Suprema announced that its RealScan-G10 and RealScan-10 line of fingerprint scanners have received final certification from the Government of India’s Standardization Testing & Quality Certification (STQC) to be part of the country’s Unique ID (UID) project.

The STQC certification is mandatory for any provider of live fingerprint scanners to be used in the UID project, which will utilize fingerprint and other data to provide each citizen of the country a unique identification number that corresponds to and can be authenticated by the collected biometric data. 

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking for proposals for research projects that could yield new biometric systems that authenticate users based on their own unique movements or behaviors such as the way they type or move a mouse, according to a ZDNet article.

The intent of the new project, which DARPA is calling Active Authentication (AA), is to find a new user-friendly system that can replace the password and Common Access Card-based authentication methods the Department of Defense IT systems currently require for authenticating users. 

ValidSoft partnered with Opus Research and released a report titled “Voice Biometrics Authentication Best Practices: Overcoming Obstacles to Adoption” that predicts the technology will be deployed in payment authentication assuming the best practices it lays out are followed.

Chief among the reasons for an increase n the use of the modality is the increased use of smart phones for banking and other financial services. 

Looking back at the last 18 months, I am amazed by the progress biometric civil ID programs have made around the world. Whether it is the national elections in Brazil and Nigeria, or the widespread ID enrollment program in India, fingerprint biometrics have been a significant factor in the success of many Civil ID programs.

As we look at what’s to come in 2012, one thing stands out: mobile devices and fingerprint biometrics will come together to enable more widespread civil ID programs that can deliver a multitude of services to even the most rural locations.

There are two developments that point to mobile biometric identity solutions breaking out in 2012. The first is the acceptance of biometric technology in emerging nations as a common form of citizen identification. Both Brazil and Nigeria have used the technology in their national elections, and in doing so gained international support and approval. 

High schools in Jefferson County, W.V. will be implementing biometric finger scanning in an effort to provide security for the students’ cafeteria accounts. Purpose of the program, according to school officials, is to eliminate clerical errors and to provide students with an easy way to identify themselves when using the cafeteria.

Using the finger scanner provided by identiMetrics, the software scans the finger to create and store individual templates of unique points that ID each student. 

After a nearly three-year delay, the Algerian government has finally launched its biometric passport program.

Magharebia reports that the biometric passports, which contain a contactless smart card chip that holds a digitized photo, fingerprints and signature, were supposed to be released in 2009. But the documents were delayed due to complexities with the operation of the project and the need to thoroughly research and analyze other countries’ experiences with biometric passports. 

Human recognition Systems announced a partnership with the Olive Group, a provider of safety, security and technology solutions, that will see the Olive Group distributing HRS’s solutions in the Middle East and North Africa regions.

Among the upsides for both companies are that Olive Group already has a significant client base in the areas and will be able to offer biometric solutions as add-ons to existing solutions.