Surprising number of Americans board flights without proper ID

In a survey of 1000 people conducted by Wakefield Research for Acuant, 60% of Americans reported that they were able to board a plane without a government issued photo ID. One respondent admitted being able to board with a Costco membership card and a credit card.

Here are some of the fascinating findings:

• 60% adults have passed airport security without proper ID
• 43% have boarded flights with credit cards, marriage licenses, club cards as proof of ID
• 60% of Millennials reported using an unapproved ID to get through airport security. 

Millennials are more likely than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers to want to use an alternate form of ID.

A majority of those surveyed feel using biometrics for identification will improve travel:

• 59% feel using biometrics at TSA security check points will improve safety with identification accuracy
• 56% feel using biometrics will improve speed and efficiency at security lines
• 85% of Millennials would be comfortable using biometrics for airport security. This is greater than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers coming in at 76-74%.

Many adults are open to alternate forms of ID. Nearly half of respondents would be content using an ePassport (containing biometric information), or a digital ID (that could be presented on a smart phone). 

Airport and airlines are on track with using biometrics to help smooth and speed passenger to gate flow; 77% of airports and 71% of airlines are planning programs or RD in biometric ID management. Many experts believe that using biometric technology can make air travel a smoother, less stressful experience. Imagine traveling easily, safely, without having to find or present an ID.

Click to view an infographic of the research.



Up in the Air: Americans Board Planes without Government Issued Identification

Acuant Corp. Blog, posted Nov. 14, 21018


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Illinois driver's licenses still valid for air travel

Oct. 10, 2018 is the original date for Illinois' compliance with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements for Real ID, but Illinois has been granted an extension to June 1, 2019. Once Illinois is determined to be in compliance, the deadline for actually having a Real ID card moves to October 2020. Real ID cards are expected to be available in Illinois starting in Spring 2019.

Not everyone will need a Real ID card. The most common need for Real ID cards is air travel; you will need a Real ID to board a plane. Real ID cards will also be required to visit a military base or a secure Federal facility. 

Illinois has begun compliance with DHS Real ID requirements by moving to a centralized driver’s license (DL) application process. When someone applies for a new DL, they receive a temporary paper DL/ID valid for 90 days. For air travel, they also get their current DL back with a hole punch in it. After fraud checks, an enhanced DL/ID with additional visible and embedded security features is returned via US mail within 15 business days.

To apply for a Real IL, proof of identity is required. Applicants will need multiple forms of identity including a birth certificate or passport, proof of a Social Security Number, and two documents that prove current residency.

Thirty-six states and Puerto Rico are currently compliant. To see a map of Real ID State compliance status, visit: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

For more information about the Real ID program, visit the Department of Homeland Security FAQ page here: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-faq-implementation



State says Illinois driver’s licenses still valid for boarding planes

By Doug Finke, State Capitol Bureau, Sept. 12, 2018, The State Journal Register, online


(IL) Driver's License/State ID Card Central Issuance 

Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, online


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Spotlight on a Favorite Customer

Customer Spotlight:

O.S. Owen is one of our favorite customers helping to make a difference for young children in Chicago Public Schools. O.S. is the Chicago Volunteer Recruitment Specialist for the AARP Foundation Experience Corps in Chicago. 

AARP Foundation EC is an intergenerational volunteer-based program that has senior citizens mentoring/tutoring kids in economically disadvantaged areas of the city. The program is proven to help children reading below grade level to become great readers by the end of third grade. 

O.S. personally escorts ALL his applicants to our Loop office and is “the nicest man ever”! O.S. can be reached at oowen@aarp.org. 

For more information about the organization, visit: https://www.aarp.org/experience-corps/experience-corps-volunteer/experience-corps-cities-chicago.html

New touch-free tool for fingerprinting newborns

Photo: UC San Diego Health

A new contactless fingerprinting tool developed by researchers at the University of California at San Diego improves identification and access to health care and security. The tool, called ION, was designed with a new approach. Instead of scaling a device for adults down to infants, the ION was designed from the ground up — for infants, but also usable for adults in a “human centered design”.

The ION is fast and accurate. It was designed to accommodate the size, movement and behavior of an infant. Current testing finds identification accuracy at 90% on the first day, improving to 99% or better as early as the second day after birth. 

The research team believes the ION fingerprinting tool will provide benefits on a global scale:

• to reduce the burden of disease by enabling timely vaccinations, helping to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases
• to secure identity at birth, helping to prevent identity fraud with children
• to assist refugees displaced by war or natural disaster, helping to provide accurate reporting to enable deliveries of food, aid and care
• to help in the prevention of human trafficking

The ION is currently in trial at UC San Diego and with collaboration partners in Mexico. The next step is to expand testing to Africa and South Asia. Planned enhancements include the measurement of health biometrics: temperature, pulse, breathing and oxygen.

