

The experiment, believed to be the first of its kind, means a computer can keep track of the device and its carrier.
The chip has been inserted in Professor Kevin Warwick's upper arm.
The professor, from the University of Reading, in England, is taking part in the experiment to highlight some of the dangers of the technology.
Adpating technology
The technology itself is not new. Silicon chips are already used in many countries to identify animals.
A digital reader can pick up a unique code for the device which is placed under the skin.
The chips can be used to reunite lost pets with their owners and identify animals which have received vaccinations for certain diseases.
More sophisticated
The implant in Professor Warwick's body is more sophisticated. Sensors can be set up to pinpoint his location and even switch on lights automatically when he enters a room on campus.
But he says the real reason for having the chip inserted was to demonstrate the sinister side of the pushing the frontiers of technology forward.
"There are positive sides and negative sides - postive in helping people around big building, negative are the big big brother issues - machines or computers controlling humans," he said.
He says that if their use became widespread we would never enjoy any privacy and could be followed and identified wherever we went.
Future possibilities
Professor Warwick's device, which will be removed after a week, carries 64 pieces of information.
But they could also be used to carry personal information such as bank details or credit ratings.
"If we look to the future, compared with what this small chip contains now, in five or six years time the amount of information and the amount of processing capabilites will be enormous," Professor Warwick said.
Criminal offenders and even babies can already be tracked using electronic tagging devices attached to their body, the next step could be to implant silicon chips instead.
OTHER USES FOR SMARTCARDS
NEWS ROUND-UP (July 09, 1999)
For more information on any of the following news releases, go and look them up at the Press Release section of our website:
http://www.cards-worldwide.com/library/press/index.htm
CITIBANK TOPS ONLINE BANKING SURVEY
Branding experts recently named Citibank as the world's top online
banker and urged competitors to invest in their identities to make the
most of the burgeoning digital market. The advent of chip card bank cards
is expected to accelerate on-line banking opportunities.
SMART BOOZE
Former All Black rugby star Joe Karam launched his "HouseBar" vending
machine in Auckland at the end of last month. Designed to dispense alcoholic
drinks on licensed premises, IT-savvy drinkers can now buy a pre-loaded
chip card from the licensee to ensure that only those above the legal drinking
age have access to their favourite tipple.
VISA RESPONDS TO US BANK PRESSURE
Visa, the world's largest cards association, has agreed to alter the
rules governing the positioning of its logo on some of its cards within
the United States. Over the coming months, members of Visa USA will be
permitted to shift the Visa logo onto the back of debit cards. This departure
comes after the recent defection of Citigroup to MasterCard over
the issue of card branding. Observers have pointed out that the whole
concept of card-based branding ignores the paradigm shift to chip-based
multi-application functionality.
SMART CARDS IN EUROPEAN GOVT CONFERENCE
Representatives of the European Union's leading govt-linked Smart Card
schemes will gather in Brussels this December to focus attention upon card-based
public sector solutions. Contracts across the entire applications spectrum
will be reviewed, with particular attention paid to the EU framework for
card scheme implementation. Smart Cards in European
Govt is being held 6-8 December. For further information & details
of conference participation contact: john@aic-sweden.com
VENICE TRIAL INTRODUCES SMART GONDOLAS
Venice's picturesque canals are to be given a technological twist with
the pilot introduction of a hybrid contact/contactless card for passengers
on the city's boats.
SAUDI ARABIA TO DEPLOY CHIP CARD PAYPHONES
The Saudi Telecommunications Company has put in an order for 100,000
chip card payphones, with the IT & telecoms group Silki La Silki.
SA GOVT TO USE ID TECHNOLOGY TO HALT FUEL FRAUD
The South African ministry of transport has unveiled a scheme to suppress
government "fuel fraud". Dullah Omar, Minister for Transport, said that
a Rand 17 million scheme would be implemented over two years. The solution,
created by Automated Fuel Systems, is based on vehicle identification technology
(VIT). 13,600 government vehicles are to be hooked up to the system, involving
Smart Cards, which will automate the refuelling process & simultaneously
capturing driver ID, vehicle ID, time of transaction and location of transaction
information.
