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BAA delays fingerprinting at new Heathrow terminal
NEWS
IN BRIEF • AuthenTec has unveiled its new fingerprint sensor technology for the wireless market. TouchStone is a durable, thinprofile fingerprint sensor packaging technology powered by TruePrint technology and designed for cell phones, ultra mobile computers and other consumer electronics. TouchStone technology extends the durability of AuthenTec sensors by tripling the protective coating over the fingerprint sensor die. The technology has already been designed into new cell phones, the first of which will be introduced later this year. The first product available will be the AES1711 low-power sensor for the wireless market. • Lumidigm has announced a partnership with biometric reader manufacturer and port solution provider Innometriks. Responding to Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) reader requirements, Innometriks has integrated Lumidigm’s Venus fingerprint sensors into its TWIC readers. The Innometriks reader combines the fingerprint sensor along with an HID smart card reader, a large 3.5-inch colour LCD, and a vandal-proof keypad. • The Czech Senate has approved a government bill that postpones the issuing of passports with fingerprints until April 2009. The bill has been already passed by the Chamber of Deputies but is yet to be signed by President Vaclav Klaus into law. The new passports were originally to be issued as of May this year but the government has said that the adjournment has been caused by a discussion in the EU about what exact biometric elements and data these documents should contain. • Six companies are competing to be the producer of Bulgaria’s new biometric passport. The first passports are expected to be issued before the end of 2008. A committee made up of representatives of the Interior Ministry, State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the State Administration Ministry is expected to select the producer by early May. • Datastrip has announced its DSVII-PA biometric passport reader for border crossing, immigration and travel applications requiring on-the-spot verification of travel documents. The handheld device authenticates passports, visas, driver’s licenses and national ID cards by reading 2-D bar codes, OCR-B and contact/contactless chips on these ID credentials. The DSVII-PA supports an evolving list of ID document standards and applications, including Border Crossing, USVISIT and Common Access Card.
4
Biometric Technology Today
data is governed by treaty. If no hit is received, then no information is retained. Additionally, the agreement contains a spontaneous sharing article that can be used to share biographic and fingerprint information about known and suspected terrorists, as well as information about planned attacks or persons trained to commit terrorist acts.
fingerprint
BAA delays fingerprinting at new Heathrow terminal
P
lans to introduce fingerprinting at Heathrow Airport’s new terminal 5 building have been delayed due to concerns raised by Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The delay came just hours before the terminal was about to officially open its doors. Until the matter is resolved, BAA will use photographic identification technology. The fingerprint-based biometric system was designed to allow domestic and international passengers to mix in a common departure lounge, without the risk that boarding passes could be fraudulently switched. The initial concerns were raised with the ICO by Privacy International. The privacy rights group complaint stated: “We believe the BAA solution is disproportionately intrusive. Even if it were to be established that passenger switching (if indeed such a problem exists) was a terrorist threat (rather than merely a breach of airline terms and conditions on transferability) then the photo option would be less invasive and would involve fewer intrusive procedures and less personal data.” The complaint alleged that the design of Terminal 5 was intentionally created to ensure that passengers, both domestic and international, were exposed to retail outlets to the maximum possible extent. It noted: “We are troubled by BAA’s justification that the new procedure will ensure that ‘all our passengers will enjoy the same great facilities and wide choice of shops and restaurants’. To diminish privacy rights in order to achieve greater sales revenue is a disquieting development in the evolution of thinking with regard to data protection.” Privacy International alleges that there is no basis in UK law for the establishment of mandatory fingerprinting. Following up on these concerns, the ICO said it was essential that, before introducing new systems and technologies which could accelerate the growth of a
surveillance society, full consideration is given to minimising the impact on privacy and that data-protection safeguards are in place to limit any risks. The biometric fingerprinting scanners were supplied by German company Dermalog. The images are only kept for 24 hours before being erased. This time period was chosen as it is not possible to check in for a flight more than 24 hours in advance.