The ION is not currently available commercially but is expected to be ready for market in the next 12 months. Initial funding for the project was from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.


Researchers Develop Biometric Tool for Newborn Fingerprinting
New non-touch technology rapidly identifies infants and children

Published by Jackie Carr, Sept, 12, 2018 on the UC San Diego Health | Newsroom

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New driverless Smart Bus with AI and biometric palm recognition

Photo: Geospatial World

Deep Blue Technology, a Shanghai innovator in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry, has launched the "Smart Panda Bus", a self-driving bus with palm recognition technology and an AI assistant designed to respond to passenger queries. The electric engine powered bus is an environmentally friendly solution to moving commuters in the congested traffic of China’s urban areas. Buses are a smart economic solution compared to the large scale planning and construction cost of building or expanding subway systems.

While not specified in the DeepBlue Technology press release, the biometric palm recognition is likely used for identification to authenticate payments. It is also not stated whether print or vein recognition is being used. 

“Using patented key technologies such as deep learning, machine vision, biometrics and advanced payment solutions, [DeepBlue] has been able to develop new breakthrough technologies in diverse fields such as smart cities, self-driving, biological intelligence, AI chips, smart robots, retail, phonetics and semantics, security and education/national defence industry”

DeepBlue Technology has sold Smart Panda Buses to more than 200 cities across China and 500 cities around the world.


  
DeepBlue Technology Launches Autonomous "Smart Panda Bus" to Bring Bus Rapid Transit to the Next Level 

Published Sept. 3, 2018 on PR Newswire, news provided by DeepBlue Technology


Biometrics and AI Power Self-Driving Smart Bus

Published on Sept. 5, 2018, on FindBiometrics.com


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Tim Daniels is new President of Accurate Biometrics

Peggy Critchfield passes the presidential gavel to Tim Daniels

Accurate Biometrics is proud to announce Timothy Daniels as President of Accurate Biometrics. Tim has been an integral part of the Accurate Biometrics Team for nearly 12 years, most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Tim earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame, Mendoza School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. Tim has been recognized most recently with the prestigious award of “Four Under Forty” from the Kelley School of Business. His passion, dedication and strategic vision make Tim the right choice for this new role. Past president Peggy Critchfield moves to Chairman and CEO to focus on long-term planning and strategic initiatives. Please join us in congratulating Tim in his new role. 


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Kids only ride share company – fingerprint background checks required

Photo: HopSkipJump

Three busy working moms with eight kids enrolled in activities at five different school have created a ride share company only serving children. HopSkipDrive is now 4 years old, operating in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, the Bay Area and Denver. They have completed over 450,000 passenger rides so far.

Safety is paramount for the children. The company has multi-faceted approach to safety, hiring experienced drivers with 5 years of caregiver experience, and requiring detailed fingerprint-based background checks. An in-house team monitors rides as they are happening. The company’s smart phone app provides parents progress reports every step of the way, from ride confirmation and driver photo, to pick up and drop off updates, to following the ride in real time.

Parents able to book HopSkipDrive rides the next day, the next week, or even for the entire school year. Private rides start at $16, but parents are allowed to create car pool groups to reduce the costs to as little as $7 per child. The alternative of hiring a babysitter that will provide transportation is equally expensive, and it can be difficult to find someone to commit to the — possibly irregular, possibly changing — times needed.

“As working moms, we were dying,” says HopSkipJump’s co-founder and CEO Joanna McFarland. But they knew that many families like them were also scrambling to arrange school and activity transportation with hectic work schedules. The company she has created with fellow moms Carolyn Yashari Becher and Janelle McGlothlin has raised over $22 million in financing to date. But the moms are perhaps most proud of their perfect safety track record.



Would you let a stranger drive your kids to school? This rideshare service caters to children

By Jennifer Van Grove, 8/27/18, Contact Reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune.


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Airport entry facial scan catches imposter in first 3 days

Photos: Washington Dulles Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

A man arriving at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC from San Paulo, Brazil with a French passport was discovered to be an imposter by the facial recognition identity verification system that was just put into use 3 days earlier. The man in question was then pulled aside for a secondary search, where an ID from the Republic of Congo was found in his shoe. The Republic of Congo ID was a match to the detainee.

Dulles Airport first tested a facial recognition system for identity authentication back in 2015, but it was not until August 20th that a fully working system was finally in place. Dulles is one of the first 14 airports to implement biometric entry and exit using facial recognition. 