TELSTRA TO USE SMART CARDS TO CUT GOVT MEDICAL BILL
Australian Telecoms giant, Telstra Corporation, is proposing to use
its Smart Card expertise to reduce the Australian govt's annual A$4.7 billion
(US$3.13 billion) medical bill, as part of the govt's "practice incentive
programme". As lead sponsor of the forthcoming Cards Australia '99 Exhibition
(7-9 September, Sydney), Telstra will be displaying a wide
variety of its industry-leading Smart Card technology for the benefit
of visitors to Australia's largest dedicated Cards event. For further
information contact: hmorgan@aicconf.com.au
SCOTTISH CARD SCHEME INCURS UNION WRATH
A GBP 1 million Smart Card scheme in Aberdeen has run into union resistance.
Last month unions threatened to refuse to handle the new chip card system,
which they say is too complicated for govt employees to operate. Designed
to allow Aberdeen residents access to a range of local government services
with the swipe of a card, the troubled "Access Card"
incorporates up to 16 separate services, from school meals to swimming
sessions.
MEXICAN BANK POISED TO ROLL-OUT FINGERPRINT-ENABLED ATM
Banorte, a Mexican bank with 600 branches, will be the first bank to
use the new CardStore ATM application developed by ICL to run on
Fujitsu's Series 7000 ATMs. The technology is currently being installed
in a factory
in Mexico, to enable employees swift access to cash from their pay
cheques. The application combines a biometric fingerprint scanner and chip
card technology.
SMART CARDS FOR SINGAPORE'S UNION MEMBERS
180,000 Singaporean trade union members now have a chip card with some
of the most comprehensive features in the world. The NTUC Link card, which
identifies members of the NTUC Club and cooperatives in the National Trades
Union Congress, can be used as a CashCard for electronic road pricing
and for Nets or ATM payments. Holders can also use it to borrow National
Library books, carry out Internet banking, and make pre-paid telephone
calls overseas. The cards will soon be issued to the rest of the 285,000
union members.
INDUSTRY GATHERING CONFIRMS SCANDINAVIA AS EUROPE'S MOST IT-LITERATE
REGION
Scandicards '99, the region's leading Cards technology & applications
industry gathering, is focusing attention upon the implementation-horizon
for card platforms in Northern Europe. What with world-class multi-modal
transport schemes already in operation throughout the Nordic region, and
plans to make Iceland the world's first cashless society already well advanced,
the hosting of Scandicards is further testament to the area's enduring
investment appeal. Scandicards '99 is being held from 8-10 September in
Stockholm. Contact John Dellow for further information: john@aic-sweden.com
HONG KONG 7-ELEVEN STORES TO ACCEPT OCTOPUS?
The Octopus contactless transit card, issued by Creative Star, may
soon be accepted at the SAR's chain of 7-Eleven convenience stores. Initial
tests will let customers add value to their cards but, subject to the Monetary
Authority's approval, this will be only the first step to transforming
Creative Star's card into a multi-purpose electronic purse platform.
A BULL MARKET IN LATIN AMERICA
Bull, the French-based international IT group, recently announced that
the national Visa networks of Brazil and Peru have placed orders for 5000
new EFT-POS terminals to equip retailers. Peru's order for 2000 terminals,
to be installed before the end of the year, includes a specification for
mag stripe/IC card functionality. This will enable Visa banks to pursue
their ongoing programme for rolling out mag stripe terminals, whilst simultaneously
laying the groundwork for a shift to chip.
MULTIMEDIA KIOSKS FOR UK HIGH STREET
British Telecom & Photo-Me International, the coin-operated photo
booth company, are planning to offer the public multimedia kiosks in high
street locations, with Smart Card payment/security options.
