For the better part of this millennium, the US government’s use of biometrics has been largely framed in the context of anti-terrorism. The serious investments in biometric border initiatives and law enforcement after the September 11 terror attacks led to the realization of such breakthroughs as Biometric Entry/Exit, the FBI’s Next Generation Identification program, and…
“As IDEMIA explains, only five of the 11 companies that participated in the Rally put forward dual, rather than unimodal, systems; and OneLook was one of the top performers, attaining a 93 percent user satisfaction score – one of the top three rankings across all 11 companies.” IDEMIA is celebrating its success in the Department…
The Department of Homeland Security has issued its Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the second phase of the Traveler Verification Service (TVS), the biometric border screening program being developed by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. The program revolves around the biometric identification of travelers. As it stands in…
A new piece of legislation aimed at facilitating the sharing of biometric intelligence on foreigners posing a potential security threat to the US has passed through the House Homeland Security Committee. Dubbed the “Biometric Identification Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Authorization Act of 2018”, the bill passed by a vote of 20-7. The BITMAP program entails…
Barcelona-based facial recognition specialist Herta is celebrating its performance in the US Department of Homeland Security’s recent Biometric Technology Rally. The company says it was among the top three performers in the tests, which assessed different solutions based on their ability to match individuals to a large database in an airport screening-type scenario. Herta’s tailored…
The results of the Department of Homeland Security’s first Biometric Technology Rally are out, and Gemalto is celebrating a strong showing. Organized by the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), the 2018 Biometric Technology Rally was aimed at evaluating facial and iris recognition technologies from a select group of successful applicants., using the S&T’s Biometric…
The Department of Homeland Security is working on a secretive project aimed at dramatically expanding its biometric surveillance powers – and the Electronic Frontier Foundation is arguing it it must be stopped. The project is dubbed HART, for Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology, and it entails the collection of a wide range of data – not…
The US Department of Homeland Security‘s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is organizing “Biometric Technology Rallies” for next year, the agency has announced. The ‘rallies’ will essentially be live trials of biometric technologies. The first, to be held in March at the Maryland Test Facility in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, “will challenge industry to provide biometric…
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (or “S&T”) is working with the Transportation Security Administration to trial contactless fingerprint scanning stations for traveler processing at airports. The tests began in June, and are taking place at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and Denver International Airport. They’re restricted to volunteers who have signed up…
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…
The Department of Homeland Security is considering an expansion of a personal electronics ban beyond the eight Middle Eastern countries currently affected, and the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) is pushing back with an argument that biometric screening should be effective enough when it comes to more sophisticated security for flights out of Europe. Speaking…
The Department of Homeland Security is looking into iris scanning for its official ID cards. Through its Office of the Chief Security Office (OCSO), the Department is requesting information on iris biometrics technologies that could be compatible with its PIV cards. The DHS says the iris scanning technologies it’s interested in would need to comply…
MorphoTrust USA (Safran) has achieved SAFETY Act certification for two of its flagship solutions – its Universal Enrollment Services (UES) and Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) platforms. SAFETY Act certification is issued by the Department of Homeland Security. The program’s aim is essentially to promote the development of anti-terrorism technologies and services by offering legal liability protections…
The International Biometrics and Identity Association (IBIA) has published a white paper urging the US Department of Homeland Security to work with the biometrics industry to develop biometric entry and exit at the country’s borders. Entitled “Closing the Loop: Completing Biometric U.S. Entry-Exit”, the paper argues that biometric technology offers superior identification efficacy compared to…
The US Department of homeland Security (DHS) has recently issued a strategic framework for biometrics, and among its many supporters is the International Biometrics & Identification Association (IBIA). Early this morning, the IBIA announced that is has posted an in depth response to the DHS biometrics framework on its website, detailing point-by-point the association’s support and…
America’s border control agency is testing out a new biometric screening system at the Washington Dulles International Airport, and it’s raising concerns about privacy. It’s the work of the Department of Homeland Security‘s U.S. Customs and Border Protection department. The biometric system relies on facial recognition technology, matching passengers’ faces to the images on their…
A new report has found that the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) ineffective use of its biometric system has created a security gap. The report comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (IG). The USCG uses a handheld fingerprint scanning system on 23 of its ships to allow officials to identify individuals…