DigitalPersona announced the release of a new version of its Pro Enterprise software solution, version 5.2.

Among the aspects of the new version DigitalPersona is touting are the extensive number of factors a company utilizing the solution can use to authenticate for access to sensitive information or secured computer stations. These factors include what a user knows, such as PINs or passwords, things you have, such as smart cards, contactless identity cards or Bluetooth devices, and things you are, such as fingerprints. 

Viv.ie, a start-up located in Ireland working on face recognition technology, announced it is finishing a new type of facial recognition technology that does away with a number of the security pitfalls current facial recognition technology is commonly guilty of, according to a Sydney Morning Herald article.

Face recognition had gained some traction in the smart phone market, where individuals gain access to the device using the front facing camera on the device. This, however, has commonly been thwarted by simply holding a picture of the user up to the device. Viv.ie claims to have solved this problem. 

Biometrics enable expedited border screening

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Global Entry program is expanding enabling enrolled U.S. citizens to enjoy expedited screening when returning from travel abroad to a number of domestic airports. The program also makes them eligible to participate in similar programs at foreign airports.

Global Entry has 200,000 travelers enrolled, says John Wagner, executive director of Admissibility and Passenger Programs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It’s open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents as well as citizens of Canada, Mexico and The Netherlands via reciprocal arrangements. 

In an effort to streamline passenger security, Jakarta, Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport has opened the country’s first biometric immigration gate.

Fingerprint biometric identification provider BIO-key International, Inc. and Oakwell Engineering Limited partnered to create the new gate, designed for use by passengers with electronic passports. Passengers submit their e-passports and authenticate with a fingerprint. 

Human Recognition Systems (HRS) has added features and enhancements to its MForce latent fingerprint processing product.

In an effort to reduce operation times and costs, HRS has developed MForce as a mobile biometric product that enables law enforcement officers and military to obtain and process latent and livescan fingerprints in the field. By processing prints onsite, users are able to quickly provide investigators with intelligence. 

India’s government has called a truce in the ongoing argument between the Ministry of Home Affairs’s National Population Register (NPR) project and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), reports the Indian Express.

Both agencies will continue on with their projects, collecting biometric data in the states in which they operate. They also agree to accept data that the other has compiled. Per the new agreement, however, the NPR database will be considered the authority if discrepancies arise. 

Auraya Systems announced the commercial release of its voice authentication solution called ArmorVox Speaker Identity System.

The solution, which was developed for system developers and call centers as either an enterprise or cloud-based solution, fuses text-independent and text-dependent voice-verification that automatically detect languages.