Biometrics Security News and Information

Keeping Up With Crime In The United States

Levels Of Crime

Today, as I was surfing the Internet, I came across a rather starking news article:  The top 10 cities in the United States which have the worst level of crime.  Some of the places on the list surprised me, and some not.  In fact, one of the cities is here in the state of IL.  Surprisingly, it is not one of the suburbs of Chicago, or the actual city itself.  Rather, it is a place in between Madison, WI, and the ‘burbs of Chicago.  It is Rockford, IL.  I think it is a rather big city given its size and dominance in the area.  But Rockford is a city which is heavily plagued by high unemployment (13.3%), and is deemed to the centerpoint in the drug traffic route between Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee.  On the list, it is ranked at #9 in the United States for having the worst level of crime (click on this link to view the whole story on the worst crime cities in the United States:  http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112804/most-dangerous-cities-247). 

So it is with this theme in mind, I came across two Press Releases in which the concept of crime and fingerprints.  The first one deals with a huge Biometrics/Security Vendor known as “Northrop Grumman”.  Here we go with this one:  “Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - News) has been awarded a follow-on task order valued at up to $141 million for continued development of the U.S. Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System (DoD-ABIS), which provides military personnel with reliable and timely identification of persons of suspected threat to U.S. national security . . . Under the terms of the task order, Northrop Grumman will provide systems engineering, software development, infrastructure and performance engineering, and modeling and simulation support. The company will have primary development responsibility of DoD-ABIS including program management, systems engineering, software development, integration, training, disaster recovery, case management, system sustainment, scalability and interoperability.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8961/). 

In my view, this is a rather sizable Biometrics contract, as the total value of it can be seen in the above quote.  But, one thing to my surprise, I did not realize that the military had its own gargantuan Biometrics database, in manner which is similar to the FBI.  They used to have a system called AFIS, but just recently, was upgraded to a much newer Biometrics database, of which I have written several Postings about.  However, as powerful as it, that new database can only hold and contain Biometric Fingerprint Templates.  This one, as used by the military, is a mutlimodal Biometrics database, meaning multiple types and kinds of Biometric Templates can be contained here, specifically Facial Recognition, Fingerprint Recognition, Iris Recognition, and yes even, Vein Pattern Recognition.  From what it appears, it looks like that the general clauses this contract are for development, support, and maintenance of all of the integrated systems in this Biometrics database.  As can also be seen in the above quote, this massive database is used primarily by the military, and capturing/apprehending terrorist suspects (primarily for the Department of Defense, and it can interface with other Federal Government databases as well).  Although the concept of this is great in theory, I just hope that we do not see Gitmo revisited, as this is the first thought which comes to mind. 

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In the second Press Release, a Biometrics Vendor known as “Morpho” just also announced that its own comparable Biometrics database has been implemented by the Canadian Government, most notably, the Calgary Police Service and the Edmonton Police Service.  The details:  “The Calgary and Edmonton Police Services realized that a new biometric solution was required to meet the demand for rapid paperless responses, real-time identification, and biometric data exchanges. After thorough competitive evaluation, including accuracy testing and cost of ownership comparisons, Morpho’s solution was selected . . . Achieved shortly after the merger of Morpho and Printrak, MorphoBIS is the leading edge of AFIS technology incorporating the best of their two technologies. MorphoBIS enables real-time identification of suspects and criminals. With its fused algorithms, workflows and features, this crime-solving tool fully integrates fingerprints and palm prints. Its intuitive and customizable workspace, robust architecture and large database meet the specific needs of criminal justice agencies. The results are unrivalled accuracy and enhanced productivity as more crimes are solved more quickly.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8968/). 

In comparison, this Biometrics database is being used on a much more micro level than the one mentioned above.  It is being used to track down suspects and criminals on a local level, in the Canadian region.  But what is interesting to note is that in this Biometrics database, only Fingerprint Recognition and Vein Pattern Recognition is being used, but not separately, but rather together, in a fused fashion.  This is probably the first time I have seen anything like this in these huge Biometrics databases.  So, this begs the question:  In all of these Federal Government databases, will all of the Biometric Templates stored in them be fused together in this fashion.  From my understanding so far, Biometric Templates are only called and queried upon one at a time, for each specific type of template. 

But with all of these fused together as one, it is possible, that in just one query, a suspect’s or criminals Biometric Templates can come all at once.  For example, if a law enforcement officer queried by Fingerprint Biometric Templates, not only would just that come, but also, all of the suspect’s Iris Recognition, Facial Recognition, and Vein Recognition Templates as well.  While this might eventually prove to be efficient and effective from a technical and law enforcement perspective, there is also the social side of this, namely the issues of the violations of Privacy Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Federal Government misuse of Biometric Template information and data.

The Massive Effect Of Online Ads

The Media Yet Once Again

You know, for as long as I have been blogging in the last three years, there are times, that when a story comes with regards to Biometrics, it just seems to keep coming out over and over again, repeatedly, for weeks.  This is what the news cycle seems like to in the Biometrics Industry:  It’s either feast or its famine, with regards to a particular topic.  And of course, there are also times when the news is just dead, overall.  And as we approach the summer months, expect that to happen.  Well, today is one of those news headlines which takes quite well after that feast or famine mentality.  And yep, I think you have an idea of what it is:  That new item called “Neuromarketing”, in which the behavioral responses of potential customers are used to craft the appropriate marketing strategy to sell the maximum number of products and services. 

