No biometric data was compromised in the recent hack attack against smart vending machine provider Avanti Markets, the company says. The company suffered the security breach over the July 4th long weekend, and was quick to inform customers that payment card information and biometric data from some Avanti Markets kiosks may have been stolen. In…
A sheriff’s office in Minnesota may be compelled to publicly disclose how it uses biometric technology, depending on the outcome of a case before the state’s Supreme Court. The suit was first filed by Tony Webster, a web developer and researcher, in 2015, and is backed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a MuckRock campaign,…
Apple is in a tight fix this year when it comes to a key component of its anticipated new iPhone – biometric authentication – and it’s running out of time to find a good way out of it. Here’s the rundown of Apple’s Touch ID dilemma: Apple has pioneered mobile fingerprint authentication, and users of…
Avanti Markets, a provider of smart vending machine terminals, has suffered a security breach that may have compromised customer information including biometric data. In a statement, the company has indicated that near the start of this month it found signs of “a sophisticated malware attack” that affected some Avanti Markets kiosks. The attack appears to…
Israel’s implementation of a national biometric ID program is causing serious delays at the country’s main airport, reports Haaretz. Israel’s legislature, the Knesset, approved the implementation of the biometric ID program earlier this year amid some controversy, with the law coming into effect on June 1st. As Haaretz reports, travelers arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport have…
The head of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) is urging the Department of Homeland Security to consider the use of enhanced biometric scanning and other sophisticated technology to secure flights, rather than implement its proposed ban on laptops and similar electronic devices for flights coming to the US. In a press release, CTA CEO Gary…
“Weiss alleges that in 2010 he approached both companies regarding 13 patents he held, at least some of which pertained to smartphone-based biometric authentication and the use of one-time tokens in financial transactions.” A Massachusetts-based company called Universal Secure Registry is suing both Apple and Visa for alleged patent infringement related to Apple Pay, Apple’s…
A BBC reporter is drawing attention to the vulnerabilities of HSBC’s voice authentication system for customer calls, asserting that his non-identical twin brother was able to gain access to his account by mimicking his voice. Commenting on the matter, the reporter noted that the “really alarming” aspect of the fraud is that the system allowed his…
Vermont’s DMV has been using facial recognition technology to search through its database of driver license holders at the behest of police authorities at all levels of government, says the ACLU. The civil liberties organization says it discovered the practice through internal DMV documents it was able to obtain, and is now calling for its…
“The bogus identity used the name Osama bin Laden and featured a blurry photo of the former terrorist leader, who was killed by American special forces in 2011.” An employee of the Unique Identification Authority of India is under investigation by police officials for attempting to create a fraudulent identity in Aadhaar, the country’s national…
“In its lawsuit, Crossmatch is demanding that Integrated Biometrics be prevented from continuing to sell the offending devices, and also seeks compensation…” Crossmatch has filed a lawsuit against Integrated Biometrics, accusing the company of patent infringement. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of Delaware. In a statement, Crossmatch claimed that multiple…
A joint team of researchers from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering and Michigan State University’s College of Engineering are warning that the fingerprint biometrics now commonly used for mobile authentication may not be as unique as many believe. Because smartphones use only partial fingerprints and often allow for multiple users’ fingerprint data to…
Israel’s National Labor Court has ruled that employers cannot compel their staff to participate in a biometric time and attendance system based on fingerprint scanning, reports Bloomberg BNA. The case, Histadrut General Labor Fed’n v. Qalansuwa Municipality, was resolved in favor of workers’ privacy rights with respect to biometric data. In a panel ruling, head Judge Lea…
Having launched criminal investigation against multiple organizations for misuse of Aadhaar a couple of weeks ago, the Unique Identification Authority of India is now seeking to reassure the public that the incident did not involve a breach of the national ID program’s biometic data. The case of misuse involved Axis Bank and its business partners Suvidhaa Infoserve…
“While the country’s biometric smart cards will need to include citizens’ facial and fingerprint data, the latter no longer needs to be submitted to a national database, though individuals who opt out will need to renew their IDs twice as often.” Israel’s legislature has approved a new law that will make registration in a national biometric…
Legislators in Montana are considering a new bill that would establish new regulations around biometric data in the state, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation is throwing its support behind it. House Bill 518 would require companies to obtain written consent before collecting biometric information from individuals, to store it securely, and to destroy it when…
“It should be a welcome ruling from the perspective of privacy advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which decried a similar police effort in California last autumn.” Police cannot walk into a building and order everyone inside to unlock their iPhones via fingerprint scan, an Illinois federal court has ruled. The case arose from police…
