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Biometric Technology Today
…as Australian scheme gears up for launch
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s UK biometric projects in the driving licence sector falter, a scheme in Australia is almost ready to go. NSW Minister for Roads Michael Daley said the NSW Government was set to crackdown on identity fraud, with the development of new facial recognition technology designed to catch out licence cheats. Daley said the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) of New South Wales was now reviewing tenders for the delivery of a state-of-the-art facial recognition system to be used in the agency’s proof of identity and external fraud units. He commented: “The program looks at the underlying bone structure of a face, and checks it against the images on the database, to see if the person is already on the system. This means that if someone tries to apply for more than one licence or photo card, the program can be used to catch them out. The technology can also be used to confirm the identity of existing licence holders by comparing their previous images on file.”
Australian licences move into digital age Australian driver’s licences are set to move into the digital age, with all the nation’s transport ministers having agreed on how information will be stored on smart card licences. The signing of the Smartcard Licence Interoperability Protocol (SLIP) will ensure that when states and territories introduce smart card technology the information contained on the card’s chips will be accessible by the traffic and law enforcement authorities of other jurisdictions – while safeguarding the privacy of Australians. Smart card technology will make it harder to use stolen or fake cards. The licences also have the potential to make it easier for motorists to change their personal details and store a range of other important information such as donor and health information. The Protocol was developed by Queensland Transport in consultation with state transport and licensing authorities as well as business groups. Queensland plans to be the first jurisdiction to issue smart card licences in 2010.
The NSW Government aims to have the facial recognition system up and running by mid 2009. Initially, the system will be used in fraud investigations or in cases where a customer’s identity needs to be verified; however the longer term goal is to get it running across the board. Daley said that NSW Crime Commission estimates showed that identity fraud costs the Australian community more than A$3.5 billion a year. “The new system will form part of a national strategy designed to improve the security and integrity of all Australian drivers’ licences,” Daley added (see Box). Access to the RTA’s photo database is strictly controlled and the proposed facial recognition system will be subject to the same checks and measures. In addition to this, the proposed technology will not store personal information, such as the person’s name, on the system. If it does find an anomaly in an application, a separate inquiry will be made using the RTA’s existing DRIVES database, which is subject to the same strict and secure access controls.
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Highs and lows of the UK ID card scheme
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he UK ID card scheme has swung from high to low and back again in another month of announcements that have infuriated anti-ID card campaigners. There have been some solid positive messages about the identity card in the Home Office’s latest announcements, such as recent costs estimates which show little change on earlier figures and a list of uses for which ID cards can genuinely be helpful – as well as an excellently written document for members of the public to digest that lays out clearly how the ID card will work, why it is beneficial and who is looking after citizens’ rights.. But these positive messages have been obscured by issues, which are causing concern amongst more than just the NO2ID brigade, despite reassurances from the Home Office. So to the news...In a speech by Jacqui Smith, the UK Home Secretary she announced that a small number of British nationals may be able to reap the benefits of identity cards early by making applications in advance of the official launch date. Smith said: “I believe there is a demand, now, for cards – and as I go around the country
November/December 2008
NEWS I regularly have people coming up to me and saying that they don’t want to wait that long. I now want to put that to the test, and find a way to allow those people who want a card sooner to be able to pre-register their interest as early as the first few months of next year. I’ve asked James Hall, the Chief Executive of IPS, to lead the work to ensure that this can happen and that we are in a position to issue cards in small volumes before the end of 2009.” Smith also revealed that enrolment into the scheme could be a service carried out in the commercial sector – an opportunity worth an estimated £200 million (see Box). She said: “And as we move from this foundation to higher volumes, a dramatic increase in the provision of biometric enrolment services will be required. From 2012, IPS estimates that around 7 million UK residents will apply for a card or a passport – and with each person having
to provide their fingerprints, photograph and signature in person, that will create a market that could be worth something in the region of £200 million a year.” The obvious conclusion here is that the cost of the card will not simply be the list price, but will also include £30 of enrolment costs or more – presumably costs that will have to be repeated each time a person’s ID card expires. The final piece of news came as it was announced that the roll out of cards to critical workers at airports will occur only at two relatively small airports – London City and Manchester. This is a political climb down from grander visions, and is no doubt caused by the strong level of opposition in the airline industry, who claim they are being treated as guinea pigs. Results at the two airports will evaluated for a period of 18 months.
