A recent survey conducted by Wincor Nixdorf shows that a strong majority of French consumers are interested in using fingerprint scanning technology to secure transactions.

Out of 1,008 French consumers surveyed, a healthy 69% said they were in favor of scanning their fingerprint at the point of sale to secure electronic payments rather than punch in a PIN code.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The board of directors for Lumidigm announced the appointment of Mark Shermetaro, a member of the board, to chief executive officer of the company with current CEO and chairman Bob Harbour moving to the position of executive chairman of the board of directors.

Among Shermetaro’s previous experience that he bring to the position beyond his two years on the board at Lumidigm is serving as vice president of business development at Methode Electronics.  

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

ImageWare Systems announced that the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), an agency that oversees Los Angeles International (LAX) airport, LA/Ontario International airport and Van Nuys airport, has placed an order for a number of biometric identity management and credentialing solutions.

Among the solutions LAWA is intending to implement at their airport locations are ImageWare’s Quick capture, which is a multi-biometric solutions and various parts of their Identity Service Bus suite, which will be used for identity management and credential issuance.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is focusing on a goal of driving the research and development of biometrics and building the future of the industry around a concern for end-user privacy protection.

As the EAB continues to find its footing as a representative and proponent for biometric technology in Europe, it hopes to create a continent-wide network of professionals in the industry wherein experiences with the political and business sectors can be shared.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

DigitalPersona announced the release of a new version of its Pro Enterprise software solution, version 5.2.

Among the aspects of the new version DigitalPersona is touting are the extensive number of factors a company utilizing the solution can use to authenticate for access to sensitive information or secured computer stations. These factors include what a user knows, such as PINs or passwords, things you have, such as smart cards, contactless identity cards or Bluetooth devices, and things you are, such as fingerprints.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Viv.ie, a start-up located in Ireland working on face recognition technology, announced it is finishing a new type of facial recognition technology that does away with a number of the security pitfalls current facial recognition technology is commonly guilty of, according to a Sydney Morning Herald article.

Face recognition had gained some traction in the smart phone market, where individuals gain access to the device using the front facing camera on the device. This, however, has commonly been thwarted by simply holding a picture of the user up to the device. Viv.ie claims to have solved this problem.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Biometrics enable expedited border screening

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Global Entry program is expanding enabling enrolled U.S. citizens to enjoy expedited screening when returning from travel abroad to a number of domestic airports. The program also makes them eligible to participate in similar programs at foreign airports.

Global Entry has 200,000 travelers enrolled, says John Wagner, executive director of Admissibility and Passenger Programs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It’s open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents as well as citizens of Canada, Mexico and The Netherlands via reciprocal arrangements.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

In an effort to streamline passenger security, Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport has opened the country’s first biometric immigration gate.

Fingerprint biometric identification provider BIO-key International, Inc. and Oakwell Engineering Limited partnered to create the new gate, designed for use by passengers with electronic passports. Passengers submit their e-passports and authenticate with a fingerprint.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Human Recognition Systems (HRS) has added features and enhancements to its MForce latent fingerprint processing product.

In an effort to reduce operation times and costs, HRS has developed MForce as a mobile biometric product that enables law enforcement officers and military to obtain and process latent and livescan fingerprints in the field. By processing prints onsite, users are able to quickly provide investigators with intelligence.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

India’s government has called a truce in the ongoing argument between the Ministry of Home Affairs’s National Population Register (NPR) project and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), reports the Indian Express.

Both agencies will continue on with their projects, collecting biometric data in the states in which they operate. They also agree to accept data that the other has compiled. Per the new agreement, however, the NPR database will be considered the authority if discrepancies arise.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Auraya Systems announced the commercial release of its voice authentication solution called ArmorVox Speaker Identity System.

The solution, which was developed for system developers and call centers as either an enterprise or cloud-based solution, fuses text-independent and text-dependent voice-verification that automatically detect languages.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

VoiceTrust announced it has been awarded a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Private Sector Investment (PSI) Program to roll out biometric identity systems in Pakistan.

The systems being brought to Pakistan, called Proof-of-Life, is intended to assist with identification authentication for services such as pension disbursement and other financial services by replacing PINs and passwords with voice biometrics.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The UK Border Agency has announced intentions to require applicants applying for six-month stays from outside the European Economic Area to use biometric residency permits starting at the end of February 2012, according to an HR Magazine article.

The permits will replace the multiple documents employers in the country use to ensure their employees are legal residents as well as make the whole process simpler and more secure.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

A new report on the market for biometric technology in India forecasted a 42.4% compound annual growth rate for the industry in the four year span. TechNavio, a market intelligence reporting company, reviews and forecasts the period of 2010 through 2014 from

In addition to forecasting the growth of the market, the report also identifies key vendors in the country such as biometrics developers Sagem Morpho Securities, Suprema and Nippon Electric Company (NEC) and each one’s respective strengths and weaknesses. Beyond this, the report also identifies expected market drivers, growth challenges and market threats.  

