Smart cards could help the federal government to reduce Medicare fraud and abuse to the tune of $370 billion in the next 10-years, says Kelli Emerick, executive director of the Secure ID […]

When the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace was released in April some described it was “Woodstock for identity geeks.” Industry officials were excited to see the plan and hear what was announced, but there weren’t a lot of surprises. The goal of the strategy is to protect privacy, fight identity theft and fraud, […]

From the bag phone, to the brick phone to the flip phone, the mobile phone has evolved quite a bit in the last 25 years. The overarching trend had been toward smaller and smaller devices, but this preoccupation with size seems to have reached a plateau. The focus now is squarely on adding capabilities. For […]