KEYCORP RAISES CAPITAL TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION
Keycorp Limited, Australia's leading electronic commerce and Smart
Card technology company, has raised A$13.4 million (US$8.9 million) in
capital through a private share placement. The capital raised at the beginning
of July will fund the expansion of Keycorp's international business, which
in the 1998 financial year accounted for more than 50% of product revenues.
In particular, the company will pursue its strategy of entering the US
market through its Canadian subsidiary, Tillsmith Systems.
SCIA GRANTS AWARD TO SINGAPORE
The New Jersey-based Smart Card Industry Association granted its 1999
Outstanding Smart Card Application (OSCA) Award to the Singapore Land Transport
Authority (LTA) for successfully implementing one of the world's
first Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) systems using chip card technology.
EDINBURGH OPTS FOR SMART TICKETING SOLUTION
The ConCERT consortium - consisting of FirstGroup, Edison Capital and
Abbey National Treasury Services - has been named as the preferred bidder
by the City of Edinburgh Council for its trail-blazing multi-modal transport
ticketing project.
MALAYSIA TO USHER IN WEB-BASED GOVT PROCUREMENT
Cryptographic Smart Card technology will be employed by the Malaysian
government to authenticate users of a new electronic govt procurement system.
Malaysia's annual procurement amounts to about Ringgit 6.2 billion (US$1.8
billion).
NEW PRESIDENT OF VISA IN LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Jonathan Sanchez-Jaimes takes over from James Partridge as the President
of Visa International (Latin America & Caribbean Region). Sanchez-Jaimes
has been with Visa since 1996. Outgoing Partridge will remain involved
with the
region, staying on as a member of Visa's regional board of directors,
as well as acting as a senior advisor to the region.
SINGAPORE'S NETRUST GOES GLOBAL WITH NEW EXPORT LICENSE
Netrust Pte Ltd, South Asia's first Certification Authority can now
issue digital certificates supporting strong 128-bit encryption to any
user worldwide. This approval was granted in a renewed export license for
Netrust's Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) by the US Department of Commerce
earlier this year.
BGS SMARTCARD SYSTEMS PARTNERS GROUP MEETING FOCUSES ON SECURITY
The fourth International BGS Partners Group Meeting was opened on Sunday
in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria. The meeting was scheduled for the Austrian
company to educate current and potential clients on developments in the
industry generally, and developments in security in particular. For the
first time partners and clients from India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Argentina,
Uruguay, Mexico, Columbia are taking part in this information exchange
process.
AUSTRALIAN CITY COUNCIL PLANS FOR CITIZEN CHIP CARD
Brisbane residents can look forward to a using a single card to pay
their rates, licence fees, and bus fares if the current Lord Mayor has
his way. A council spokesman confirmed that the card would be the key to
interacting with the council across the full range of council services.
The current implementation deadline is the end of 2002.
HONGKONG POST PROPOSES ELECTRONIC STAMPS
Hongkong Post intends to launch a service enabling companies to buy
electronic stamps by the end of this year. Using a Smart Card as a client's
ID, Hongkong Post promises to trace the delivery status of documents sent
via the web. Hongkong Post will be competing head-to-head with UPS which
already provides a comparable electronic document exchange service.
SCHLUMBERGER BUYS STAKE IN BRAZILIAN MANUFACTURER
Schlumberger has bought an 80 per cent stake in CardTech, a Brazilian
mag stripe card producer with close ties to the country's financial sector.
PROTON WORLD CERTIFIES BULL E-PURSE
Bull and Proton World announced a few days ago that Proton World has
certified the CC200+ card, the latest in the Cash Card range from Bull.
The card provides a processing speed of 115, 200 bits per second, 12 times
faster than that of previous Smart Cards.
GERMAN BANKING COMMUNITY GIVES APPROVAL TO NEW SMART CARD CONTROLLERS
The German Central Credit Control Committee of Banks (Zentraler Kreditausschu?,
ZKA) has approved the hardware/software combination based on the new P8WE5032
high security crypto controller for the Geldkarte project. "With this approval
Philips Semiconductors is proud to offer the first Smart Card controller
fully hardware-resistant against recent threats. We have achieved this
through sophisticated and dedicated chip design based on leading edge 0.35
?m process technology", comments Alexander Harrer, product line manager
Chip Card ICs at Philips Semiconductors.
