Message #39704

[Mark]

A Tipping Point For Biometrics... And Soon National ID

The Department of Homeland Security is about to embark on an ambitious project to add biometrics to its smart card identification system. Other government efforts have demonstrated that such projects can go horribly awry, but it also has the potential to profoundly change DHS for the better. The exact path the agency takes, analysts say, depends on how well it prepares itself and possibly on how well it incorporates some new technical guidance. In May, DHS issued a request for proposals to add facial, fingerprint and iris recognition capabilities to its ID system as part of a $102 million upgrade. The agency is seeking a new contractor to take over the ID management project currently overseen by XTec and establish a new biometric-based card system that complies with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). The contractor would replace 161,924 personal identity verification (PIV) cards by the end of 2013 and another 116,172 in 2014, DHS officials said.

http://fcw.com/articles/2013/08/15/tipping-point-biometrics.aspx


Here Comes The Big Biometric Boom

The futuristic high-tech security devices that only appeared in secret agent movies are now being rolled out for consumer use in everyday life. People can access their online bank accounts with their fingerprint or even use facial recognition to unlock a smart phone, but how does it all work and will the new technology spark concerns about privacy? With a scan of his fingerprint, blood donor Bill Heron is instantly identified at his blood bank, no photo ID is required. “All I have to do is put my finger on the pad and they have all my information and off we go,” said Heron. Sophisticated biometric security devices work by measuring things that are “unique” to each individual person, like a fingerprint, a voice, a person’s face or even an eye. “Clearly the future is now, and it is coming to life,” said BIO-Key...

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/08/13/the-big-biometric-boom/


Aging Effect Not An Issue For Using The Iris For Biometric Identification

Biometric researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have determined that no consistent change occurs in the distinguishing texture of the iris for at least a decade. The research team used data from thousands of frequent travelers enrolled in an iris recognition program at the US/Canada border. The findings, published in an IREX VI NIST Interagency Report, will inform identity program administrators on how often iris images should be recaptured to maintain accuracy. Researchers looking for biometric identifiers other than fingerprints have been drawn to irises for decades, believing that their one-of-a-kind texture meets the stability and uniqueness requirements for biometrics. Recent studies, however, have called that belief into question. Over a three-year period, a study looked at 217 participants, finding that the recognition of the subjects’ irises became...

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112928227/biometrics-using-the-iris-082113/


Facial Scanning Gains In Surveillance

The federal government is making progress on developing a surveillance system that would pair computers with video cameras to scan crowds and automatically identify people by their faces, according to newly disclosed documents and interviews with researchers working on the project. The Department of Homeland Security tested a crowd-scanning project called the Biometric Optical Surveillance System — or BOSS — last fall after two years  of government-financed development. Although the system is not ready for use, researchers say they are making significant advances. That alarms privacy advocates, who say that now is the time for the government to establish oversight rules and limits on how it will someday soon be used.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/us/facial-scanning-is-making-gains-in-surveillance.html?_r=0