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Israel's delayed biometric database set to start work
NEWS the mix in order to counter spoofing. In addition to standard facial recognition technology, a facial gesture may be recognised which may be a blink, a wink, an ocular movement, a smile, a frown, a tongue protrusion, an open mouth gesture, an eyebrow movement, a forehead wrinkle, and a nose wrinkle. This would require the device to have video capture capabilities. Google is not limiting itself to biometric recognition. AllthingsD has reported that former DARPA head Regina Dugan, who now leads special projects for the Google-owned Motorola, is looking at wearable computers ranging from a wearable tattoo to a pill that would be powered by stomach acid to emit a signal. Privacy concerns around Google Glass have driven researchers at the National Institute of Informatics in Japan to develop their own glasses that will protect the user from the facial recognition feature of Google Glass. The glasses will use LEDs to mask the face when an infrared camera photographs it.
US privacy campaigner EFF confronts FBI
U
S privacy body Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a lawsuit to demand the FBI produces records to satisfy three outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests that EFF submitted a year ago regarding FBI use of facial recognition technology. The FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database is to replace and expand upon the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). It will include biometrics such as iris scans, palm prints, face recognition ready photos, and voice data. “NGI will result in a massive expansion of government data collection for both criminal and noncriminal purposes,” says EFF staff attorney Jennifer Lynch. “Biometrics programs present critical threats to civil liberties and privacy. Face-recognition technology is among the most alarming new developments, because Americans cannot easily take precautions against the covert, remote, and mass capture of their images.”
e–id
Israel’s delayed biometric database set to start work
I
srael’s pilot biometric database will begin operations in July, according to haaretz.com.
The database was scheduled to begin in November 2011, but it was delayed by legislative proceedings, an appeal to the High Court of Justice by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and a labour dispute between the Population and Immigration Authority and the Finance Ministry. Israel’s Population Authority is reported to have issued a statement saying that there was no timetable for the implementation of the biometric database, which will collect fingerprints and facial features of Israeli citizens.
leisure
The chips are down for biometrics in Auckland
F
acial recognition technology is to be trialled at Skycity Casino in Auckland, New Zealand according to local reports, to address the issue of gambling addiction. The trial is reported to form part of a concession deal between Auckland mayor Len Brown and the casino ahead of its planned expansion. The technology has been used in Canada and identifies problem gamblers who ban themselves from casinos, or who have been banned. Professor Max Abbott, director of AUT University’s Gambling and Addictions Research Centre, backed the decision to trial facial recognition technology to identify banned problem gamblers. Research carried out in the AUT Gambling and Addictions Research Centre has shown that banning problem gamblers from gambling premises helps some overcome their problems. However, many breach their ban and go undetected. “The addition of facial recognition to other harm minimisation measures that Skycity is introducing as part of the convention centre deal could well reduce health and social costs associated with casino gambling. Banning and better detection are mainly directed at serious problem gamblers. Electronic monitoring and ‘pre-commitment’ to time and/or expenditure limits have the potential to detect people who have yet to develop problems but are at risk,” says Abbott. This comes as The Blade reports that a digital facial image of everyone who cashes out chips or credits at an Ohio casino could be stored in a database for at least five years under an amendment recently added to the proposed state budget. Continued on page 12...
EVENTS CALENDAR 15–17 October 2013 London, UK Biometrics Exhibition and Conference 2013 The conference runs from 15–17 October, while the exhibition runs from 16–17 October. Now in its fifteenth year, the annual Biometrics Show brings together biometric suppliers and users. More information: www.biometrics.elsevier.com
5–7 November 2013 Frankfurt, Germany ID World International Congress The ID WORLD International Congress is a showcase on the evolving world of RFID, biometrics and smart card technologies, and is the only international forum that looks at the advanced ID industry as a whole, rather than focusing on a specific technology or vertical sector. More information: http://www.mesago.de/en/IDW/ home.htm
12–14 November 2013 Greater Boston, Massachusetts, US Technologies for Homeland Security The 13th annual IEEE conference on Technologies for Homeland Security will bring together innovators from leading academic, industry, business, Homeland Security Centers of Excellence, and government programmes to provide a forum to discuss ideas, concepts, and experimental results. Produced by IEEE with technical support from DHS S&T, IEEE Boston Section, IEEE Biometrics Council, and IEEE-USA and organisational support from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Raytheon, Battelle, and MITRE, this year’s event will once again showcase selected technical paper and posters highlighting emerging technologies in the areas of cyber security, attack and disaster preparation, recovery, and response, land and maritime border security biometrics and forensics. More information: ieee-hst.org
13–14 November 2013 London, UK Transport Security Expo Transport Security Expo brings experts from government, military, law enforcement and security services face to face with the aviation, maritime and public transport industries, to assess the threat level, examine the countermeasures in place and, where necessary, recommend strategies to deal with these threats. More information: www.transec.com
19–21 November 2013 Paris, France Cartes 2013 Exhibition and Conference CARTES Secure Connexions Event 2013 is a comprehensive event including trade show, conferences and awards that is dedicated to the digital security and smart technology sector and its innovations. More information: www.cartes.com
3–4 December 2013 London, UK World BORDERPOL Congress The Borderpol Conference and Exhibition is aimed at those in the border protection, management or security industry and supply products or services to border agencies and security forces. More information: http://www.borderpol-event.org
3 July/August 2013
Biometric Technology Today
US privacy campaigner EFF confronts FBI
U
S privacy body Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a lawsuit to demand the FBI produces records to satisfy three outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests that EFF submitted a year ago regarding FBI use of facial recognition technology. The FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database is to replace and expand upon the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). It will include biometrics such as iris scans, palm prints, face recognition ready photos, and voice data. “NGI will result in a massive expansion of government data collection for both criminal and noncriminal purposes,” says EFF staff attorney Jennifer Lynch. “Biometrics programs present critical threats to civil liberties and privacy. Face-recognition technology is among the most alarming new developments, because Americans cannot easily take precautions against the covert, remote, and mass capture of their images.”