SHANGHAI DEPLOYS SMART SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
Shanghai has begun a social welfare project by setting up an information
hub connecting all social security data with offices in three districts
and using a Smart Card containing citizen ID, health insurance and other
information. The card can be used to obtain employment, occupational training,
unemployment insurance, medical insurance, pension services and e-commerce.
G&D AND PHILIPS OFFER JOINT DIGITAL SIGNATURE SOLUTION
Europe's number one semiconductor supplier, Philips Semiconductors,
and Smart Card manufacturer, Giesecke & Devrient, today announced an
agreement to jointly develop a chip card to calculate digital signatures,
creating a
benchmark high security Smart Card solution for secured data transmission
via internet and e-mail. The chip card and operating system will be designed
to meet the ITSEC E4 High certification, required by German legislation
for digital signatures, to help increase confidence by reducing potential
fraud in the emerging e-commerce market.
GEMPLUS BRINGS OUT NEW GENERATION OF MULTI-APP JAVA CARDS
Gemplus last week unveiled its GemXpresso 210 range - trailed as the
industry's first range of Smart Cards to be based on Java Card 2.1 AP.
It provides card issuers with multi-application capabilities and built-in
security, including public key encryption support.
SINGAPORE COMPANY INCREASES PC SECURITY
Autostar Technology, a provider of Netrust approved Smart Card readers,
Smart Card solutions and fingerprint ID solutions recently announced the
release of 2 new products to prevent unauthorised PC access.
PUBLICARD ACQUIRES BRITISH CAMPUS CARD PRODUCER
US-based Publicard has agreed terms to take over UK-based firm Absec,
which develops cashless payment and control systems for campus environments.
A seniot representative of Publicard underlined the importance of developing
this side of the business: "The campus market is one of the early-adopter
markets for Smart Card technology both in the US and elsewhere. Strategically
it is essential that Publicard has a campus capability within its portfolio
of products." It is expected that the acquisition will be finalised within
the next couple of months.
ORGA TAKES LEAD IN GERMAN HEALTHCARE MARKET
With over 150,000 card readers in use, equating to a 60 per cent market
share, ORGA is now a leader in the market for desktop & mobile Smart
Card readers for the German health insurance card. The company claims that
its readers are now used daily in almost every medical practice.
ERG GROUP & WESTPAC FORM ALLIANCE
Australia's ERG and the Westpac banking group have formed an alliance
to integrate Smart Card-based transit ticketing solutions with the general
payments industry. Under the alliance Westpac will become the principal
eftpos transaction processor for ERG Group's e-ticketing platforms.
CHINA'S LARGEST IC CARDS PLANT OPENS IN TIANJIN
The largest IC cards plant in China has been inaugurated in Tianjin
New Technology Industrial Park, today. It is a joint investment from Tianjin
Telephone Equipment Factory and Gemplus, one of the world's leading manufacturers
of Smart Cards and providers of Smart Card solutions.
***************************************
Please feel free to forward any appropriate material for inclusion
in future editions of the E-Newsletter to: james@aic-asia.com
***************************************
The Christian ALERT Network (TCAN) Inc.
POB 11746, Killeen, TX 76547-1746
Presents
A31: "National ID Card" Is Now Federal Law The Mark of the Beast
... how close?
We Have A Very Serious And Urgent Problem In Our Country And
We Need YOUR Help
In September of 1996, President Clinton signed into law, the Illegal
Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996. Buried at approximately page 650 of the
new national Defense Bill, also known as
Public Law 104-208, Part B, Title IV, the American public was given
a national ID card. With no fanfare, no
publicity and no scrutiny, the bill easily avoided the watchful eyes
of even its most aggressive opponents.