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Precise Biometrics has developed a new line of “smart cases� for brands of tablets and smart phones to be released in 2012 and 2013. The new smart cases have built-in card reader and fingerprint sensor enabling users to both secure their devices as well as replace various password-based security for protected online sites and applications.

The various problems Precise expects their new smart cases to solve include enabling government workers that need to scan smart cards in order to gain access to secured sites to access those sites from their mobile device.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Biometric technology expedites lunch lines

The Pinellas County School Board District in Clearwater, Fla. has paired up with technology provider Fujitsu Frontech North America to provide a reliable and secure method of handling school food service program transactions.

With more than 102,000 students, the district is the seventh largest in the state and the 24th largest in the nation. Efficiently serving this large population has, at times, proven challenging for the district, particularly in the school cafeteria snack and lunch lines.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Philippines announced plans to begin searching for and ghost employees and absent employees by incorporating a biometric time and attendance system for government employees across the region, according to an Inquirer News article.

Governor-in-charge Mujiv Hataman says ghost employee problem in the Department of Education is specifically bad as he noticed a trend of teachers on the payroll without addresses or assigned schools on their record.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The Malaysian Election Commission has decided to forego the use of the biometric voter verification system for the country’s upcoming elections, according to an article form The Star.

Malaysian Election Commission Chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, said the commission may still use the biometric system for future elections, but that they will be focusing on how viable the use of indelible ink is in these elections.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Raptor Identification Systems unveiled two new mobile biometric devices. The two new solutions, called RaptorONE-TM and RaptorPAD-TM, both run on the Android Mobile Operating System with one being powered by a smart phone and the other a tablet.

The central biometric capability of the devices are the built-in Extended Depth of Field iris capture that can capture iris images from five to nine inches away as a part of Raptor’s TalonTM biometric capture interface.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

GAO RFID has released a Wiegand-to-Ethernet RFID controller designed specifically for door access applications.

The network access controller, model 491018, is able to connect to any type of Wiegand reader such as magnetic stripe reader, RFID reader or fingerprint reader. It also offers a master card for adding or deleting access privileges directly from the external reader, thus acting independently without connection to a network or PC.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

A journalist for the Mingpao Daily has managed to spoof a biometric self-service kiosk used for immigration clearance at the Hong Kong-China border, according to a PC Advisor article.

The spoofing was aided by a fingerprint cast kit bought from a Chinese online retailer called Taobao for under the equivalent of $15.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The biometric program at HMP Isis prison in London requires inmates to authenticate their identities via thumbprint before moving from one area to the next. System errors, however, have been leading to back-ups that leads to all prisoners waiting before they can move on, according to an article from The Telegraph.

A report detailing the problem, which sometimes leaves prisoner movement halted for hours, has noted that if the system doesn’t work for 100% of prisoners otherwise a manual check needs to be performed, which is time consuming and leads to the delays.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

A new app for mobile phones running on the Android operating system has been developed by AppTech that purports to be capable of recognizing a person’s age via the built-in camera on the phones.

The app, called ReconAge, utilizes face recognition technology from biometric developer Cognitec Tecnologia Brazil and data processing technology from data processing specialist BrScan Tecnologia.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

In an effort to increase the security of the current EMV chip and PIN, SmartMetric has created an EMV card enhanced with biometrics.

The SmartMetric Chip & Biometric EMV Card incorporates fingerprints to activate the card. It’s designed to increase the security of standard EMV chip and PIN cards, which SmartMetric claims are still vulnerable to fraud attacks, even though they are safer than a magnetic stripe card.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Suprema announced that its RealScan-G10 and RealScan-10 line of fingerprint scanners have received final certification from the Government of India’s Standardization Testing & Quality Certification (STQC) to be part of the country’s Unique ID (UID) project.

The STQC certification is mandatory for any provider of live fingerprint scanners to be used in the UID project, which will utilize fingerprint and other data to provide each citizen of the country a unique identification number that corresponds to and can be authenticated by the collected biometric data.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking for proposals for research projects that could yield new biometric systems that authenticate users based on their own unique movements or behaviors such as the way they type or move a mouse, according to a ZDNet article.

The intent of the new project, which DARPA is calling Active Authentication (AA), is to find a new user-friendly system that can replace the password and Common Access Card-based authentication methods the Department of Defense IT systems currently require for authenticating users.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

ValidSoft partnered with Opus Research and released a report titled “Voice Biometrics Authentication Best Practices: Overcoming Obstacles to Adoption” that predicts the technology will be deployed in payment authentication assuming the best practices it lays out are followed.

