At the United States and Mexico border patrol stations, fingerprinting is being used as a secondary means of identity verification, and sometimes a way to catch suspects in criminal cases, according to a Tuscon, Arizona KVOA News 4 article.

If someone crossing the border gives reason for a secondary inspection, they are brought into an office where their fingerprints will be taken. For over four years the border patrol’s fingerprint system has been linked up with the databases of the FBI and law enforcement agencies around the country. Since the system has been in place it has already caught over 1,200 people with criminal pasts.

In an effort to curb cheating in the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), test takers will soon be required to submit to a palm-vein scan as an additional form of identity verification, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

Officials from Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), who oversee the test, feel that the additional verification measures should help keep frauds from taking the place of test takers to earn higher scores. Previously, since 2006, test takers were required to give a digital fingerprint; however, that system was more easily beaten by the fraudsters.

Datastrip Inc. and Codebench Inc. are helping seaports save money while tightening security. The two companies are offering ports a way to tie ports existing physical access control systems to new Transportation Worker Identification Credentials. The system already has been deployed at a port in the southeastern U.S., the companies report.

After obtaining a TWIC, the cardholders enters the port and has the biometric verified and certificate on the card validated, says Geri Castaldo, CEO at Codebench. Once validated another screen will appear offering to enroll the individual in the ports existing access control system.

Steve Oyer has stepped down from his position as chairman and CEO of IdentiPHI, an Austin, Texas-based biometrics developer.

Oyer served as Chairman and CEO since the company’s merger with Saflink, and following the success of the merger he has decided to pursue other interests. His resignation is effective July 21.

In an effort to improve payroll in Yobe state in Nigeria, government agencies installed biometric tracking of employees to rid themselves of “ghost workers,” according to an All Africa article.

Since installation of the new devices in February, however, more than 7,000 employees have not been paid.The glitch in the payroll is due in part to the new biometric system writing off many of the employees as names or documents were omitted during data collection for the new system.

Starting with the international airport in the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has started installation of a new biometric security system at all points of entry to their country, according to a Hindustan Times article.

The new system works off of face recognition biometrics and will identify all those entering the country from a distance without their active participation through a series of cameras capturing footage of people.

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn., has added hand scanning to complement its new ID numbering system, at least for entrance into the school’s recreation facility.

The school has already assigned an eight-digit identification number for the campus “BlueID” card as part of a new campus-wide software system. But in addition, students and staff members are placing their right hands on to a hand geometry scanner that turns the shape of their hands into 9-character templates to access the school’s newly renovated recreation center, where some members have been caught passing their ID cards to nonmembers to swipe through card readers for access.

In an effort to slow the growing threat of online criminals and impostors, the Indian Police have begun implementing new security measures for using computers at cyber cafes, according to a I.T. Vibe article. The new security measures include recording a user’s photograph, name, address and their thumb print.

The U.S. Army has chosen Animetrics, a developer of facial biometrics and imaging technology, to assist with their Biometric Automated Toolset (BAT) system, an identification system aimed at improving military intelligence and force protection.

The Animetrics software being used, called 2D-to-3D, will be able to create three-dimensional images of suspects and people of interest to the military from a two-dimensional image.

Based around Intel’s Centrino 2 technology, Fujitsu has released six new computer models to fit different consumer needs whether they be operational, security, or financial, according to an Information Week article.

Of the new computers offered five are laptops or tablet PCs while the sixth is a desktop styled computer; all ship with Windows Vista.