The Coalition to Repeal the Fingerprints Law, a Georgia grassroots movement
trying to rid the state of the new
requirement to give digital fingerprints in order to obtain a state
ID or driver's license, recently found the national
ID tie. The group found that the national law not only mandates a national
ID card, but found how it is to be used.
In Section 401-403, pilot programs have been initiated by the U.S. Attorney
General, one of which is the "Machine
Readable Document Pilot Program". In this particular program, employers
would have to "procure" a document
reader linked to the federal government's Social Security Administration
in order to have the potential employee
swipe their new driver's license/national ID card through the reader.
Then, it would be up to the federal government
to either approve or disapprove the applicant for employment.
Section 326 and 327 provide $5,000,000 per year grants to each state
participating in any of the three pilot
programs. The money has been allocated through the Criminal Alien Tracking
Center and is called the Criminal
Alien Identification System. The "automated identification system",
which is to be used by "Federal, State, and
local law enforcement" and will "provide for recording of fingerprints
of aliens previously arrested and removed".
The grants run from "fiscal years 1997 through 2001".
Additionally, Section 656 of the new law states that "after October
1, 2000, Federal agencies may only accept as
proof of identity driver's licenses that conform to standards developed
by the Secretary of the Treasury", after
consultation with state motor vehicle officials and the American Association
of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The
AAMVA sees digital fingerprinting as the best way to go in driver's
license identifiers.
Fearing that all Americans were about to be digitally tattooed under
the government's paranoiac guise of catching
everything from aliens to dead beat dads, Congressman Dick Armey (R-TX)
was one of the first to voice his
opinion. Armey called the move, "an abomination and wholly at odds
with the American tradition of individual
freedom". Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) joined Armey in signing a
letter denouncing the computer registry
and tracking system and Jack Kemp announced in the New York Times that
this was, "an anti-privacy,
anti-business and anti-American approach" and that "it was no way to
run immigration policy". Of course, all this
was said before the bills were snuck through in the last defense bill.
There is a possibility at this time, they don't
even know the proposed legislation became law.
For the first time in American history and reminiscent of Communist
countries, our government would have the
ability to grant approval before a private company enters into private
employment contracts with private citizens.
Because of the nature of the employment system alone, personal information
would be accessible to local agencies
and anyone who even claims to be an employer.
The government would have comprehensive files of all American citizen's
names, dates of birth, place of birth,
mother's maiden names, Social Security numbers, gender, race, driving
records, child support payments, divorce
status, hair color, eye color, height, weight, and anything else they
may dream up in the future.
On May 10, 1995, a hearing was held by the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration
entitled, "Verification of
Applicant Identity for the Purposes of Employment and Public Assistance".
The hearing was chaired by Senator
Alan Simpson (R-WY) and attended by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Dianne
Feinstein (D-CA), and John Kyl
(R-AZ). Robert Razor of the Secret Service Financial Crimes Division
gave the Subcommittee an explanation of
the emerging biometric technological role in personal identification.
He said, "The use of biometrics is the means
by which an individual may be conclusively identified. There are two
types of biometric identifiers: physical and
behavioral characteristics. Physiological biometrics include facial
features, hand geometry, retinal and iris patterns,
DNA, and fingerprints. Behavioral characteristics include voice characteristics
and signature analysis."
Now the people of America not only must have digital tattoos on their
driver's licenses, we must also give
information to the government when boarding commercial aircraft, called
personality profiles, along with a
government ID card. Of course, this guise is in order to catch some
would be terrorist. Dianne Feinstein, author of
the national ID law, explained in a Capitol Hill magazine that it was
her intention to see Congress immediately
implement a national identity system where every American is required
to carry a card with a "magnetic strip on it
which the bearer's unique voice, retina pattern, or fingerprint is
digitally encoded." She also stated that "fifteen
years ago, they would have torn the building down". We probably would
have if we had known about it. I hope she
doesn't mind that Georgia left out the magnetic strip and replaced
it with two dimensional bar-coding.