Chief among the reasons for an increase n the use of the modality is the increased use of smart phones for banking and other financial services.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Looking back at the last 18 months, I am amazed by the progress biometric civil ID programs have made around the world. Whether it is the national elections in Brazil and Nigeria, or the widespread ID enrollment program in India, fingerprint biometrics have been a significant factor in the success of many Civil ID programs.

As we look at what’s to come in 2012, one thing stands out: mobile devices and fingerprint biometrics will come together to enable more widespread civil ID programs that can deliver a multitude of services to even the most rural locations.

There are two developments that point to mobile biometric identity solutions breaking out in 2012. The first is the acceptance of biometric technology in emerging nations as a common form of citizen identification. Both Brazil and Nigeria have used the technology in their national elections, and in doing so gained international support and approval.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

High schools in Jefferson County, W.V. will be implementing biometric finger scanning in an effort to provide security for the students’ cafeteria accounts. Purpose of the program, according to school officials, is to eliminate clerical errors and to provide students with an easy way to identify themselves when using the cafeteria.

Using the finger scanner provided by identiMetrics, the software scans the finger to create and store individual templates of unique points that ID each student.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

After a nearly three-year delay, the Algerian government has finally launched its biometric passport program.

Magharebia reports that the biometric passports, which contain a contactless smart card chip that holds a digitized photo, fingerprints and signature, were supposed to be released in 2009. But the documents were delayed due to complexities with the operation of the project and the need to thoroughly research and analyze other countries’ experiences with biometric passports.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Human recognition Systems announced a partnership with the Olive Group, a provider of safety, security and technology solutions, that will see the Olive Group distributing HRS’s solutions in the Middle East and North Africa regions.

Among the upsides for both companies are that Olive Group already has a significant client base in the areas and will be able to offer biometric solutions as add-ons to existing solutions.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wants to see a biometric scanning device that has Web-enabled communication and control that’s built on a publicly-available specification, reports Bank Info Security. To that end, it’s looking for proposals for such a device.

NIST is funding the initiative to produce a functional yet small device for biometric acquisition that can be controlled through Web services as described in NIST Special Publication 500-288: Specification for WS-Biometric Devices.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Oracle has released a new version of Oracle Retail Point-of-Service that aims to increase security, operational efficiency and functionality in part by integrating biometrics.

Oracle partnered with DigitalPersonal to add integrated biometrics to the POS package. Users of the software will login using their fingerprint, which will replace the need for PINs or passwords. This feature intends to reduce fraud by eliminating the possibility of unauthorized employees using a manager ID or swipe card to access the POS and approve overrides.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Privacy advocates in Canada have been raising concerns over the risk involved in two new biometric programs from the government that result in the sharing of private biometric data with other countries’ governments and possibly private corporations, according to an Embassy Magazine article.

The new programs are modeled after similar programs around the world that collect biometric data, such as fingerprints from immigrants traveling to the country, those traveling with fraudulent documents, wanted criminals and suspected terrorists.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Authentication and access provider DigitalPersona released the results of a survey that found more than half of retailers rely on passwords for point-of-sale system login in, even though they also have great concerns over passwords being shared and misused.

The survey, conducted by NetWorld Alliance, polled more than 1,100 participants in 2011. The results found that more than 90%t of those surveyed ranked fraud prevention of high importance in terms of system sign on. Of those considering changing their login methods, almost 70% are considering implementation of biometric authentication.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Border control automation challenged by complex interoperability issues

The use of biometric technology in identity credentials is increasing. It aims to enable countries to implement robust security measures at border crossings and make it difficult to produce fraudulent travel documents. Today, more than 90% of passports deployed include biometric features, often fingerprint images due to their non-intrusive nature.

While the use of biometric technology aims to add an additional layer of homeland security, the time taken by border control personnel to inspect these new passports, coupled with the ever-growing number of global travellers, has resulted in lengthy delays at some international crossings.

The answer, however, seems to be simple: implement automated border control systems. Using the latest technology, this would allow costs to be cut long-term, while optimising the latest and most robust ID technology.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Morpho announced that the Botswana Police Service (BPS) has signed an agreement that will see Morpho providing two more years of maintenance and support for the agency’s automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS).

The system the agency uses is touted as one of the largest and most advanced of its kind in all of Africa as it manages ten fingerprints and palm prints of persons of interest in 1000 pixel per inch images and collects the data from 61 different sites in the country.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

AuthenTec announced the acquisition of all the assets of Proxure, which includes intellectual property and software products relating to their syncing and cloud-based storage services.

Among the products owned by AuthenTec is Proxure’s KeepVault backup software and KeepSync, which synchronizes a user’s identity across multiple devices. Both will be offered by AuthenTec with plans to incorporate the software into other products in the future.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Neurotechnology announced that it has developed three versions of embedded solutions for Android-powered devices such as smart phones and tablets.