e–id
Israel’s delayed biometric database set to start work
I
srael’s pilot biometric database will begin operations in July, according to haaretz.com.
The database was scheduled to begin in November 2011, but it was delayed by legislative proceedings, an appeal to the High Court of Justice by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and a labour dispute between the Population and Immigration Authority and the Finance Ministry. Israel’s Population Authority is reported to have issued a statement saying that there was no timetable for the implementation of the biometric database, which will collect fingerprints and facial features of Israeli citizens.
leisure
The chips are down for biometrics in Auckland
F
acial recognition technology is to be trialled at Skycity Casino in Auckland, New Zealand according to local reports, to address the issue of gambling addiction. The trial is reported to form part of a concession deal between Auckland mayor Len Brown and the casino ahead of its planned expansion. The technology has been used in Canada and identifies problem gamblers who ban themselves from casinos, or who have been banned. Professor Max Abbott, director of AUT University’s Gambling and Addictions Research Centre, backed the decision to trial facial recognition technology to identify banned problem gamblers. Research carried out in the AUT Gambling and Addictions Research Centre has shown that banning problem gamblers from gambling premises helps some overcome their problems. However, many breach their ban and go undetected. “The addition of facial recognition to other harm minimisation measures that Skycity is introducing as part of the convention centre deal could well reduce health and social costs associated with casino gambling. Banning and better detection are mainly directed at serious problem gamblers. Electronic monitoring and ‘pre-commitment’ to time and/or expenditure limits have the potential to detect people who have yet to develop problems but are at risk,” says Abbott. This comes as The Blade reports that a digital facial image of everyone who cashes out chips or credits at an Ohio casino could be stored in a database for at least five years under an amendment recently added to the proposed state budget. Continued on page 12...
EVENTS CALENDAR 15–17 October 2013 London, UK Biometrics Exhibition and Conference 2013 The conference runs from 15–17 October, while the exhibition runs from 16–17 October. Now in its fifteenth year, the annual Biometrics Show brings together biometric suppliers and users. More information: www.biometrics.elsevier.com
5–7 November 2013 Frankfurt, Germany ID World International Congress The ID WORLD International Congress is a showcase on the evolving world of RFID, biometrics and smart card technologies, and is the only international forum that looks at the advanced ID industry as a whole, rather than focusing on a specific technology or vertical sector. More information: http://www.mesago.de/en/IDW/ home.htm
12–14 November 2013 Greater Boston, Massachusetts, US Technologies for Homeland Security The 13th annual IEEE conference on Technologies for Homeland Security will bring together innovators from leading academic, industry, business, Homeland Security Centers of Excellence, and government programmes to provide a forum to discuss ideas, concepts, and experimental results. Produced by IEEE with technical support from DHS S&T, IEEE Boston Section, IEEE Biometrics Council, and IEEE-USA and organisational support from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Raytheon, Battelle, and MITRE, this year’s event will once again showcase selected technical paper and posters highlighting emerging technologies in the areas of cyber security, attack and disaster preparation, recovery, and response, land and maritime border security biometrics and forensics. More information: ieee-hst.org
13–14 November 2013 London, UK Transport Security Expo Transport Security Expo brings experts from government, military, law enforcement and security services face to face with the aviation, maritime and public transport industries, to assess the threat level, examine the countermeasures in place and, where necessary, recommend strategies to deal with these threats. More information: www.transec.com
19–21 November 2013 Paris, France Cartes 2013 Exhibition and Conference CARTES Secure Connexions Event 2013 is a comprehensive event including trade show, conferences and awards that is dedicated to the digital security and smart technology sector and its innovations. More information: www.cartes.com
3–4 December 2013 London, UK World BORDERPOL Congress The Borderpol Conference and Exhibition is aimed at those in the border protection, management or security industry and supply products or services to border agencies and security forces. More information: http://www.borderpol-event.org
3 July/August 2013
Biometric Technology Today