During closing remarks of the May 10 Subcommittee meeting, Senator Alan
Simpson stated, "There is much to do
here, but I was just saying to Ted [Kennedy] before he left, a hearing
like this fifteen years ago, would have torn
the building down. And here we are today, just a bunch of us, kind
of sitting around and no media, no nothing. This
is fine with me. I get tired of them on this issue."
Based on other federal mandates, the Associated Press reported in the
Wichita Eagle on March 6, 1997 that the
"Federal government mandates a registry of new employees: State lawmakers
balk at bill required by Congress to
ease child support collection. A bill designed to increase state collection
of child support payments was described as
a "Big Brother" move and drew little support from members of the Senate
Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
But the federal government says the legislature must pass it or the
state could lose as much as $29 million in
federal funds." The bill referred to requires the state to set up a
"new hires directory" that would require all
employers to report to the state information about every newly hired
employee. The directory would be made
available to the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services for
child support collections. In the article, they
reported that "the date in Kansas and other states, although confidential,
would be available to a national directory
of new hires." They further reported that all people would be listed,
regardless of age and even those that have no
child support obligation.
The Senate Judiciary Committee in Kansas was quick to offer comments
condemning the federal mandate. Senator
Mike Harris from Wichita, the committee chairman said, "This is the
most potentially significant, far-reaching
piece of legislation that has come through this committee".
The legislators from both parties referred to "Big Brother" and George Orwell's novel, "1984".
Kansas State Senator Paul Feleciano of Wichita said, "If ever we give
witness to Big Brother watching over us,
this is the beginning of it". Sen. Ed Pugh of Wamego had sharper words
for the bill. He said, "I don't see how it can
be drafted by someone in a free society. It's a perfect example of
the ends justifying the means." These Kansas
lawmakers are not referring to the Immigration Act, but to another
new federal law, the Welfare Reform Act. If
Kansas refuses to have a state bill in place later this year, they
will loose as much as $29 million in federal funds
for child support collection. Senator Pugh said it is a "wholesale
assault on Constitutional rights".
The new driver's license requirement mandating fingerprints for Georgia
driver's and those wanting ID cards
passed the state legislature with virtually no public or media attention
in April of 1996. The first known
announcement was on the local Atlanta news announcing an October 1996
date to begin fingerprinting. Cyndee
Parker, now a coordinator for the Coalition to Repeal the Fingerprint
Law in Georgia began the campaign to repeal
the egregious law.
Many Georgia lawmakers joined in on the repeal efforts. Representatives
Mitchell Kaye, Brian Joyce, Vernon
Jones and Senator Pam Glanton were the first to help lead the repeal
efforts in the General Assembly of Georgia.
Eight bills were drawn by the House and one by the Senate.
Mitchell Kaye refers to the law as, "tracking us like a can of dog food".
Due to the Governor's and House Speaker's manipulations, all eight House
bills were held hostage by the House
Motor Vehicle's Committee and were never voted on. The Senate overwhelmingly
passed a Senate Bill, only to
find it placed as hostage, along with the other bills in Motor Vehicles.
On the last night of the Georgia Session,
Senator Glanton amended another driver's license related bill and it
also was never voted on by the House due to
the same manipulations, illegal rule changes and an incredible amount
of confusion on the House Floor. Governor
Miller stated numerous times during the year that he would veto any
repeal effort. House Speaker Tom Murphy
was happy to see that the Governor did not have to get out his veto
pen.
The Coalition will now take their story around the state using town
hall meetings. The repeal effort has made very
strange political bedfellows, with such groups as the ACLU, Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, the
Libertarian Party of Georgia, the Christian Coalition, American's for
Lawful Government, ABATE a motorcycle
rider's education group, and many other diverse groups, totaling about
20 in all and growing rapidly. The Coalition
believes that once Georgian's know about the federal implications,
the groundswell will grow so large that the
Governor will have no choice but rid the state of the obviously federally
mandated bill. The group says that at least
the State of Washington was honest with its citizens when proposing
the same fingerprinting legislation. Right in
Section 1 of the Washington bill, they state this is a national ID
card in conformity with federal mandates.