Specifically, Neurotechnology has ported its VeriFinger Embedded software development kit (SDK), which authenticates user identities via fingerprints, VeriLook Embedded SDK, which authenticates user identities via facial recognition, and MegaMatcher Embedded SDK, which authenticates user identities via both fingerprints and facial recognition. A version that utilizes iris recognition also is in the works.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

In a new patent application by Apple, the company appears to be looking to incorporate user face recognition via front-facing cameras on its devices, according to an Apple Insider article.

The filing points to possible solution for enabling multiple users access to the same device, such as an iPad, and have the device automatically alter settings, features and applications to the preferences of each specific user.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Lumidigm announced a partnership with Tiger IT Bangladesh Limited to bring a criminal identity solution that utilizes iris recognition and will also offer fingerprint recognition sensors from Lumidigm.

The Lumidigm solution that is being incorporated into the solution, which is being developed for the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) office in Bangladesh, is its multispectral Venus fingerprint sensors.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

SmartMetric announced it has leased a manufacturing plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina where it plans to manufacture fingerprint activated smart cards. These cards are being developed with industries such as banking, medical insurance and government or other high-security identification industries in mind.

In addition to opening up the potential for quick deployment to South American countries as well as easy export to Europe, Asia Pacific, Central America and North America, the new plant marks a change in the company where it will be able to move from a business model centered around product research and development and move into product manufacturing.  

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The 25,000 VIPs, including athletes, coaches and officials, arriving for the summer Olympics in London through Heathrow International Airport will have a dedicated passport lane just for them when passing through immigration, according to a Daily Mail article.

The UK Border Agency, however, is worried what the dedicated traffic lane will mean for non-VIP travelers coming from areas outside the European Union who already deal with up to two-hour waits at immigration during peak travel times.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The Nepalese Election Commission (EC) has completed nearly all its biometric voter registration as all but one district and just shy of 10 million citizens have been enrolled, according to a My Republica article.

The final district to begin enrollment, Banke, is slated to begin by Jan. 5 and by completed by the end of January.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Most consumers are comfortable with the concept of a mobile phone as a secure, multifunctional device. It is this consumer acceptance, coupled with technological advancement, which make the 2012 market conditions ripe for greater expansion in mobile services.

The rich user interface offered by smart phones provide a number of options for device interaction, including full QWERTY keyboards, interactive touch screens and voice recognition systems. The availability of these options increases the scope for the phone’s potential use.

Combine these with the number of connectivity options available – near field communication (NFC), wi-fi, over the air, Bluetooth – and it quickly becomes apparent that we have only just begun to realise the potential for all manner of consumer services. Success for 2012 will come from effectively securing these services as they emerge.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Kraft has rolled out vending machines in Chicago and New York that give out free pudding samples to adults. The machines estimate the age of the individual by using facial recognition technology, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The machine uses a biometric scanner to estimate the age and gender of people standing in front of it, and will serve adults but refuses children. The machines are being piloted at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and New York’s South Street Seaport.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

Federal Trade Commission staff is seeking public comments on the issues raised at a FTC workshop exploring facial recognition technology and the privacy and security implications raised by its increasing use.

The December public workshop, “Face Facts: A Forum on Facial Recognition Technology,” focused on the current and future commercial applications of facial detection and recognition technologies, and explored current uses of these technologies, possible future uses and benefits and potential privacy and security concerns.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

The Emirates Identity Authority announced the test launch of the registration e-form on its web site for the national ID card. Applicants will be able to avoid lines at registration centers by using the online service to fill ID forms, pay fees and get an appointment for biometric screening, according to TechZone360.com

While the e-service will be available only to UAE nationals in January 2012, it will also become available to expatriates starting February.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

A Japanese researcher has developed a biometric that could be used to protect a car from theft: butt biometrics, according to verge.com.

Shigeomi Koshimizu, an associate professor at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo has developed the technology. A seat pressure map to generates 39 indices that are used to uniquely identify a subject’s posterior. Results so far have been encouraging, with average false reject rates of 2.2% and false accept rates of 1.1%.

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…

AVISIAN Publishing is pleased to announce the release of the interactive version of the winter 2011 issue of Regarding ID.

The interactive feature enables a miniature mode that you can thumb through as well as a full screen mode that allows you to read the magazine as if it were on the desk in front of you.

To be notified of the next available e-magazine, sign up or update your existing subscription:

• If you already receive email newsletters from us, click “Add free subscriptions to other AVISIAN publications” at the bottom of your email newsletter issue or click here and go to the bottom of the form and request “Send Access Code” to send a link to your inbox.

• If you don’t have an existing subscription, click here to sign up at no cost.

Read the winter issue of re:ID online now.  

Read the full article at ThirdFactor…