But in today’s news headline, two new market research organizations are named, and of course, here are the details of this:  “YuMe and IPG Media Lab have released a new neuromarketing study comparing viewer response between television ads and internet video ads. The trial, which took place at the Los Angeles Media lab, used realtime multibometric analysis to gauge attentiveness. Their findings showed that there are drastic differences in attentiveness towards the two mediums. Despite constant distractions, television attracted significantly less attention from viewers than online video ads . . . Internet video ads stole 8.5% more attention overall than television ads, but >18% more of the subjects were fully attentive to the online video ads. The results of the study show a 20% overall increase in attentiveness towards online video ads versus their television counterparts.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/articles/i/8962/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

Although the specific Biometric Technologies were not mentioned, I surmise that it was probably the same ones as used before, namely measuring the heartbeat, eye movement patterns, the level of brain activity, and facial recognition (OK, that is a specific one).  The results of this are very easy to decipher:  People are much responsive and attentive to online advertisements than they are to the normal TV advertisements.  In terms of specific statistics, amongst the subjects studied, there was an overall 20% greater responsiveness rate with the online advertisements. 

Most importantly, it was also discovered that customers remember the content of the online ad much more so than the content of the traditional TV ad.  But now, here is the “kinker” in the study.  Although online advertisements receive much more response than the traditional television advertisements, any type or kind of distraction can create a severe impediment to the level of attentiveness to the online ad.  And probably the biggest distraction is the Smartphone.  For instance, with the traditional TV ads, there was a drop of 63% with regards to attentiveness.  When this distraction medium was posed to the online ad, an interesting trend was noted:  There was only a drop of 30% of the attention. 

This surprises me, because I thought the reverse would be true.  But in both mediums, it was cited that the “familiarity of the cadence” of the ads was the biggest factor contributing the attentiveness.  It should be noted though, that it was not very specific  as to how these subjects actually watched these advertisements, especially when it came to the online advertisements.  For instance, did these subjects watch these online ads at the traditional desktop computer, was it on a laptop, or on a netbook, or even the Smartphone itself???  In my view, all of these are very critical variables which need to be looked at closely (I am not saying that they were not, though).  Heck, if the subjects were watching the online ads with their Smartphone, then obviously, a call would be extremely distracting.  But the bottom line is that, I think the era of the traditional TV advertisements are basically gone, or will soon fade away, as this study shows to no small degree. 

Everything can now be pretty much viewed online, especially on those free video sharing sites like YouTube.  As I use YouTube from time to time, even I am surprised what I can find.  And of course, the Internet (at least so far) is free.  It hardly costs the companies who host their advertisements online a cent, versus the millions of dollars it costs for just a one minute spot during the Super Bowl.  A prime example of this is myself.  I hardly watch any more TV.  I now rely heavily on my laptop to view what is out there, and to see videos, and clips of videos. Thus, it is obvious that I would be far more responsive to ads played through this medium, rather than on TV.  Plus, one has to remember that the reason why online ads are much more effective is that of what is known as the “viral effect”, or in the parlance of social media, “viral marketing”. 

Meaning, once a video is played, it can be propagated within minutes if not seconds to other literally hundreds and thousands of other social media sites out there.  Where does one see this effect of viral marketing through the traditional TV ads?  Nowhere.  All you have to do is just change the channel, or just put the TV on mute, or best yet, just shut off for a few moments until the commercials stop playing.  And also with the online world, companies have a much broader reach of potential customers worldwide, as opposed to the normal TV route. And given the online world of shopping as well, this only makes sense.

For instance, suppose your business is based here in the United States, and a customer in England sees your online ad.  With the online store, it is just a matter of a few clicks to get an order and revenue (of course, you will have to pay for shipping, depending upon what you sell).  You can’t do this with the traditional TV ads!!!  It all comes down to a benefit versus cost analysis.  And in my opinion, the benefits of online advertising far surpasses that of the cost of the traditional TV medium.

Security: The Most Basic Human Need

It’s Here To Stay

Well, here in the United States, and abroad, Security is always something which is going to be around us.  Whether it is physical Security, or logical Security, it is here to stay.  Granted, Security is always a field, a market, a profession, a need, a demand (or whatever have you), which has been “there”, ever since 9/11, it is has received heightened interest.  And given the threats and proliferation of Identity Theft, malware, spyware, etc., it will always be there.  But the degree of vigilance and the level to which people are proactive about Security will vary greatly amongst individuals, corporations, cultures, nations, etc. 

Especially here in the United States, we are and for a long time, will remain a lackadaisical and very reactive society, when it comes to Security.  But these are just my views, no need to get back onto this soapbox yet once again.  I think my feelings are well known on this subject.  But it is quite clear that Biometrics and Smart Cards will be one of the Security Technologies of choice to be used, at least throughout the next decade.  These findings have been researched and documented by a market research firm known as “ABI Research”. 