According to Casey Durst, director of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), “Terrorists and criminals continually look for creative methods to enter the U.S. including using stolen genuine documents. The new facial recognition technology virtually eliminates the ability for someone to use a genuine document that was issued to someone else."

The facial recognition software checks the scan of the traveler against photos on Visas and other documents. The CBP’s privacy policy states that the CBP doesn’t permanently retain biographic scan data used for the screening process. Facial scan data from U.S. citizens is deleted within 12 hours of verification. Non-U.S. citizen data is held for up to 14 days.



US airports' new facial recognition tech spots first imposter

By Mariella Moon, Aug. 24, 2018, for Endgadget.com | Security


Facial Recognition Technology Catches Imposter at Airport, Officials Say

By Glenn Fleishman, Aug. 23, 2018, for Fortune.com


CBP at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted an imposter using new cutting-edge Facial Comparison Biometrics technology

Released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Aug, 23, 2018


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New SmartMetric portable smart card securely stores medical records

SmartMetric has announced a new biometric protected portable health record card that can store your medical scans and images. The card addresses a need for secure, portable medical records. Having access to these records in an emergency may shorten the time to receive live saving medical intervention.

The card is the size and thickness of a credit card. Inside the card is a powerful processor with extensive memory. A fingerprint scanner on the card surface scans the owner’s fingerprint. If the scan matches the encrypted fingerprint information stored on the card, the medical records can be accessed through a computer worldwide. 

“Having spent a long time in research and development of our biometric secure fingerprint unlocked credit card, we have been able to use the same miniature electronics technology into creating this amazing leap forward in portable medical files,” according to SmartMetric’s President and CEO, Chaya Hendrick.

This card can help give people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart conditions or other serious medical conditions peace of mind, especially as they travel. 

While not available to the general public at this time, the biometric health record card has gone into production for a field trial. SmartMetrics, through partnership with Argentina-based Grupo Datco, has contracted with a large academic institution for campus use. The trial will allow other businesses and government agencies to see the potential of biometric health record card. 


SmartMetric Develops A Biometric Portable Health Records Card That Stores Your Medical Records Inside the Card That Is Secured By Your Fingerprint

SmartMetric media release, Aug. 07, 2018 



SmartMetric Puts Biometric Card Into Production

By Alex Perala, July 16, 2018, for FindBiometrics.com


New Distribution Partner Stokes Excitement Over SmartMetric Biometric Card

By Alex Perala, May 29, 2018, for FindBiometrics.com



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Fingerprints, koalas and the FBI – fascinating facts

Photo: Getty Images/Andrew Merry

Our fingerprints are uniquely formed partly from genetics, and partly from pressure against our tiny finger pads in our mother’s womb as we grow and develop. Our fingerprints don’t change throughout our lifetime, but the ease of reading them does. When we reach puberty and our skin gets oilier, latent prints become easier to read. As we get old, our fingerprints start to harden, making it more difficult to scan and read the prints of seniors.

Some climbing animals such as gorillas, chimpanzees and koalas have fingerprints as well. Scientists believe it has something to do with evolutionary selection favoring ridged paws. However, a report of koala prints fooling Australian crime scene investigators is just a tall tale. A fingerprint specialist can spot the differences.

Historically, evidence of fingerprints being used to identify criminals was found in China in the 3rd century BCE. Fingerprint use in the West really expanded in the 1800s when Scottish physician Henry Fauld wrote an article for a science journal noting that fingerprints could be used for forensic purposes. Faulds wrote to Charles Darwin for help. An ailing Darwin passed the request to a scholarly relative, Francis Galton. Galton, known as the pioneer of fingerprint identification, amassed a collection of over 8,000 prints and developed a system for naming and classifying them.

The use of fingerprints as identification took another leap in the 1970’s with the introduction of computer-based systems. In the 1920s, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover ordered the compilation of a national pool of fingerprints. Today, the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) system has a database of over 135 million civil and criminal prints. The average query response time of the Tenprint Rapsheet Request (TPRS) system is less than 20 seconds.

Fingerprints are a standard of biometric identification. They are easy to use, convenient, and you can’t forget them like you can a wallet. Biometrics authentication methods are often tested – both by researchers and by hackers – and therefore are constantly being refined. For example, it is not the actual fingerprint image stored in your mobile device, but encrypted data created with your fingerprint and complex algorithms. The future of biometric authentication may be layered authentication, using a combination of fingerprints, face and voice.