internet
Biometric identity verification for the Internet
U
PEK, a provider of consumerbased fingerprint solutions, and IDology, a provider of identity and age verification solutions, have teamed up to deliver an identity verification and authentication solution for online businesses and their customers to prevent identity theft, fraud and phishing attacks. The idea seems to builds on the principle of creating a ‘clean’ database of users before allowing access to services. IDology provides the initial identity assurance, while UPEK provides the subsequent verification of that person using biometrics. The main issue here, however, is that people would have to be provided with – or pay for – the fingerprint reader in order to use the service. “The use of passwords continues to be a weak point for Web site security,” said Robert Blau, vice president and general manager, software and services, UPEK. Using the proposed solution users would simply need to swipe their finger to authenticate, without the need for more passwords. Key to this, is the addition of IDology’s technology, which verifies an identity by analyzing thousands of trusted data sources in real time. According to the companies, the ability of online businesses to verify a user’s identity has never been more important. Last year, they noted, US$45 billion was lost to identity theft, indicating a high need for businesses to protect themselves, and their consumers, from risks including payment fraud, identity theft, hackers, phishing scams and other not-yet-known ways criminals might invent in an attempt to profit. The challenge businesses face in consumernot-present situations is being able to have the same level of confidence that someone is who they claim to be as when the person is standing
April 2008
IN BRIEF • AuthenTec has unveiled its new fingerprint sensor technology for the wireless market. TouchStone is a durable, thinprofile fingerprint sensor packaging technology powered by TruePrint technology and designed for cell phones, ultra mobile computers and other consumer electronics. TouchStone technology extends the durability of AuthenTec sensors by tripling the protective coating over the fingerprint sensor die. The technology has already been designed into new cell phones, the first of which will be introduced later this year. The first product available will be the AES1711 low-power sensor for the wireless market. • Lumidigm has announced a partnership with biometric reader manufacturer and port solution provider Innometriks. Responding to Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) reader requirements, Innometriks has integrated Lumidigm’s Venus fingerprint sensors into its TWIC readers. The Innometriks reader combines the fingerprint sensor along with an HID smart card reader, a large 3.5-inch colour LCD, and a vandal-proof keypad. • The Czech Senate has approved a government bill that postpones the issuing of passports with fingerprints until April 2009. The bill has been already passed by the Chamber of Deputies but is yet to be signed by President Vaclav Klaus into law. The new passports were originally to be issued as of May this year but the government has said that the adjournment has been caused by a discussion in the EU about what exact biometric elements and data these documents should contain. • Six companies are competing to be the producer of Bulgaria’s new biometric passport. The first passports are expected to be issued before the end of 2008. A committee made up of representatives of the Interior Ministry, State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the State Administration Ministry is expected to select the producer by early May. • Datastrip has announced its DSVII-PA biometric passport reader for border crossing, immigration and travel applications requiring on-the-spot verification of travel documents. The handheld device authenticates passports, visas, driver’s licenses and national ID cards by reading 2-D bar codes, OCR-B and contact/contactless chips on these ID credentials. The DSVII-PA supports an evolving list of ID document standards and applications, including Border Crossing, USVISIT and Common Access Card.
4
Biometric Technology Today
data is governed by treaty. If no hit is received, then no information is retained. Additionally, the agreement contains a spontaneous sharing article that can be used to share biographic and fingerprint information about known and suspected terrorists, as well as information about planned attacks or persons trained to commit terrorist acts.
fingerprint
BAA delays fingerprinting at new Heathrow terminal
P
lans to introduce fingerprinting at Heathrow Airport’s new terminal 5 building have been delayed due to concerns raised by Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The delay came just hours before the terminal was about to officially open its doors. Until the matter is resolved, BAA will use photographic identification technology. The fingerprint-based biometric system was designed to allow domestic and international passengers to mix in a common departure lounge, without the risk that boarding passes could be fraudulently switched. The initial concerns were raised with the ICO by Privacy International. The privacy rights group complaint stated: “We believe the BAA solution is disproportionately intrusive. Even if it were to be established that passenger switching (if indeed such a problem exists) was a terrorist threat (rather than merely a breach of airline terms and conditions on transferability) then the photo option would be less invasive and would involve fewer intrusive procedures and less personal data.” The complaint alleged that the design of Terminal 5 was intentionally created to ensure that passengers, both domestic and international, were exposed to retail outlets to the maximum possible extent. It noted: “We are troubled by BAA’s justification that the new procedure will ensure that ‘all our passengers will enjoy the same great facilities and wide choice of shops and restaurants’. To diminish privacy rights in order to achieve greater sales revenue is a disquieting development in the evolution of thinking with regard to data protection.” Privacy International alleges that there is no basis in UK law for the establishment of mandatory fingerprinting. Following up on these concerns, the ICO said it was essential that, before introducing new systems and technologies which could accelerate the growth of a
surveillance society, full consideration is given to minimising the impact on privacy and that data-protection safeguards are in place to limit any risks. The biometric fingerprinting scanners were supplied by German company Dermalog. The images are only kept for 24 hours before being erased. This time period was chosen as it is not possible to check in for a flight more than 24 hours in advance.
internet
Biometric identity verification for the Internet
U
PEK, a provider of consumerbased fingerprint solutions, and IDology, a provider of identity and age verification solutions, have teamed up to deliver an identity verification and authentication solution for online businesses and their customers to prevent identity theft, fraud and phishing attacks. The idea seems to builds on the principle of creating a ‘clean’ database of users before allowing access to services. IDology provides the initial identity assurance, while UPEK provides the subsequent verification of that person using biometrics. The main issue here, however, is that people would have to be provided with – or pay for – the fingerprint reader in order to use the service. “The use of passwords continues to be a weak point for Web site security,” said Robert Blau, vice president and general manager, software and services, UPEK. Using the proposed solution users would simply need to swipe their finger to authenticate, without the need for more passwords. Key to this, is the addition of IDology’s technology, which verifies an identity by analyzing thousands of trusted data sources in real time. According to the companies, the ability of online businesses to verify a user’s identity has never been more important. Last year, they noted, US$45 billion was lost to identity theft, indicating a high need for businesses to protect themselves, and their consumers, from risks including payment fraud, identity theft, hackers, phishing scams and other not-yet-known ways criminals might invent in an attempt to profit. The challenge businesses face in consumernot-present situations is being able to have the same level of confidence that someone is who they claim to be as when the person is standing
April 2008