Released in early June, the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 24 (HSPD-24) mandates that U.S. government agencies use a standardized approach in the “collection, storage, use, analysis, and sharing of biometric and associated biographic and contextual information of individuals.” The stated goal is to better enable cross-agency sharing of biometric data to identify known and suspected terrorists (KSTs). Host Chris Corum discusses the implications of the new directive with the International Biometric Industry Association’s Walter Hamilton.

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http://www.secureidnews.com/podcasts for older podcasts.  

Devices such as residential keyless deadbolts, which use fingerprint scanners for locking and unlocking, are seeing more widespread use, according to an Edmonton Sun article.

Thanks to companies such as Lenovo, who first implemented fingerprint ID scanners in the IBM ThinkPad series, fingerprint scanner costs are dropping and are being used in many other private uses both residential and commercial. 

Identification Technology Partners (IDTP) has received a Small Business Achievement Award for Outstanding Performance at the Department of Homeland Security’s 4^th Annual Small Business Awards Ceremony. IDTP was nominated for the award by the Transportation Security Administration for outstanding performance in support of TSA’s secure credentialing programs.

IDTP is providing ongoing technical support to TSA within the Transportation Threat and Credentialing Office’s maritime and aviation credentialing programs. IDTP has worked with TSA since 2003 to provide smart card and biometrics technology expertise to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program office. More recently, IDTP has also been tasked to support the Registered Traveler (RT) and Aviation Credential Interoperability Solution programs.

IDTP provides core technical and management services for the programs, systems and standards that are being developed around secure identity authentication.  

The UK Home Office has selected Sagem Sécurité, part of the SARAN Group, to supply the biometric management system for UK visa applicants and the biometric management subsystem for the Biometric Residents Permit project. These systems will be able to track the immigration status for Third Country Nationals, through the production of biometric ID cards.

Sagem Sécurité will provide Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems designed to process more than 5,200 requests per hour for a database of 16 million. The system will serve the UK Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  

Microsoft has recently chosen TrustBearer Labs to incorporate their OpenID service into Microsoft’s HealthVault. The inclusion of OpenID will allow HealthVault users to access their web-stored private medical information via secure means such as smart cards, biometric readers, or security-enhanced mobile phones.

Due to the higher security required with personal private data such as one’s medical data, Microsoft feels this will be a good solution to security concerns with a program such as HealthVault.  

Four pre-teen girls from the UK recently brought a new concept for a biometric secured mobile phone designed for children to a youth business ideas competition, called Big Ideas, according to an Info4Security article.

When the girls conceived of the new phone idea they contacted and met with UK biometrics provider, UK Biometrics. During the meeting UK Biometrics Technical Director was surprised by the grasp the girls had on the technology as well as that their ideas were similar to some projects the company had been working on. The girls will next present their idea at an event taking place between June 30th and July 4th, where the panel of judges includes representatives from Microsoft.

Read the full article here.  

TSA considers biometric ACIS program but airports are not convinced

by Zack Martin, Editor

The Transportation Security Administration wants airports across the country to use and issue an interoperable credential. If a flight attendant at Chicago O’Hare International Airport was on a crew flying in and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport the ID card and information stored on it would be able to be read at both locations while the attendant only had to register at one location.

The vetting process would also be standardized for all airports, said Chris Runde, with the Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing Office at the TSA. Runde gave a presentation on the proposed new Airport Credential Interoperability Specification (ACIS) at the Interagency Advisory Board meeting in Washington earlier in June.

But airports have yet to get on board with the idea of a standard ID. The American Association of Airport Executives has created the Biometric Airport Security Identification Consortium. The purpose of this group is to work with the TSA on biometric access control in airports. When the AAAE announced this group though, the organization also made it clear that they weren’t in favor of an interoperable credential.