Here are the details into their findings:  “Large scale ID projects have been introduced or virtually completed in the most populated countries in the world. Thus far, adoption rates are strong in developed countries and those with large economies. Now a new wave of adoption, with upgrades to second or third generation documents, is sustaining the market. ABI Research estimates that about 1.5 billion "smart credentials" will be issued through 2014 . . . Research analyst Phil Sealy says, "We expect smart card-based government and healthcare ID products to catch up with and surpass shipment volumes of legacy credentials by 2013. With the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) setting the standards for passports, we expect the penetration of e-passports to hit 89% of the overall installed base in 2016. For other forms of ID, it is the governments themselves that are setting the standards for their citizen documentation and in turn driving the smart card market forward."”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8953/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

However, what is very interesting to note is that a bulk of this demand for Biometrics and Smart Cards will come through the governments around the world (this is no surprise here, as our own Federal Government is the primary contract awarder of Biometrics contracts), focusing that upon healthcare applications.  This market research study cited three primary reasons for this:

*To help combat fraudulent activities;

*Bundling applications into one solid unit, so that this will create efficiencies amongst the governments around the world, and garner a higher level of ROI;

*Make healthcare documents more accessible and secure for those people (primarily healthcare workers and patients) needing them.

This research study forecasts that as many 1.5 billion Smart Cards with Biometric Templates in them will be issued by 2014.  It also makes the observation that a “new wave of adoption” will occur, fueling this growth.  It is my assumption that the primary drivers will be those of the developing nations in Africa and Asia, where the demand of Biometrics continues to skyrocket at even more levels.  This study even ventures to make predictions about the demand and growth for the e-Passport, and it is rather bold, in my opinion.  It is expected to have a market saturation rate of up to 89% by the year of 2016. 

Also, it even provides extrapolations into the demand for the National ID Card, and it is also that at some point in time, this will be strong as well.  A prime example of this is the German National ID Card, which allows services of all kinds and types to its citizens (such as online banking, taxes, etc.), and also it is stated that some 150+ German corporations are bundling their own services into this National ID Card to make life just that much easier and convenient for the citizenry of Germany.  What is my take on all this???  Biometrics and Smart Cards will be here to stay, that is for sure.  But whether or not it becomes the predominant Security Technology of choice still yet remains to be seen.  In my view, I think it is the developing nations which will make Biometrics their primary tool.  It will the developed nations, however, who could take a back seat towards the adoption of Biometrics. 

Why do I say this???  I say this because, in countries, especially those in Europe, could very well reach a market saturation point with regards to Biometrics.  People will always want the latest and greatest, and in that mindset, Biometrics could be a thing of the past.  But in the developing nations, where the need for Security is even stronger, and to be counted in the eyes of their own governments, the thirst for Biometrics will always be there.  Perhaps, this is the key area in which the Biometrics Vendors should look at (especially here in the United States), when it comes to market penetration and revenue growth.

Protect The Weakest Link In The Chain

Passwords And Even More Passwords

Well, how was everybody’s weekend out there???  Ours (mine and Anita’s) were actually quite busy.  Our spectrum of activities ranged from meeting her friends for a wonderful Greek dinner, to bidding on a new condo, to planning our financial future.  You see, we plan to be married next July of 2012, so it is very important to me to start planning financially so I can take care of and support Anita.  My thinking is why wait for three years to start saving, when we can start saving now???  I have saved a good chunk of change in the last few months, so over the weekend, we met with a financial advisor to start planning, and investing. 

It was a smooth meeting, and we went over the exact investments where the money will be at.  Being the former IT guy that I am, probably one of the first questions I asked was when I can access our portfolio (in the financial world, this is known officially as “asset allocation”) online.  Our financial advisor told us the steps in how to do it, but when he said setting up the username and password, I cringed.  I thought:  “What, another UN and PW to remember?  How many more do I have to remember?”  So with this in mind, I came across a Press Release which discusses using Biometrics as a means of alleviating the password dilemma.  The Biometrics Vendor is known as “Digital Persona”, their solution is known as the “DigitalPersona Pro”. 

Here is the inside goop:  “DigitalPersona Pro now helps IT departments reduce the cost of handling password resets through new user self-service and IT-assisted system access recovery features. DigitalPersona Pro also helps streamline auditing and reduces regulatory compliance risk through new reporting capabilities. The suite offers centrally-managed full disk encryption, multi-credential authentication for Windows and applications, two-factor VPN authentication and single sign-on (SSO), and may deliver savings of as much as half the cost of deploying point products or competitive security suites . . . DigitalPersona Pro not only helps users recover from lost passwords, it makes advanced authentication simple to deploy, use and manage. With DigitalPersona Pro, businesses can use fingerprint biometrics, smart cards and other forms of credentials to log into Windows, applications and networks. Businesses can even combine the security of one-time passwords for remote access with the ease-of-use of these other forms of strong authentication. With DigitalPersona Pro, mobile notebook users can safely log into VPNs, Webmail and other RADIUS-compatible applications without having to carry hardware-based tokens or launch separate software token applications. DigitalPersona Pro’s management software offers a choice of deployment options, from a browser-based service to fully-integrated Active Directory snap-ins, giving IT administrators a familiar and efficient way to manage security policies. Businesses can deploy whichever security applications from the suite they need and then add others later as their needs grow – without the risk of incompatibility or cost and pain of adding a whole new management system.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8944/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