technology
Commercial sector biometric enrolment The launch of the ID card in 2009/10 for UK residents means that citizens will have to attend in person (seven million per year) to provide their biometrics and signature when applying for their card. The UK Government envisages that part of this service will be undertaken by the private sector. The services to be outsourced to the private sector include: • Filling out application for document and record biometrics; • Just record biometrics (assuming the person has applied online for the document); • Collection location for documents; • Fulfil requests to view records in person; • Undertake requests to maintain records in person. The Home Office will still perform the examination, background checking and interviews (if required). It will also register, produce and issue the document. The government says that biometric enrolment would have to be supervised one-to-one by a trained operator, who will have had to have undergone security checks and be employed by an accredited organisation. The provision of the assisted application and biometric enrolment services are likely to create a market estimated at between £120 million and £280 million per year, generated by service providers charging a fee (which is on top on the cost of the ID card and passport).
November/December 2008
Sci-fi screening process proposed by Thales
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futuristic security screening concept could be coming to an airport near you if French company Thales gets its latest idea out of the lab and into production. The company has announced its “Smart Corridor”, as a next-generation screening system, which answer the problem of increasing people flow management in sensitive sites, events or access control of critical infrastructures. The Smart Corridor, based on a sophisticated mix of state-of-the-art identification, detection and inspection technologies, is designed to carry out the security screening procedures. According to the company it would ideally be used in airports, railway stations and other transportation hubs, as well as in critical infrastructures such as nuclear facilities and petro-chemical plants, and in government buildings such as ministries, police departments and military bases. The sci-fi product is currently in the prototype stage and can be seen at Thales’s European Security Solutions Center, recently inaugurated in Vélizy le Bois, near Paris. Laboratory simulations and operational tests have already demonstrated the clear advantage of such a people screening solution over traditional security checkpoints and revolutionary impact that its introduction could have on security concepts worldwide. “Taking a holistic approach to the issue of security in critical infrastructures, the Smart
APPLICATION NEWS • City Credit Union, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has implemented US Biometrics’ AccessQ system for controlling physical access to entrances with fingerprint biometrics. US Biometrics introduced its ‘Ease Into Biometrics’ and ‘Secure One Door’ incentive programs to City, which allowed the credit union to specify, purchase and implement the system over time. AccessQ biometric devices are designed to be a secure and cost-effective alternative to tokens, badges, swipe cards and PINs for physical doorways and entrances. CentralQ software allows for the storing of credentials including fingerprint profiles, names, addresses, passwords and other employee information. • IrisGuard has broken new ground with its Iris Expellee Tracking System (IETS) based on the Iris Farm Architecture (IFA) that has been in operation since 2001 in the United Arab Emirates. The solution focuses on border security by inhibiting the illegal entry of persons into the UAE and has to-date executed over 20 trillion iris cross comparisons. All of the UAE’s Land, Air and Sea ports of entry are equipped with IrisGuard systems and all foreign nationals who possess a visa to enter the UAE are processed through IrisGuard IG-H100 iris cameras installed at primary and auxiliary immigration inspection points. To date, more than 300 000 foreigners have been apprehended trying to re-enter the UAE, often carrying false travel documents. • Following an international call for tenders, to supply, deploy and maintain an automated palm and fingerprint identification system (APFIS), Sagem Sécurité has announced that it has been selected by the Kenya Police. This latest-generation system will be deployed by the Criminal Investigation Department in Nairobi. Designed to fight criminality throughout Kenya, the APFIS features biometric comparison algorithms that were top ranked for precision and interoperability by the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) in the United States. • Precise Biometrics has received an order from Swisscom for keyboards with fingerprint sensors and licenses of Precise BioMatch. Swisscom has been using the biometric solution since 2006 and has several thousands of users already deployed.
Biometric Technology Today
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