• BiometricsImproved performance of facial recognition software

    Who is that stranger in your social media photo? A click on the face reveals the name in seconds, almost as soon as you can identify your best friend. While that handy app is not quite ready for your smart phone, researchers are racing to develop reliable methods to match one person’s photo from millions of images for a variety of applications.

  • BiometricsFlorida mulling banning school collection of students’ biometric information

    Some school districts in Florida, including Polk County and Pinellas County, are using scanners to collect fingerprints and hands, eyes, and voice characteristics from students. Pinellas County school district allows students to use palm scans instead of cash to pay for meals in the cafeteria. The collection of students’ biometric information has alarmed many parents who are concerned that students’ identity or personal records may be stolen or sold to private companies. Florida state legislators are debating a proposal which would stop school districts from collecting biometric information from students.

  • Record sharingUpdated solution allows quick, secure information sharing

    Visual Alert 2 enables law enforcement agencies to get real-time access to police records through Pennsylvania’s Law Enforcement Justice Information System (LEJIS) and other authorized information sharing networks while the department maintains secure control of the information it shares

  • Olympic biometricsU.K. officials collecting biometric data for all Olympic athletes

    As athletes train for this summer’s Olympic Games, having their fingerprints and face-scans taken by U.K. officials will be part of their regiment

  • DNA databaseLaw enforcement supports N.Y. DNA database expansion

    A growing number of New York law enforcement officials have backed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to expand the state’s DNA Databank

  • Fingerprint archivesMentalix wins contract to convert Texas fingerprint archive

    Mentalix Inc. was recently awarded a contract by Texas’ Department of Public Safety’s Crime Records Service to scan more than 1.4 million fingerprint cards from its oldest archive

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  • US-VISITAccenture to bolster capabilities of US-VISIT

    DHS has awarded Accenture Federal Services a 13-month, $71 million contract further to enhance the capabilities of US-VISIT

  • DatabanksConcern over DHS move to create giant information databank

    In an effort to enhance DHS’ information sharing capabilities, the department is looking to construct an integrated database known as the “Federated Information Sharing System,” a move which has raised concerns from the American Civil Liberties Union

  • FBI’s databaseFBI adds biometrics to national databases to improve accuracy

    To help improve the speed and accuracy of its national criminal records database, the FBI is increasingly incorporating biometrics technology

  • Loss of biometric data from 9 million Israelis cause for concern

    With governments and businesses collecting an ever greater amount of biometric data from individuals, the recent theft of an entire database containing biometric data on more than nine million Israelis is serious cause for concern

  • Northrop wins $141 million follow-on contract for DOD biometric system

    Today, defense giant Northrop Grumman announced that it was awarded a $141 million follow-on task order to continue working with the Department of Defense (DOD) on its biometric identification system for military threats; under the contract, Northrop will continue work on the DOD’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which functions as the centralized database that collects facial, fingerprint, iris, and palm biometric records on individuals that the Department of Defense has identified as persons of interest

  • BiometricsFBI's Next Generation Identification launched

    The FBI has launched its futuristic database — the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system); NGI will gradually replace the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS); this phase of the NGI project involves the core biometric processing and matching capability using ten fingerprints

  • Information sharingNew database critical to success of "See Something, Say Something"

    DHS is developing effective information sharing systems with local law enforcement agencies and federal counter-terrorism offices to ensure that its new “See Something, Say Something” campaign can function effectively; the new National Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSARI) will create a national database and processes to sort through the increasing number of suspicious activity reports (SARs) by combining three online databases and allowing local agencies to search across all systems for information without having to change existing business practices; officials hope to complete the system by September of this year; a recent planned terrorist attack in Texas was thwarted when two tips came in using the system

  • DHS develops shared biometrics database with DOD

    DHS is currently developing a joint database to gain access to the Department of Defense’s (DOD) biometrics database and hopes to have the system operational by the end of this year; the goal is to allow DHS agents at points of entry to run an individual’s fingerprint to determine if that person had any run-ins with the U.S. military and also includes fingerprints taken from improvised explosive devices; this new system is a vast improvement over current joint data exchange plans between DHS, DOD, and the FBI which are often done manually; this database must be implemented according to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 24, which mandates that all biometric data shared between government agencies must conform to local privacy laws

  • Law enforcement technologyNew scanner allows distant fingerprint reading

    A prototype scanning device can scan fingerprints from up to two meters away, an approach that could prove especially useful at security checkpoints in places like Iraq and Afghanistan; the scanner detects fingerprints by shining polarized light onto a person’s hand and analyzing the reflection using two cameras configured to detect different polarizations; in addition to checkpoints in the field, the device could make authorization more efficient in lots of settings: instead of punching a keypad code or pressing fingers to a scanner, individuals could simply hold up a hand and walk toward a security door while the device checks their identity