As you can see, this Biometrics solution does provide a number of distinct advantages, which include:

*It is a centrally managed system, in which the end user has primary authority and control over their own passwords and related administration (and also offers easy to use and understand audit trails);

*It hosts and supports a whole array of other types and kinds of Security options, such as Smart Cards, Cryptography, one time Passwords;

*It also supports the use of a wide array of networking protocols, such as VPN, RADIUS, etc. (this makes it ideal for the mobile employee, or the road warrior);

*This Biometrics solution also provides for an ease of deployment.  For example, it can be accessed via a standard web browser, or be implemented as an add on to Active Directory, this offering the scalability over time advantage;

*A specific set of challenge response questions can be created, rather than using just a general list.  For example, SME’s can now ask questions which are related to the work environment, thus making it easier for the employee to remember the appropriate answer.

OK, you may be wondering at this point what is so special about this Biometrics solution versus the other Single Sign Solutions (SSO’s) I have written about???  Well, take another look at the first bullet above.  In the past, all of the SSO’s I have discussed about have involved as to how Biometrics can help the IT department reduce the costs and workload of password administration.  But, the ultimate responsibility rested with the IT department. 

But now, through this Biometrics solution, this administrative burden is now virtually passed onto the end user.  Meaning if an employee forgets their own password, they can establish a new one by themselves rather than having to bug their poor network administrator.  Another thing to remember is that despite the advancements in other Security Technologies, the password is here to stay, and probably for the longest time, and will continue to be a burden.  According to a survey mentioned in the Press Release, some 80% plus businesses will require their employees to change their passwords at least once in a quarter, causing this to be a nightmare for some 90% of these businesses. 

So why not create something simple enough so the end user can do all of this themselves?  When I checked the statistics last, it costs something like $250/employee to do a password reset.  Why not trim these costs by empowering the employee to do all of this by themselves?  It only makes sense to me.  After all, in tight economic times, IT budgets are the first to get slashed, so why not be proactive and save some costs for future spends???  Just think, $250 may seem like a small amount, but magnify that over a huge staff of employees, the costs explode, into the hundreds of thousands, and even millions.  Something for the CEO and CIO to think about . . . Biometrics can help save costs, and empower your employees!!!

Learning How To Admit Mistakes

The Equation Of Security

Hey, how many of you there remember my famous Equation of Great Security???  Well, if you can’t remember it, mathematically put it is:  Human Vigilance + Technology = Great Security.  My biggest mantra is that in order for this equation to actually be solved, the left hand side of the equation both needs to be in balance.  In other words, both are equally important, one cannot be greater than the other.  But however, as we are seeing today, especially here in the Security environment here in the United States, there tends to be a much stronger emphasis placed on technology, and not so much on the human aspect of Security. 

My hypothesis is that technology is technology, and is very much prone to errors and mistakes, even if heuristics or other types of artificial intelligence is used.  Thus, there comes the strong need for human intervention, not only to see and witness things the technology cannot observe, but also to act as a backup, or sort of a counterbalance to the technology to make sure that innocent people are not apprehended, or even worst, convicted of a crime they have not committed.  Well, today, I came across a news article which discusses a study in which even the human factor of the Security equation can be just as much prone to error as the technology. 

It was conducted by the American Psychological Association, and here some of the inside goop into it:  “An upcoming study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reveals that the human factor in the process could lead to errors and false convictions of innocent people . . . "We knew from other psychological research that the all-too-human foibles of distraction, rushes to judgment, biases and expectations can't be avoided even by the most diligent professionals, so we were understandably concerned about the potential for error," said lead author Jason Tangen of The University of Queensland . . . Tangen, along with the other authors, set out to determine the likelihood of human error when dealing with fingerprints. They gave 37 qualified fingerprint experts and 37 novices pairs of fingerprints to examine and decide whether a simulated crime scene matched a potential suspect or not. Some of the print pairs belonged to the "criminal" while others were highly similar but actually belonged to an "innocent" person.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511162536.htm). 

 Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting 

So as you can see from the above quote, the forensics experts were given an equal amount of “qualified” fingerprints versus a set of “novice fingerprints”.  There was also an equal balance of “criminal” versus “innocent” fingerprints as well.  The results of the study, in my view were rather astounding.  For example, the forensics experts had a very high success rate of matching the right fingerprint with the actual criminal, to be exact, it was about 92%.  But, on the flip side of the coin, the forensics experts also mismatched the wrong fingerprint associated with the innocent person at an alarming 68% of the time. 

If these results are extrapolated to real world litigation, this means that an overwhelming majority of innocent could potentially be convicted for a crime that they did not commit (this is assuming of course, the fingerprints collected from the crime scene are the prime source of evidence in the trial proceedings).  So, although this is probably a micro study when compared to the whole cosmos of the world of forensics, this study in no small part illustrates the fact that even the best trained professionals, especially the forensics experts, are still prone to making errors.  In other words, even us human beings are not infallible either.  Numerous reasons were cited in this study, and they include: 

*The infinite number of reasons for distractions; 

*Rushes to jugdement;

*Certain types and kinds of biasness and expectations. 

It is also interesting to note that the forensics investigators in this particular study would rather make the errors to free the guilty rather than to prosecute and convict the innocent.  So in the end, what does all this mean???  Well, in my ever so famous Equation of Security, errors and mistakes will always happen.  Just as good as technology is, it is still makes mistakes. 

