Reports

findBIOMETRICS is pleased to provide our readers with access to some of the IBIA reports reserved for Members Only.

The International Biometrics & Identification Association (IBIA) is a trade association founded in September 1998 in Washington, D.C. to advance the collective international interests of the biometric industry. IBIA is impartially dedicated to serve all biometric technologies in all applications.

IBIA speaks with authority for the biometric industry to the public opinion leaders, and government officials in the U.S. and abroad. The organization is formally incorporated under Section 501(c)(6) of the U.S. tax code as a nonprofit trade association that is qualified to take collective action on behalf of the biometric industry in compliance with antitrust, tax, and lobbying laws. IBIA is staffed by professional experts in biometrics, trade association management, and the complex disciplines of education and advocacy required by a multinational high-tech industry.

To learn more about the benefits of joining the IBIA please visit http://www.ibia.org for membership details.

Face Recognition in the Era of the Cloud and Social Media: Is it Time to Hit the Panic Button?

Face recognition, or the ability of computers to automatically pick up faces in photographs and identify who they belong to, is not new. You saw it in James Bond films nearly two decades before the technology was actually invented in academic research centers in the early nineties; and over the last ten years, the technology, propelled by legitimate security needs in the aftermath of 9/11, has evolved dramatically from those fictional depictions to become very real. Today, along with technologies that measure patterns of fingerprints and the iris of the eye, face recognition is a cornerstone in the ensemble of modern biometrics which aim to establish individual identity based on the uniqueness of measurable characteristics of the human body.

Immigration

The coverage of legal and illegal immigrants under the health reform legislation is now a prominent and contentious issue. Although a difficult issue for many, it has not been seen as an issue that would derail health reform until now. Many Hispanic community advocates initially tried to keep health reform and immigration, their two key issues, on separate tracks. However, they now believe this may have been a misguided strategy and are now actively engaged in the debate, arguing that health care reform is not taking into account the special needs of the Hispanic community.

Washington Energy Update

The extended health care debate appears to be having an impact on the fate of energy and climate legislation in the Senate, despite repeated assertions from Senate Democrats that they intend to pass climate change legislation this year. Senate Democrats had expected a floor vote on health care before the August recess, which would have cleared the way for the climate bill in the fall. Now, with health care legislation slated for a vote in the fall and Democrats still divided, there may be little time or appetite for moving forward with another major contentious issue.

It’s All About the Cost

One should not underestimate the role that biometrics can play in producing some of these savings. Biometric technologies can facilitate the use of electronic health records by making patients feel more comfortable with the concept, knowing that access to their sensitive medical information is restricted and secure. This, in turn, will make it easier for health professionals to coordinate patient care and provide more effective, less costly treatment. Biometric technologies also can assist in preventing fraud and abuse in government programs. Expanding health coverage to tens of millions of people is a daunting task. The prospect of duplicate enrollments and other attempts to game the system must be addressed, and biometrics offer a solution.

Section 233: Full and Open Competition in Security Background Screening Service

The International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) is pleased to report that the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2200, The Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act, on June 4, 2009.

Included in the bill is Section 233: Full and Open Competition in Security Background Screening Service. This Section provides for full and open competition in background screening services, and it specifies that airports and airlines will no longer be required to use a single service provider for these services and …”may use the services of other providers approved by the Assistant Secretary” of TSA.