Georgia just slipped theirs through unnoticed by lawmakers and the public,
the same way the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act was. The group also had to
notify their United States Congressional
Representatives and Senators, as they were unaware of the facts as
well. Both State and Federal Representatives
and Senators had absolutely no knowledge they had passed the new laws
until the Coalition brought it to their
attention.
The Coaltion to Repeal the Fingerprints Law can be reached at 404-250-8105
or visit their web site at
www.mcwebs.com/repeal/
NOTICE: Copyrighted article. Permission to place in newspapers, re-send,
post and place on web sites, if shown
only in its entirety with no changes or additions. This notice must
accompany all re-posting unless express
permission is given by the author.
*****
It is strongly suggested that this be sent to legislators in all states
to warn them of impending legislation on their state levels.
*****
HOUSTON - Bank United, Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) and Sensar,
Inc., today
introduced the latest advancement in banking technology -- the nation's
first Iris Recognition
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) -- an ATM that identifies customers
by recognizing unique
patterns within the iris (colored part) of their eye. Now, thousands
of consumers in Houston,
Dallas and Fort Worth will be able to withdraw cash from their accounts
at the ATM just by looking
at it.
Bank United is the first bank in the United States to introduce Iris Recognition
ATMs. The
ATM was developed by Diebold -- one of the world's largest ATM manufacturers
-- using iris
recognition products supplied by Sensar, Inc.
To introduce the future of banking to customers, Bank United has placed
the Iris Recognition
ATMs at three Bank United branches -- one branch in Houston, one branch
in Dallas and one
branch in Ft. Worth. The selected branches, chosen because of their
high volume of ATM traffic,
are all located inside Kroger supermarket stores.
"Bank United is proud to be the first U.S. bank to bring this latest technology
-- Iris
Recognition ATMs -- to our customers," said Ron Coben, Executive
Vice President of Bank
United Corp. "We understand that technology is key to the bank of
the future. Our customers can
count on us to creatively leverage technology for their convenience.
We expect to bring this
exciting capability to the rest of our customers in early 2000."
Using a Diebold ATM, a Bank United customer simply walks up to the ATM
and looks at a
Sensar camera to access their accounts. The camera instantly photographs
the customer's iris.
If the customer's iris data matches the record stored at the time of enrollment,
access will be
granted. At the ATM, positive identification can be read through
glasses, contact lenses and
most sunglasses. Iris recognition is a highly accurate, easy-to-use
and virtually fraud-proof means
to verify a customer's identity.
Research shows the matching accuracy of iris recognition is greater than
that of DNA
testing. And, unlike other measurable human features the patterns
in the iris do not change over
time.
With 266 measurable characteristics, the iris is the most unique, data
rich physical structure
on the human body -- substantially more unique than a fingerprint, which
has about 35 measurable
characteristics. Bank United customers can feel confident when using
this latest technology -- no
two people on Earth have the same irises. In fact, even the left
iris and right iris of the same
person have different identifiable patterns.
"Diebold is excited to be the first in the country to provide banking customers
with Iris
Recognition ATMs," said Toni Portmann, Vice President, Western Division
at Diebold. "We are
always researching new ways to provide convenient and secure solutions
to our customers. Our
open architecture allows us to implement new technology, such as iris recognition,
quickly and
easily."
"Today, banking changed forever," said Robert Van Naarden, Vice President
of Sales,
Marketing and Customer Service for Sensar. "We currently have 12
pilot tests in 9 countries --
including the U.S. -- where customers have used iris recognition to withdraw
cash at ATMs and
teller stations. Soon, you'll even be able to use your iris to securely
buy products over the Internet.
Clearly, iris recognition is becoming the global standard in personal electronic
identification."
Sensar uses the iris recognition process developed and licensed from IriScan,
Inc. of
Marlton, New Jersey. The iris recognition software process and technology
was invented by Dr.
John Daugman, Cambridge University, England.