Even as highly trained forensics investigators are, mistakes will still happen.  But as pointed out in the news article, the lesson to be learned here is how the mistakes are acknowledged, addressed, and rectified.  Yes, it is a horrible shame and terrible when the wrong people are convicted of a crime, or even apprehended for something they did not do. 

So in these cases, it is very important to the Security profession (whether it is Biometrics, or forensics, or even law enforcement)  to admit where the mistakes are made, correct them, and apply them to the future.  Admitting to mistakes is not an easy thing, but the more we do it, the more human and mature we become in life. 

The Era Of The Small Business Is Coming Back

The Needs Of Small Business

There was a time once in Corporate American when all that mattered was big business, and the ever so important Fortune 500 companies.  After all, these were supposedly the best of the best, the big revenue producers which fueled the American economic engine, spurred growth, and was the catalyst of job creation.  Heck, even after graduating from college or graduate school, new graduates aspired to work for these large corporations.  After all, it was a status symbol.  Even growing up, whenever my relatives got together, where one worked was the decision factor as to who would be the center of attention.  But in the last decade, and especially with the recent economic crisis, Corporate America has now started to realize that it is indeed the small to medium sized enterprise (also known as “SME’s”) which are the growth of the American economic engine. 

True, they may not be status symbol companies, but many of them now offer a quality level of life which were once only afforded by the largest of the large.  So with this trend of the SME’s, a lot of other Vendors out there, are starting to also realize that it is now just as important to cater the business needs of the SME’s, across all spectrums, whether it is financial, marketing, IT, telephony, etc.  And to this degree even the Security and Biometrics Vendors are starting to realize it is important to capture the market share of the SME market.  True, they may not be the large Security contracts, but if a Biometrics Vendor can get a fair share of these SME’s, it can mean some serious dollars and cents, as well as repeat business in the end. 

So it is with all this as background, a Biometrics Vendor known as “360 Biometrics” has just announced a Biometrics Solution designed especially for the SME market called “PersonID”, and here are the specifics:  “A person is enrolled in the system by capturing the individual's fingerprints, along with any relevant identifying data and a photograph, if desired. The fingerprint is given a quality rating, helping assure that good prints are captured. User-defined, custom fields allow organizations to specify the identifying information they want to capture, letting them adapt the software to their needs. If desired, a photo of the enrolled person can be uploaded . . . When a person needs to be identified, the software instantly matches the captured fingerprint against the enrolled fingerprints. The results are displayed with a match score, along with any other identifying information (including the photo if any). The software can search for a person not just be fingerprints, but by any of the identifying data (such as name or gender) that the organization has specified. The clean interface is easy to navigate, reducing the need to refer to the manual or to contact tech support . . . PersonID can be integrated into a wide variety of applications, such as authorization, transaction, time-and-attendance, point-of-sale and physical-access-control systems.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8945/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

At first glance, and even upon first read of the above quote (and even the Press Release), one is probably asking, “what is so special about this versus other applications you have written about???”.  Well, truth be told, there is nothing uniquely different.  But, there are a couple of small things which stand out, and which captured my attention.  And if it did that, then believe me, it is important.  What caught my eye is that this Biometrics solution utilizes a so called ”quality rating”, in order to ascertain if the fingerprint image which is captured from the individual is worthy of being converted over to a distinct Biometric Template. 

I have to be honest, this is the first time I have heard about such a thing in a Biometric System.  I just have merely assumed that the technology has advanced to the point that any image captured is basically “good enough”.  Even if the fingerprint image has problems with it, the technology has so evolved today that it can make the necessary corrections and compensations in just a matter of seconds.  To me, I would like to know more about what comprises this “quality rating” score.  For instance, is it a separate mathematical algorithm??? What are points of comparison or benchmarks to determine about the level of quality???  Are the unique features compared to just a general set of standards, or more specific ones??? 

These are just some of the questions which come across my mind.  Second, it is also quite refreshing to see a Biometrics Vendor design a solution which is geared totally to the SME’s.  Biometrics are often perceived as being too pricey, and that only the biggest of the big corporations can afford them.  Btu by breaking through the SME market, the Biometrics Industry can prove that this technology is affordable to any type, size, or kind of business. 

And in turn, this will also help to increase the perception and acceptance of Biometrics amongst Corporate America, all across the board.  And of course, acceptance means revenue, happy customers, and above all, repeat business.  Finally, it should be also noted that this Biometrics Solution has received numerous prestigious awards, most notably from “SC Magazine” (they gave it a four out of five star rating, for technical documentation and ease of use), works across a wide spectrum of Biometrics hardware and Windows OS’s (including 7, XP, 2003, and 2000).

Improving Our Mass Transportation Systems

Our Mass Transportation Systems

You know, whenever I drive anywhere, especially on the highway, or even take the train, or look overhead and see a 747-400 landing (I do live near O’Hare), I am always taken aback by our transportation system.  True, it is something we take for granted almost every day, but if you just step back a little bit, aren’t you just as blown away as to how all of our highways were constructed, the bridges, the railroad tracks, etc.???  I mean, somebody had to do all of the hard work and planning to get it all up and running.  Obviously, it just did not all happen over night.  What is even more amazing is all of the people using these mass transportation systems.  Probably the best example I can think of this is in India. 