Three companies going to be investigated for illegal use of India’s Aadhaar national biometric ID program, reports The Times of India. The Unique Identification Authority of India, which administrates Aadhaar, has filed a request for official investigation of the firms with the Delhi Police after discovering that an unusual number of biometric authentication transactions had…
Lars Söderfjell has left his position on Fingerprint Cards’ Board of Directors in the wake of accusations of insider trading from Sweden’s Economic Crime Authority. In a statement announcing his departure, FPC said Söderfjell “leaves the Board on his own initiative.” Speaking for himself, Söderfjell stated, “Even if I believe that I am innocent, after careful consideration…
Fingerprint Cards says its “operations are not affected by these events.” A board member and a former employee of Fingerprint Cards have been taken into custody by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority over allegations of insider trading. The individuals in question are board member Lars Söderfjell and Johan Carlström, a major shareholder in FPC. Carlström stepped down as FPC’s…
In December we polled 165 professionals in biometrics and identity related industries about various topics from the past year. It was part of the FindBiometrics Year in Review, the longest-running and best regarded industry retrospective of its kind. Now in its 14th consecutive year, the FindBiometrics Year in Review is your resource to start 2017…
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has produced another wrinkle in the contentious matter of privacy rights with respect to biometrically locked mobile devices. The court recently denied an appeal from a convicted burglar who had tried to argue that a court order compelling him to unlock his phone for police via fingerprint scan had violated his Fifth…
A researcher at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) is warning that fingerprint recognition technology is now sophisticated enough that hackers could copy the patterns from photos of people giving the peace sign. In fact, Isao Echizen says he did just that, capturing fingerprint data from an individual standing only nine feet away. The claim…
Presenting at the most recent Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, artist Adam Harvey unveiled fashion designs aimed at confusing and thwarting facial recognition technology. Developed in collaboration with Hyphen-Labs, the designs incorporate abstract graphics aimed at tricking facial recognition systems into interpreting them as multiple faces images. Harvey’s aim is to overwhelm facial recognition systems…
NTechLab, the Moscow-based team behind an app that can search Russia’s version of Facebook to find particular faces, has turned its attention to Twitter. A new version of its FindFace app launched Friday with the capability of tracking down an individual’s face among 300 million Twitter accounts in under one second. Twitter has already responded indicating…
The first tangible legal outcome from the state of Illinois’ biometric data legislation has emerged, reports Big Law Business. It’s the same legislation that has ensnared tech giants like Facebook and Google for their use of biometric identification technologies. The law requires that companies get consent from individuals before ascertaining their biometric data, and compels…
“The legislation is set to take effect December 15th, but the Maryland Public Service Commission will hold hearings on the matter starting this Thursday, with Uber and Lyft officials expected to participate.” Ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft are threatening to halt operations in Maryland if they are forced to comply with new legislation requiring that…
Samsung Electronics is looking to get back on track after its Galaxy Note7 fiasco. In addition to other business developments concerning a spinoff of its printing division and the appointment of a new board member, the company’s leadership addressed the issue of its aborted smartphone in a recent Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. The Galaxy Note7…
Last week at FindBiometrics we previewed what to expect at this week’s massive FinTech show, Money20/20. Meanwhile, the headlines were filled with fingerprint biometrics integrations, mobile eye-scanning technology, and even some controversy regarding biometrics and privacy. Here’s a look back on last week’s top biometrics news stories. Preparing For Money20/20 This week we are in…
Privacy rights advocates are battling the Hennepin County Sheriff Office in court over records pertaining to police authorities’ use of biometric identification technology. It’s the result of an Electronic Frontier Foundation campaign to help concerned citizens file information requests from local government and law enforcement agencies. One participant, Tony Webster, sent such a request to…
Law enforcement authorities’ use of facial recognition technology is putting half of Americans into a “perpetual lineup” of potential criminals, according to a new study from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology. The study suggests that excessive use of the technology is violating numerous Americans’ civil rights. It’s the product of a year-long investigation based…
Police in Lancaster, California, sought a warrant to force all individuals at a specific premises to unlock their phones via fingerprint scan. More surprisingly, the warrant was granted, by Central District of California attorney Eileen Decker. It isn’t clear if the warrant was actually used, but its scope is remarkable. While police search warrants are…
“It’s a sad end for what had been a promising device, but mobile iris scanning is unlikely to die with the Note7.” Samsung is putting a halt to sales and exchanges of its Galaxy Note7 smartphones. The device initially launched in Korea in August, with a global rollout following soon after. It had generated considerable…
