Fresh informations

(source= SC Magazine) Experts from the University of California, Davis warned this week that the reliability of fingerprint biometrics has declined considerably due to technological concerns and a growing world population. Law Professor Edward Imwinkelried and biometrics expert Mike Cherry released their findings this week in an article for the law journal Judicature about improving fingerprint identification.
We can no longer naively assume the reliability of our current fingerprint standards, the pair wrote. Given the stakesnot only justice in a particular case but national security itselfwe must do better. Imwinkelried and Cherry, who is vice chairman of the digital technology committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said that the majority of the computerised systems used to match and categorised ridge patterns within fingerprints are far too imprecise for the important applications for which they are increasingly used.

(source= Card Technology) ComnetiX has put off until next week its annual shareholder meeting as the Canadian biometric company considers acquisition offers from two U.S. companies active in the personal identification arena. The company says the delay will give shareholders time to consider an offer from Biokey to buy ComnetiX for US18.2 in Biokey stock. Also on the table is an allcash offer of US16 million from L1 Identity Solutions. L1 this month raised its offer to 1.05 per share of ComnetiX stock from its original offer of .82 cents in November.

(source= Mag Secure) DATcom annonce la commercialisation de la gamme de disques durs externes à reconnaissance biométrique la plus complète du marché. Ces disques, disponibles en capacités de 40 à 120 Go, disposent d’un système de reconnaissance de l’empreinte digitale qui protège à la fois l’accès aux données et le contenu des fichiers.
Le coeur du système de reconnaissance biométrique est constitué par un scanner à semiconducteurs. De la taille d’une pile de montre (environ 50 mm²), ce scanner analyse une empreinte digitale en moins d’une seconde. Il est capable de différencier les tissus vivants et les « imitations » telles que le moulage, la photocopie ou la photographie du doigt ou de l’empreinte digitale.

(source= Indexel) En adoptant un système de pointage biométrique pour gérer la présence de ses 440 salariés, le groupe Thermes Adour réalise un gain de temps substantiel dans la gestion des temps de travail. Sa fiabilité est sécurisante, aussi bien pour la direction que pour le personnel.
Le système que nous utilisions jusquen 2005 pour tout notre personnel, basé sur une carte de pointage qui était collectée chaque semaine pour un calcul manuel des heures effectuées par chacun, se traduisait par une perte de temps importante et un risque derreur lié à cette forme de comptage, se souvient Cathy Burosse, responsable du personnel du groupe Thermes Adour.

(source= OneStopClickNews) Relying too heavily on biometric identification processes could pose serious risks to maintaining personal security, according to industry commentators. Experts explained to the House of Lords Security Science and Technology Committee that biometric data was not as reliable a source of identification as had been previously assumed.
The IT industry has spent vast amounts of money on developing these identification processes and critics claim that they are refusing to recognise faults with the ensuing system.
A representative of the open source community explained that he could make a replica of an individuals fingerprint using a laser printer, PVA glue and printers tools.

(source= SecureID News) Fifteen biometric ATM machines were installed earlier this week in five districts in southern India. The scanner kiosks are forecasted to service over 100,000 people who will scan their fingerprints rather than swiping a card and inputting a PIN number. According to Financial Software and Systems the country is scheduled to increase the number of ATMs from 35,000 to 100,000 in the next three years, which is forcing security companies to keep a watchful eye on these experimental runs. Many banks here are keen on this idea of doing away with ATM cards, said Sunil Udupa, CEO of AGS Infotech, the company supplying the first batch of ATMs to the five districts in India. Whether it is practically possible is a very different question, but the interest is huge.

When Bank of America purchases U.S. Trust for $3.3 billion (in cash!), they will move from the second largest management firm of private wealth to the single largest in the United States, based on financial reports from private US banks on September 30, 2006. Once the banks are combined under Bank of America in March 2007, they’ll be managing a total of $261 billion in assets.
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U.S. Trust Corporation, a firm that has been in existence for over 153 years, has focused primarily in serving individuals and families by managing the wealth of those with extremely high net worth. They target households that have more than $2 million available to invest, and is estimated to handle about 13,600 accounts. Founded in 1853, U.S. Trust’s ultimate mission was to serve as management, executor and trustee of both corporate and personal money. Currently, the firm has over 2,000 […]

Many business owners report a sharp increase in profit when they begin accepting credit cards as a means of payment. Credit cards allow customers who do not have the money on hand to make purchases from you despite their personal shortage of cash, and they also open the door to customers who simply make all of their purchases by credit card or debit card each month- as there are many people who prefer to make a single payment for all their monthly expenditures when their statement arrives.
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Online businesses greatly benefit from accepting credit cards, as payment can be made immediately over the Internet and your business can quickly ship their purchase without having to wait for a check to arrive by mail, and then waiting for the check to clear the bank before sending orders out to customers.
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Service oriented businesses will notice a large decline in the number of […]

(source= Gurajat Global) Chairman of the school board of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has ambitious eplans for over 500 schools and its staff. Unfolding this plan its chairman Jaiprakash Desai also said that the school board has decided to go for ISO 9000.
Presenting the budget for the next financial year, Desai said that a provision of Rs. two lakh has been made for each of the two projects – introduction of biometric attendance and ISO 9000. He said that biometric attendance would be introduced in a phased manner. Initially the staff of the school board will be covered.

(source= ABC7.com) Jan. 23KGOFrequent flyers in San Jose are starting to plunk down 100 dollars to get through airport security lines faster. The new program kicked off today. Mineta San Jose International becomes the first west coast airport to offer the new service called Clear. It represents a 2 million dollar investment by Clear Registered Traveler, a private company. Former magazine publisher, Steve Brill, heads up Clear. The installation in San Jose follows an 18month pilot program at Orlando International. Steve Brill, Clear Registered Traveler CEO: We will lose money in the first year. We lost money in the first year in Orlando and now were making money in Orlando because people liked what they were getting, they told their friends about it, they told their friends about it, more and more people signed up, more and more people renewed and thats the business model here.