As many of you know, India is the second most populous country in the world, all crammed in a land mass the one third the size of the United States.  Now imagine rush hour in those mass commuter trains in Mumbai, the busiest city in India.  The train stations there are called the “Human Compression Chambers” for good reason.  So given all of this exodus to using mass transportation, comes a greater need for Security, as well as a more convenient way to do things.  What do I mean by this???  The Press Release I saw today totally exemplifies what I am talking about.  The setting takes place in Cartagena, Colombia, and the two Biometrics Vendor mentioned is known as “Smartmatic”. 

Here we go:  “Cartagena, the most important touristic and cultural district of Colombia, selected joint-venture partners Smartmatic and Dataprom, for the task of implementing and operating an automated fare collection and fleet management system for the new Integrated Mass Transportation System, targeted for a service life span of the next 18 years . . . The financial, technology and management services which Smartmatic will supply to the transit authority Transcaribe will cover the city of Cartagena and surrounding municipalities. It will comprise a number of advanced systems, including a fare collection system based on the latest and most secure smart card payment technologies, a real-time fleet management and control system for public transportation buses, a passenger information system, and fare card vending machines, with access locations spread throughout the territory for the convenience of passengers. The system is expected to be operational in 2012.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8942/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

So as you can see from the above quote, this solution as described in this Posting is rather, very comprehensive one, which includes an automated fare collection scheme, as well as a brand new fleet management system.  It is projected that this new solution should last some 18+ years or so.  So, you may be wondering at this point, where does all of the Security and the role of Biometrics actually take place???  Well, from what best I can understand, it will occur at the point of the new fare collection system, in which customers and passengers can pay for their fare (I am assuming that this solution will fit all modes of public transportation, which includes taxis, busses, trains, local flights, etc.) with a Smart Card, and having the associated Biometric Templates stored in them, as a way of positively identifying and verifying the passenger whom is trying to make payment. 

So, as a crude example, suppose I take a taxi ride from Point A to Point B.  Rather than having to fumble around for change and cash, I can simply use my Smart Card to make payment (really, in a way which is extremely similar to using a credit card).  But, how will the taxi cab driver know I am making legitimate payment, by using an authorized Smart Card???  Well, that is where Biometrics will come into play.  The Templates stored onto the Smart Card can be compared to a much bigger database (again, I am making the broad assumption that this will be a national Biometrics database, in which the citizens will have to enroll-yea, I know, I am opening up a huge can of worms here), for 100% verification. 

But what I especially like about this application here in this Posting is that there is a social cause to this as well.  By upgrading the Security system for mass transportation, and in no small part through the use of Biometrics, the country of Colombia will realize more than $30 Million in national savings, and it is anticipated that this money will go to the health care system there.  A prime example of a large city where this type of system is needed is here in Chi-town.  In my view, we probably one of the worst and most degrading transportation systems in the entire nation.  The roads and highways are especially notorious for this.  As they say here in Chi-town, its either winter season or construction season. 

So not only along with upgrading the modes of public transportation, hopefully the new mayor Rahm Emanuel will also simultaneously upgrade the Security and payment system of it as well.  The mass transit train stations tend to get extremely crowded during the rush hours (both morning and evening are horrible) and the probability of being pick pocketed is extremely high.  With a new payment system (for the mass transportation) using Smart Cards and Biometrics, the right people will be paying with their own cards.  True, it will not stop pick pocketers, but at least the threat of Identity Theft will greatly decrease.  And just think about the convenience:  No more fumbling around for that hard currency, just whip out that Biometrics Smart Card, and payment is complete!!!

All Things Apple

The iPod, iPad, iPhone, etc., etc.

Well, how was everybody’s weekend???  I had a marvelous time with my beautiful girlfriend Anita.  On Saturday, we both went for a walk in memory if my uncle, Mukund Phadke.  He died about two years ago from heart disease.  Before that, he suffered a heart attack at the local YMCA in Valparaiso, IN.  Due to the vigilance of the staff there, he was able to come back to life again with the help of a defibrillator.  So, this walk was hosted by my aunt Dolly Phadke, and her two daughters, Neena and Sonia Phadke, and the YMCA.  Anita and I went for a three mile walk, in an effort to raise money for the cause.  It was truly a touching time, as my parents also died of heart disease.  And, my uncle was my mother’s brother. 

After the walk, we all congregated at my aunt’s house for a visit, and of course, to devour on some good ole Indian food.  But, there was one other common theme at this informal get together:  Everybody’s mobile device and netbook.  A few of my relatives have the iPad, so I spent some time actually marveling at it.  I have been very tempted to buy one, or at least something similar.  But truth be told, I don’t need at the present time, it would just be another techie toy for me.  But anyways, it is really a slick new piece of technology. 