Yahoo’s data breach is much worse than expected. Reports emerged earlier this week that the company was preparing to confirm a hack attack that first came to light this past summer when certain credentials of about 200 million users were put up for sale online. Now, Yahoo has revealed that roughly half a billion accounts…
Canadian border officials are concerned about potential hack attacks against their biometric databases, according to a new report from The Toronto Star’s Alex Boutilier. The concerns were outlined in a report prepared by Canada Border Services Agency officials for the country’s Public Safety Minister last November. The document outlines multiple digital threats to border security,…
The first thing that probably comes to mind when thinking of law enforcement and biometrics is the booking process—submitting fingerprints in a police station—or perhaps the high color saturation and techno-suspense of a facial recognition montage in an episode of CSI. Forensic science and the post-arrest process seem to be the poster children of biometrics and…
Your face can be replicated in a virtual model and used for biometric authentication, suggests new research from a University of North Carolina team. As Wired reports, the researchers showed how this can be done at the recent Usenix security conference. They looked up digital images of volunteers on social networks such as Facebook and…
Florida’s Hillsborough County is moving to implement new regulations for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, reports the Tampa Bay Times. A subcommittee of the county’s Public Transportation Committee voted to proceed with new legislation establishing a special category for ride-hailing companies called ‘transportation network companies’, or TNCs, and setting out specific regulations for such…
The Massachusetts House and Senate have approved new legislation concerning the certification of Uber and Lyft drivers, and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans has gone public with his concerns about their lack of any requirement for a fingerprint-based background check. While the regulations require Uber and Lyft drivers to be officially certified and to have…
Police in the US have successfully spoofed a murder victim’s fingerprints in order to gain access to his smartphone. It’s result of a collaboration recently initiated with Michigan State University biometrics researcher Dr. Anil Jain, one of the world’s most well-respected biometrics experts. Police believed that the murder victim’s Samsung Galaxy S6 may contain clues…
A federal judge ordered an accused pimp to unlock his iPhone via Touch ID fingerprint scan in 2013, unsealed court documents reveal. As 9to5Mac reports, this is only the second known federal case in which a suspect has been ordered to unlock a device via fingerprint scan, an order that some warn could be unconstitutional,…
The FBI has been running a secret iris scanning program, according to a new report from The Verge. Officially designated a pilot program, it has largely escaped substantial oversight and public knowledge. It began in 2013 as a close collaboration between the federal law enforcement agency and the California Department of Justice, envisioned as a…
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister has been seeking to reassure travelers that problems caused by the implementation of biometric screening at the OR Tambo International Airport have now been resolved. The problems were, more specifically, delays: The Department of Home Affairs and airport authorities had the biometric passenger screening system installed last week, delaying flights and…
America’s Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) and National Limousine Association (NLA) are calling for fingerprint-based background checks for all drivers for hire. In a joint statement announcing their collective stance, the organizations highlight the safety benefits offered by such biometric background checks, which can help ensure that passengers are in good hands when hiring…
The FBI has developed a powerful biometric identification system without proper oversight, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report has revealed the FBI’s FACE—Facial Analysis, Comparison, and Evaluation—program, a facial recognition system that scans images obtained from civilian databases. FACE has access to over 411.9 million images collected from…
Chinese authorities have issued special biometric requirements for aspiring travelers in the Xinjiang region’s Ili prefecture. Regional police have reportedly announced that all residents must provide DNA, fingerprint, and voiceprint biometric data, and must also submit to 3D body scans, in order to apply for travel documents. The strictures follow measures enacted last year in…
Privacy advocates are warning about the dangers posed by unregulated use of biometric technology in the wake of recent legal maneuvering in the US government. Just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, a bill was introduced into the Illinois General Assembly aimed at altering the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act so that its provisions would only apply…
America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to exempt its Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometric database system from national privacy legislation. First launched back in 2013, the NGI system is used for biometric identification by law enforcement authorities as well as government bodies conducting background checks on applicants for certain kinds of jobs. Last autumn…
A new report from the UK’s Biometrics Commissioner is highlighting the complexities of managing biometric data. In the particular case of Alastair MacGregor QC’s investigation, it has become apparent that the records of hundreds of individuals suspected to be terrorists have been deleted, due in large part to technical issues. Current legislation requires that biometric data collected…