Koalas, wood glue and the FBI: Fascinating facts about fingerprinting

By Alexandra Fisher and Simon Leo Brown for ABC News, Late Night Live, Australia, Jun, 30 2018


FBI NGI Monthly Fact Sheet

June 2018


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Biometric ID to end catfishing in online dating

Photo credit: LoveBlock

LoveBlock is introducing a technology based on Blockchain to create Biometric IDs for the authentication and security of members of online dating platforms. LoveBlock hopes to revolutionize online dating with their new technology.

When users join a dating platfom, they provide personal information and upload a unique photo or video. As part of the LoveBlock verification process, they would then be required to submit a real time photo or video where they might be asked to hold up a certain number of fingers or recite a sequence of numbers, etc. 

The photos or videos are scanned, matched and verified. The biometric information becomes part of a member’s Biometric ID, which is encrypted and saved on the Blockchain.

If a fraud is reported by a member of the dating app and verified, the information will be recorded and become part of the scammer’s Biometric ID. The user would also be blocked from the LoveBlock network.

LoveBlock plans to reach out and connect with other dating platforms to exchange this information. This cooperation between dating platforms will greatly reduce fraud and enhance security for all members. 

LoveBlock technology is develop by the LB Team, based in Singapore:
https://www.loveblock.one/

The LB Team is working closely with the dating app Luxy, with over 2 million users worldwide.
https://www.onluxy.com/



Loveblock’s Security System To Wipe Out Scammers In The Online Dating Industry

By Jillian Godsil, June 18, 2018, for Irish Tech News



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Biometrics now required to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada

Photo credit: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Every year Canada welcomes millions of visitors, and hundreds of thousands seeking to study, work or become a permanent Canadian resident. Starting in the summer of 2018, visitors, students, workers and immigrants will need to provide fingerprints and facial scan biometrics. There are a few exemptions, including US nationals.

The scope of the program has grown, as the number of countries participating has increased from 30 to about 150 countries, including applicants from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The biometrics data is collected at Visa Application Centers (VACs) managed by private companies and international organizations.

Beginning July 31, 2018, applicants will pay an $85 fee CAD ( about $69 USD) for the biometric data collection service to help defray the cost of the program.

Mathieu Genest, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, emphasizes that applicant privacy concerns are of key importance, “The government of Canada takes its privacy obligations very seriously, and safeguards have been built into policies, procedures and technical systems.”

Biometrics data from the program will be shared with Canada’s international intelligence partners: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

The data will be stored for 10 years, or destroyed if permanent residency is granted.

For an informational video visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/video/biometrics-summer-2018.html

To find a Visa Application Center visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/offices/find-visa-application-centre.html

For detailed information on Canada’s expanded biometrics program, visit this Canadian Government website page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/biometrics.html?utm_source=slash-biometrics_biometrie&utm_medium=short-url-en&utm_campaign=biometrics


Ottawa expands program to collect fingerprints, photos from foreign nationals coming to Canada

Kathleen Harris for CBC News, June 5, 2018


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Robots: helping to improve care of the elderly

Allowing robots to help care for the elderly may seem cold and lacking in the human touch, but in Japanese media, robots are depicted as helpful and friendly. Many Japanese view them positively. With an aging population, over 1 in 4 are at least 65 years old, and a dwindling work force, Japan needs creative solutions. Lessons learned from Japan’s experience will benefit other countries with aging populations, including the US.

While robots will never replace human caregivers, they help meet a variety of needs. They can be companionable, such as Paro, the furry white seal that makes seal cries when petted. They can aid the disabled, such as Tree, an upright robot that crawls the floor showing a senior where to place the next step and offering balance support. They also help staff, such as HAL (Hybrid Assisted Limb) which provides back support and powered assistance when lifting people.

Robots are not cheap. For example, Paro the robot seal took over 10 years to develop and received over $20 million in government support. It currently costs 400,000 yen ($3,800 USD). Most facilities using robots have relied on local and central government subsidies.

At Tokyo’s Shin-tomi nursing home, using robots hasn’t reduced personnel costs or working hours, but they have made the work environment safer, and boosted the morale of both staff and residents, making them feel supported.

The global market for robots for the elderly and disabled is currently small ($19.2 million in 2016), and made up mostly of Japanese manufacturers. Future market growth will be exponential: demand in Japan alone is expected to reach $3.8 billion by 2035, when about 1/3 of Japan’s population will be 65 or older.

Japan also hopes to supply a lucrative export industry to places such as Germany, China, Italy and other countries facing aging populations.



How robots could help care for Japan's aging population

Malcolm Foster for Independent, UK, April 9, 2018. Photography by Kim Kyung-Hoon. 


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