And during this walk, of course, participants even had their iPod with them as well.  So it is with all this as background, I found a Press Release which discussed a new breed of Security Technology for the iPod:  Biometrics.  The Biometrics Vendor who created this solution is known as “Fulcrum Biometrics”, and here are some of the details behind this:  “Fulcrum Biometrics, an international provider, distributor and integrator of multiple biometric identification systems and biometric devices has today announced its FbF™ mobileOne fingerprint biometric accessory and companion app are now available exclusively for iPod touch. The world’s first fingerprint biometric solution designed exclusively for iOS, FbF mobileOne is an elegant, high-quality fingerprint reader accessory that easily snaps onto iPod touch (2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation). By harnessing the processing power of iPod touch, FbF mobileOne enables the development and deployment of reliable, portable and networkable biometric identification systems that are cost-effective and powerful enough for government, medical and law enforcement applications . . . Portable biometric identification systems are in use worldwide, however these systems usually involve a laptop PC, tethered fingerprint scanner and other equipment that require separate power sources, making them difficult to use in remote and rural areas. Because of its pocket size and 9+ hour battery life, FbF mobileOne is perfectly suited for mobile identification systems such as biometric voter registration, on-site time and attendance for construction or farm workers and law enforcement warrant searches . . .”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8931/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

As you can see from the above quote, the Biometric Technology of choice utilized is that of Fingerprint Recognition, and apparently, from what I can gather, this is the first use of Biometrics for the iPod.  This Biometrics solution possesses a number of succinct advantages, and can be summarized as follows:

*It is extremely portable and thus very light weight, making it effective for easy carrying;

*It has a very long battery life of about 9+ hours (now this is a long time, considering the demands which are placed upon it, especially for comparing the enrollment and verification templates);

*This Biometrics solution can be used across a whole host of applications, ranging from logical Security to physical Security.

As I have mentioned before in previous Postings, as all things go wireless and even more miniaturized, battery power management and consumption will probably be one of the strongest key factors not only from a technical standpoint, but also from a consumer buying standpoint as well.  I mean after all, we all want something which will have power to it for quite some time, and not be inconvenienced about having to charge it constantly. 

And, this issue will also become of prime concern for the Biometrics Industry, as the technology keeps getting smaller.  Probably one of the other biggest advantages of this solution is that it seems like it is extremely easy to use, from the standpoint of the customer, because it is all plug and play:  “The FbF mobileOne accessory plugs into the Apple 30-pin connector on iPod touch. The FbF mobileOne captures fingerprint images when a finger is placed on the sensor and securely uploads the data to the FbF mobileOne App on iPod touch . . .”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8931/). 

But even more importantly, a thought came to me as I write this Posting:  I can very well see Apple being a strong market driver for the Biometrics Industry.  It’s easy math:  Miniature gadgets + Increased Need for Security = The Need for Biometrics.  In the future, I can see a lot of strategic partnerships being formed with Apple amongst the various Biometrics Vendors in an effort to bring out enhanced, convenient, and best of all, affordable Security.  The craze was once (and still continues to be) apps for Apple products and devices, now I forecast the craze to be Biometrics for Apple products and devices.

A Rebirth For National Security

The National ID Card Revisited

It has been quite some time since I have written about a topic which carries a strong pain point amongst the citizens of the world (well, of course, it depends upon the country you are talking about).  And that is, as the title of this section suggests, has to do with the National ID Card.  There was a time when this was a real hot button topic, I think back in 2009.  That was the day when I felt like I was writing something about it almost every day.  At that time, there was a plethora  of countries rushing to adopt  some sort of system for a National ID Card infrastructure. 

But, now it appears that phase may have died down, as countries are more interested in adopting the e-Passport (yet another hot topic area).  But today, according to a news wire I came across, life in the National ID Card may be brought back to life yet once again (and of course, which will mean more subsequent Postings here).  A very well known market research firm for the Biometrics Industry known as “Acuity Market Intelligence” has just published a report entitled “The Global National eID Industry Report”, which forecasts a stronger than expected demand for the National ID Card. 

Here are some specifics about it:  “The number of Electronic National IDs issued annually will grow by 54% from 424 million in 2010 to 655 million in 2015 according to Acuity Market Intelligence. This rapid growth from 29 to 82 Electronic National ID issuing countries represents an increase from 29% to 66% of all countries that issue National IDs . . . Global circulation for all National IDs climbs from 2.6 billion in 2010 to 3.2 billion in 2015, while the global circulation of Electronic National IDs rises from 1.5 to 2.6 billion during the same period.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/articles/i/8910/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

To summarize some of the statistics, as you can see from the above quote, the demand for the National ID Card is expected to go up 37% or so by the year 2015.  Although 2015 is still some time away, this is still, in my view, a rather substantial piece of growth rate.  But it is very important that a key differentiation be made here.  This market research talks about the National ID Card and a National Electronic Card.  I am assuming (and this is a huge, blanket assumption), that the former refers to the citizens of a country in possession of plastic card of some sort, and that the latter probably is utilizing an e-Passport like infrastructure. 

Given this differentiation, it appears that the demand for the National ID Card in general will reach to 3.2 Billion cards issued by 2015, and further, the demand for the e-National ID Card will be at about 2.6 Billion devices at the same time period.  Again, I am expecting that a bulk of this demand will stem from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim.  Why do I say this???  Well, in these geographic places, the citizens of these countries are not as much worried about the violation of Civil Liberties and Privacy rights, and if their own governments are going to be tracking their every move.  From my knowledge, the people of these countries want and very much desire a system so that they will be counted as individuals, and not just kicked underneath the dirt by their own governments. 

