News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

California DMV request for fast-tracked biometric approval blocked

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The California State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) had its recent proposal for a five-year contract for a facial recognition system valued at $63 million blocked by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, according to a Mercury News article. Since the proposal was blocked, it must now face public scrutiny at a hearing. Governor Schwarzenegger was trying to pass the proposal without public hearings.


The new system had previously met objection from a few various state senators as well as many privacy advocates. The overarching fear by the opponents of the proposition would be that police could gain access to the database of images and use their own pictures to track individuals in public.

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Students from the Art Institute of California, San Bernardino, have joined other students from other area colleges in using their ID cards to ride the local Omnitrans buses. With a simple swipe of their card, students can ride the buses at anytime on any route, not just to and from campus.

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Fingerprint device maker SecuGen has introduced a scanner that’s compatible with SAP systems to provide biometric identity management and fraud prevention in conjunction with software from realtime North America Inc.

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Key Source International announced GSA approval for it’s biometric keyboard and stand-alone biometric pod. KSI products are approved under FIPS 201 for Federal Employees and civilian contractors.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Australia’s Attorney General and Ministry of Defense are exploring ways to grant reciprocation for fast-tracking each other’s citizens through customs checks in both countries, reports Australian Business Traveller.

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Digital camera manufacturer and custom imaging solution provider Lumenera Corp. has received GSA approval for its Lu375 USB 2.0 camera with Aware’s PreFace SDK to be used in FIPS 201-compliant PIV credentialing systems.

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The Indian government has started piloting biometric data capture for visa applications as part of its Immigration, Visa, Foreigner’s Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) project, reports The Indian Express.

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