onClick Biometrics in touch

Job Seeker: management experience, to make at least 200G...

It's been in the news since a few weeks ago, but now it's official. Tom Ridge has resigned from his position as Secretary of Homeland Security.
The funniest thing is - this guy must be a big spender (think Donald Trump and just about any hip hop star):

Ridge, 59, told colleagues he was tired and needed to earn more money for his two children's college educations, the Associated Press reported July 30. His salary is $175,000.

Where are they going to school? InSanelyExpensiveTakeAllYourMoneyAndRun University? I know it's expensive to go to school, but there are so many people that have more than one child in college and are doing it with way less annual income. Sounds like just an excuse to me. He was probably just tired of being responsible for protecting millions of people from a single terrorist attack. That, and the color orange.

Ridge Resigns Homeland Post.

A little less talk and a lot more action

Sure there have been some passive efforts to curb privacy abuse concerns when it comes to collecting biometric information. Promises made, articles breaking down mythes and the logistics of it.

But now we have the possibility of a law drafted in January that could begin the forward motion of many other initiatives to combat and dismiss the chances of privacy abuse or feature creap. This would open up doors for the technology, letting it be a viable consideration for environments that may not have wanted to deal with the issue of convincing users that the government wouldn't just come along and snatch up information to be used against them in something completely irrelevant to its orginal purpose.

It's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

New Jersey drafts bill for use of biometrics.

Moving FAST

Singapore has come up with a much more clever name for their frequent flyer project than the US's commonly called.... er... frequent flyer project. They have coined this procedure FAST - Fully Automated Seamless Travel. Just like the trials going on in the US, the Singapore Changi Airport will provide frequent travelers with a card that holds facial and fingerprint data so that they can avoid the full extent of security checkpoints.
Singapore Changi Airport testing biometrics-based system.

Also relevant to this theme is the effort by Asia-Pacific to be forward-moving with biometrics, now moving it beyond an 'emerging technology'. New Zealand leads the way, making headway with international standards on e-passports.
Biometrics in Asia-Pacific.

Happy Thanksgiving!

See ya next Monday

A passport debate.

As deliberations over a smart passport become more common, so do articles like this.

Some question how 'smart' new passports will be.

The United States hasn't issued any microchip-equipped passports yet, but as the Department of State tests different prototypes, the international standards for the passports are under fire from privacy advocates who worry the technology won't protect travelers from identity thieves.

The Queen speaks

And she will say to bring on the biometrics. She has a speech tomorrow to the UK who will hear what the future holds for national ID cards, straight from the Queen herself.

The biometric cards would be introduced in 2008 as part of efforts against terrorism, illegal working, misuse of public services and illegal immigration.

A decision on making them compulsory is not expected to be made until 2014 but Mr Blunkett says he is now thinking it could come sooner - perhaps between 2010 and 2012.

Crime tops Queen's speech agenda.

Cough up your identity. No pun intended.

Just when  you thought we have categorized, extracted, and identified  just about every human characteristic and behavioral trait possible, we might have found another in which to identify you with. Researchers have discovered that the cough is distinguishable among people, and can be recognized correctly just as easy as fingerprint or vein patters are.
It might seem silly to cough for security purposes, and sure will add to the alarming amount of bacteria in the air, but it might be practical in very specific instances, where medical reasons are a factor.

Coughing up who you are.

Smart guns, smart manufacturers

So scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology may not be ready to release their fingerprint-enabled hand gun into the consumer market just yet, but apparently Smith & Wesson is.  While NJIT is conducting research on creating a safe, reliable means of using biometrics on a hand gun, Smith & Wesson has announced their partnership with American Security Co. to add safes and biometric guns to their product line.  No word on when the guns will be available though. They may still be testing final products as well.

Smith & Wesson adds to gun safety line-up.

Well if BILL GATES says it, it HAS to be true.

The great leader speaks.
Let there be biometrics.

Bill Gates says smart cards are the future.

same president, different everybody else

I don't know how this could affect the presence of biometrics in homeland security, if at all, but a big proponent of the technology, Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, has resigned.

Asa Hutchinson may step up from his undersecretary duties, who you may recognize as well, appearing at many biometric functions and speaking in behalf of the efforts.

Three more top level officials resign from White House.