To many people living in these places having a National ID Card in their possession means they have a right to vote, and have a right to the entitlements and benefits which are bestowed upon them.  Will we ever see the National ID Card here in the United States???  In my view, probably not.  And if it does ever occur, it will not be for a long time, at least not in my lifetime.  I mean if we as a society cannot even accept Biometrics as a viable Security Technology, how can we even fathom the existence of the National ID Card???  This is so because Biometrics is at the heart of the National ID Card system.  There will be considerable debate and discussion on the Hill before anything like this takes off on our own soil.  And even if it does, it will just be frought with technical difficulties, like other Federal Government programs which have adopted the use of Biometrics. 

Yes, you can tell I am very much the critic of our own United States Government.  But to those countries who are in full swing with adopting some sort of a National ID Card infrastructure:  Good for you!!!  Perhaps the people of the United States could learn a lot of from you when it comes to addressing the issues of Civil Liberties and Privacy Rights.  But from a technical standpoint, here is another idea:  Why not combine the e-Passport infrastructures you may have, along with the National ID Card infrastructure, and make it into one??? 

For those countries who could be reaching near deficit levels from an economic standpoint, this makes perfect sense.  And by combining the two together, you will be able to streamline any bureaucratic channels you may already have in place for issuing Security cards, documents, etc.  Something all for the politicians and elected leaders around the world to think about . . . (plus think about the economic stimulus involved here, more demand for government services, new Security infrastructures which rely on Cryptography, etc.).

The New Social Media World

Social Media and Even More Social Media

It is a matter of fact social media is becoming the de facto tool of communication today.  But what exactly constitutes social media???   Well, it is a term which is loosely defined.  To some, it is just a means of communication rather than using the traditional means of e-mail and the landline telephones, and to many, many others, it is a way of sharing one’s entire life, whether personal or professional.  But to me, when I think of social media, the images of Facebook,Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, etc. all come to mind (in fact I have links to all of these on the tech writing website). 

I view these all as social media “channels”.  Meaning, just one line of communications for sharing something specific.  But, when you lump all of this together, it is what is known (according to my definition once again) as a “social media community”.  Now meaning, there are multiple channels hosted on a single repository from which one can leverage all types and kinds of communications with multiples of people, from all over the world.  True, there are hundreds upon hundreds of social media sites out there, but there are not as many which host the social community forum. 

Probably the best one which comes to mind in this regard is “Ning.com”.  Anyways, it is with this background in social media upon which I came across a Press Release which discusses in with context of Biometrics.  The Biometrics Vendor mentioned in it is known as “Cognitec Systems.” 

Here we go:  “Nero Kwik Media is a free media management application that makes it quick and easy for consumers to find, organize, edit, play and share music, photos and video clips between a computer, tablets, mobile phones and online social networks . . .  Cognitec’s face recognition technology is specifically used for Nero Kwik Faces which is an application used to automatically tag individual people or entire groups, allowing for easy indexing and searching of personal photo libraries. Users can edit, crop, and remove red eye from photos, create slideshows and instantly share them with friends via social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.”  (SOURCE:  http://www.findbiometrics.com/industry-news/i/8923/). 

Final Thoughts On Today’s Posting

I should mention, that the social media Vendor described in this Posting, known as “Nero”, is a huge a dominant player in its field. For example, it has something like 300 million plus units sold worldwide.  Also, as you can see from the above quote, it is Facial Recognition which is being used in this social media (or social community) example.  When I first read came the Press Release, my first impression was that it was being used as a means of Security. No doubt all things related to social media are very popular, because not only are they mostly free, but it is virtually instantaneous communication. 

So given this, Security, especially privacy becomes of paramount importance. There are countless numbers of stories how confidential and private information can be basically hacked into and stolen from these sites.  But when I further read the Press Release, I was totally surprised and shocked to see that Facial Recognition technology is actually being used to help enhance the means of communications and sharing.  The way this is happening is in regards to the indexing, cropping, and sharing of photos.  To be honest, this is the first time I have seen Biometrics being used in this regard. But, despite all of these great advantages, there is one thing that does bother me. 

This Biometrics Technology can also be used to tag people in photos, across the social media sites.  Tagging is a very popular and very quick way to identify people in photographs, whether those people in the pictures like it or not, or even whether or not they give exclusive permission to be tagged.  Tagging has caused tremendous uproar in the past, especially with regards to Facebook.  As a result, this has caused a tremendous amount of concern for Security amongst all of the billions of people across the planet whom are in cyberspace communicating.  So, here we now see a prime example of a Biometric Technology being used not only as a tool for enhancing the enjoyment of pictures, but which can also be used to potentially defeat its purpose as well. 

What is even more ironic in my opinion is that here is a Security Technology which could even potentially cause severe Security breaches down the road. Just something to ponder upon.  Personally, I think Biometrics would be a great tool for Security for the social media and social community sites.  As for the tech writing website, yes I do plan to have a Biometrics Social Community at some point in time. So I don’t give out too many secrets away, it will be hosted on a central repository, with other social media channels added to it over time.  The basic premise of this is to allow people from all over the world to share their views on Biometrics.  And yes, it will be subscription based (hey, I have to make money also!!!).