IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The scheme is part of the country’s ‘Direct Deposit’ initiative being launched by the Ministry of the People and Social Development.

The biometric card scheme aims to allow senior citizens access to all their social benefits which should significantly reduce incidents of fraud, as well as provide a more secure system for the socially vulnerable.

An e-government project by an African country is entering the testing phase for biometric smart cards featuring technology jointly developed by Next Biometrics and information security company Softlock.

The biometric smart cards leverage large-area, flexible fingerprint sensors from Next and an operating system, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and biometric applets from Softlock. Softlock provides Tactilis with the operating system for its biometric cards.

Zardari believes that pension disbursement through NADRA’s smart Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) will not only streamline the pension disbursement system but would also provide a great comfort to pensioners, as currently these pensioners have to queue for days before receiving payments. The President’s remarks came while chairing a briefing on pension disbursement through smart CNIC, attended by many ministers and senior officials early this week, Pakistan Today reported.

Sure, it's cool and easy to pay for stuff with the wave of a smartphone -- but why bother when you could use your face?

Fast-evolving biometric technologies are promising to deliver the most convenient, secure connection possible between you and your bank account -- using your body itself in place of all those wallets and purses stuffed with cash, change and plastic cards.

All over the world, governments, corporations, military establishments, law enforcement and other government agencies are using biometric technology for identification across many different verticals for a multitude of objectives.

The UAE residents going to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, Umrah or any other visit are expected to undergo biometrics tests very soon, an official said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has designated Dubai-based VFS TasHeel International to launch biometrics pilot project for visa purposes in the UAE and other countries.

Facing an increasing amount of wage and hour liability these days, employers are considering every feasible method to track employee time accurately. Believe it or not, that includes biometric systems. Indeed, as a replacement for traditional time card machines, biometric systems offer employers numerous benefits. Of course, they present accompanying risks and pitfalls, too.

BiometricBiometric systems utilize automated methods to recognize an individual based upon a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Some examples of biometric recognition include fingerprints, facial recognition, voice analysis, and iris assessment. These methods of tracking employees increase the efficiency of employer payroll systems, since clerical errors associated with manual time entries are reduced or eliminated. Biometric clocking systems also give employers stronger documentation to defend against claims by employees of nonpayment for hours worked.

Election lists have been subject to disputes for a long time, especially during the National Movement government, when there were claims that the lists were manipulated in a way that amounted to doctoring the results. No-one complained about the lists during the last presidential election though, but still, the new government has decided to use biometrics to conduct elections in the future.

Biometric technology uses computerized methods to identify a person by their unique physical or behavioral characteristics.

Developments and uses have increased with demand to match concerns over international, business and personal security.

Background:

Biometrics are already to be introduced into passports and visas at EU level (see Biometrics LinksDossier) and they are also to be used in national ID cards in France and in the proposed UK identity card. In addition their use is being proposed for entry systems to buildings, for security in financial transactions and for access to computer systems.

Our own experience during 2010 supports this observation as a growing number of our financial services clients are moving from pilot to full-scale deployments. Over the past 12 months we’ve seen solid demand for product from Latin America and Asia. Financial services clients have shown an increased commitment to biometrics as they realize that the technology is a critical component to curbing waste, fraud and abuse.

The promise of biometrics in financial services markets is only now being fully realized. Large-scale deployments involving high-value services require a technology that is both easy to use and reliable. Some programs, such as in India, will involve many millions of users under conditions that are less than ideal.

On Monday, Martin Walshe, the chairman of the European Biometrics Forum, told the inaugural EU Presidency Summit on Biometrics that the emerging technology can enhance the lives of citizens. He acknowledged, however, European concerns about data protection and privacy.

Biometrics is expected to boost mobile payment security as they offer high levels of security and an instinctive customer experience, according to a new report.

Frost & Sullivan's latest report suggests the usage of biometrics would improve security as the number of payments done via mobile devices has risen.

Hospitals and healthcare systems have been rapidly moving to electronic health records. As they move and coordinate care across networks through health information exchanges, information systems can become highly susceptible to corruption or unauthorized entry.

When looking for civil ID solutions, governments of emerging countries face two critical questions. First, how do you establish citizen identity for whole populations? Second, once identity is established, how do you ensure citizens requesting services are who they say they are, and are therefore entitled to access a service? Fingerprint biometrics has quickly become a key part of establishing and authenticating identity.

For many, the use of biometrics for physical access to facilities–whether placing a finger on a scanner or looking at an iris camera–continues to evoke futuristic images. But the technology is prevalent in applications that many use every day, for accessing the gym or tracking of time and attendance at work.

That said the high-security applications still exist and remain a primary driver for the technology. Biometric authentication was loosely included in the first FIPS 201 standard for PIV cards, the credentials mandated for U.S. government employees and contractors. But the new draft FIPS 201-2 revision more specifically calls for match-on-card biometric technology for physical access control.

The biometrics market is maturing past its once-flimsy hardware and confusing software.

Reportlinker.com has published its research report, "Global Biometric Forecast to 2012", and found that biometric identification is expected to grow by 22 percent between 2011 and 2013.

Universal adoption of biometric passports will be the driving force in this growth as so-called eGates are implemented at borders around the world.

Portable devices used by the police and the military will also become increasingly common in the fight against crime and terrorism, according to the report.