Biometric Update

Sagem Sécurité (SAFRAN Group) and Interppol announced that Sagem Sécurité will supply Interpol and its 186 member states with the latest version of its automated fingerprint identification system, MetaMorpho™. The announcement is part of a detailed agreement signed on Jan. 10.

In addition to automated processing, this new-generation system features the latest algorithms developed by Sagem Sécurité, as well as fingerprint acquisition and transmission software in full compliance with international standards. The latest version of the MetaMorpho AFIS will accelerate communications between Interpol headquarters in Lyon and the member states, enrich the fingerprint database, and increase the inquiry success rate.

“More highly automated searches give the end-user more control over the process,” explained Mark Branchflower, head of the fingerprint unit at Interpol. “This means that each national office will be able to develop its own work process, signaling real progress for Interpol and its member-states.”

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L-1 Identity Solutions extends their relationship with the Tribunal Electoral de Panama to upgrade the country’s multi-purpose National ID system which also serves as Panama’s voter registration system and help Panama prepare for the 2009 Presidential elections. Under the terms of the $3.7 million contract, L-1 will deliver a complete multi-biometric solution that includes new enrollment devices, an upgrade of the biometric national registry, and integration services.

The Tribunal Electoral de Panama currently operates a two-finger database system of close to two million records that is used to vet individuals who apply for a new card or renew an existing credential to ensure there are no duplicates in the system.

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South Africans should start seeing the new smart ID card by the end of 2009, as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) reviews all its IT projects, director-general Mavuso Msimang says.

Speaking at a parliamentary media briefing yesterday, Msimang said the smart ID card system was being developed because the current green ID document had proven to be susceptible to being forged and tampered with.

“Last year, we issued a request for information from a number of potential suppliers so we could get an idea of the costs we were getting ourselves into. These RFIs have been evaluated and we should be issuing a request for proposals soon,” he said.

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U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is proposing a new Social Security card that would be based on the same technology the U.S. Department of Defense uses for the Common Access Card.

The new Social Security card would have a photo, magnetic stripe, bar code and microprocessor chip that would contain users biometric. Exactly how individuals would obtain the card and which biometric would be stored on it were not specified.

Kirk is proposing the legislation and high-tech ID to help prevent identity theft. The card would also enable employers to validate the Social Security number.

The legislation would require anyone older than 15 to obtain a new card. It’s estimated that the new card would cost almost $8 each, compared to the 50 cents they now cost.

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Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. has won a contract worth $6.3 million to conduct a biometrics research project at the request of the Air Force, the Defense Department announced yesterday.

Under the contract, the McLean, Va., company will help conduct research for a new 3-D facial recognition biometrics program, DOD said.

The company will conduct the research at the Information Assurance Technical Analysis Center in Herndon, Va. As part of its work, the company will produce a final technical report detailing its findings. IATAC conducts scientific and technical research for DOD.

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