Big Brother Alert! WV to Fingerprint All (your papers, please!)

Business Wire ^ | 03/01/2005 | Wire

[Buckeye McFrog]

March 01, 2005 11:00 AM US Eastern Timezone

West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Awards Contract to Viisage for A Leading Edge, Multi-Biometric Drivers' License

BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2005--   West Virginia Setting New Standard for Internal Controls and Drivers' License Security Designed to Improve Homeland Security and Protect Citizen's Identity  

Viisage (Nasdaq: VISG), a leading provider of advanced technology identity solutions, today announced that after a thorough evaluation of competitive offerings, the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles selected Viisage for the design and implementation of the State's new drivers' license. The new State license will include finger image and face recognition biometrics as well as the latest credentialing security features. The end-to-end security built into the State's process is designed to provide citizens with protection from identity theft and fraud, and is expected to allow the State to contribute to heightened homeland security efforts. The one-year contract awarded includes the option for four one-year renewals. The West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, in collaboration with Viisage, will begin producing a new drivers' license that provides citizens with high levels of security from the upfront proofing of identity to the issuance of licenses embedded with advanced security features. West Virginia's process will begin with the use of finger image technology to record operator login, allowing for continuous tracking of drivers' licenses from the point of initial application. Additional built-in security measures are available to prevent unauthorized production of drivers' licenses.

In the application process, the State will take photographs of citizens, and citizens will have the option of providing their finger image for a multi-biometric solution that offers added identity protection. The State will compare the applicant's live facial image and finger image capture to the facial image and finger image on the driver's license record to certify that a driver's license is issued to the correct person. Further, the State will use face recognition technology to compare the live facial image of an applicant to all of the facial images in the State's database, which will help assure the State that each applicant has only one record. This database scanning process is expected to allow the State to cleanse its database and uncover any cases of suspected identity theft or fraud.

"We had a vision of how we would better protect our citizens and advance homeland security efforts. Viisage has made this vision a reality with a winning combination of multiple biometrics and a top credentialing solution. Further, the entire solution includes a redesign of our process, which will save time and money and translate to a significantly improved drivers' license issuing system," said David Bolyard, Director of Driver Services, West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

"With the redesign of the State's drivers' license system, the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has stepped to the forefront of advanced technology identity solutions. Their solution is not only one of the most advanced, but it is also one of the most comprehensive in addressing both the internal controls and the application process, which dictates the security of this important identity document," said Bernard Bailey, president and CEO of Viisage. "We believe that identity will continue to grow in importance as an asset to both businesses and individuals, and these types of solutions will set the pace for the demand for enhanced identity security." About Viisage

Viisage (NASDAQ: VISG) delivers advanced technology identity solutions for governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses concerned with enhancing security, reducing identity theft, and protecting personal privacy. Viisage solutions include secure credentials such as passports and drivers' licenses, biometric technologies for uniquely linking individuals to those credentials, and credential authentication technologies to ensure the documents are valid before individuals are allowed to cross borders, gain access to finances, or granted other privileges. With over 3,000 installations worldwide, Viisage's identity solutions stand out as a result of the Company's industry-leading technology and unique understanding of customer needs. Viisage's product suite includes FaceTOOLS(R) SDK, Viisage PROOF(TM), FaceEXPLORER(R), iA-thenticate(R), BorderGuard(R), FacePASS(TM) and FaceFINDER(R).

[Buckeye McFrog]

And so it begins.....guess the theory is to try it out first on a small state and see how many Citizens speak up for their rights? Saw a news bimbo out of Wheeling read this with a stupid grin on her face and breeze right thru it as if it was just the coolest thing. Does anyone out there know anything about this Viisage company...is George Soros an investor, for example?

[Cyber Liberty]

.....guess the theory is to try it out first on a small state and see how many Citizens speak up for their rights?

If that's the case, I think they picked the wrong state.

Vermont, maybe.

[visualops]

How safe is Viisage from being hacked?
How trustworthy are their employees?
While I can see the argument for these types of security measures, the more "secure" this stuff is, the harder it is to undo damage done by computer and human error (especially if purposeful).
How this improves privacy is beyond me. Helps the cops and creditors and The State, yes, but personal privacy? I think not.
Someone explain it to me if I'm wrong.

[Petronski]

Do you have something to hide, citizen?

</ThickGermanAccent>

[Brilliant]

I betchya Sen. Byrd doesn't have to do it. Of course, I'm sure he has a chaufer anyway.

[dirtbiker]

I used to work for a delivery company out of VA that did a lot of work in WV. As a joke, I used to kid the "newbies" by asking if they had a "green card", because the WV border patrol was checking ID's at the state line.....Boy, did I ever call that one!!!!!

What else would you expect from the state that gave us Robert "KKK" Byrd........

[Tench_Coxe]

"In the application process, the State will take photographs of citizens, and citizens will have the option of providing their finger image for a multi-biometric solution that offers added identity protection."

And for illegal immigrants for an extra fee, someone at the DMV will substitute a cadaver's fingerprints and forgo the digital imaging.

[Doe Eyes]

..is George Soros an investor, for example?

Don't forget Clinton. WV is not too far from Arkansas.

[Servant of the 9]

A photo and a thumbprint scan is new?
Lots of States have been doing that for years.

So9

[Finger Monkey]

[Who dat?]

…guess the theory is to try it out first on a small state and see how many Citizens speak up for their rights?

Ha. Well, CA has required the thumbprint since 1992 that I know of.

First problem I can see is that their system, to my knowledge, only matches the thumbprint with person on picture.

IOW, I can be Bill Smith with my picture and thumbprint, AND I can be Sam Jones with my picture and thumbprint, and they have no way of easily determining that Bill and Sam are the same person with the same thumbprint.

My understanding is that that was one big glaring problem with the system (and pretty recently). Not something they could do “real-time.” Maybe they’ve worked out the bugs there, but it gets better – what if I’m Bill Smith in WV and Sam Jones in CA? That’s another wrinkle concerning systems and the way information is shared (or not). It gets much more complicated if I’m from another country.

But yes, there are plenty of other reasons to have thumbprints on ID and print scanners that can verify the picture/print that are perfectly legitimate.

[kingu]

Let me see if I understand this right.. The state of West Virgina already requires fingerprints and photos for driver's licenses. All that is changing is adding additional technology to incorporate the math of biometrics for facial and finger identification?

And folks are worried about the company being hacked? Hello - it's a state agency. You don't have to hack those, you just buy the database from them. Changing the data to fit someone else would be difficult, if that's the worry, because of the system's cross checking the data with previous image captures.

Now, if we were talking about the state setting up a camera at their borders to use this data with, there you'd have me right next to you, and odds are they'd be replacin' that there camera at the very least once an hour.

Otherwise, they can do a lot of this with their existing data; so could your high school or college. Nothing horribly new here - but if it really scares you, stay away from Vegas.

[Studebaker Hawk]

What else would you expect from the state that gave us Robert "KKK" Byrd........

and/or seceded from Virgina to join up with the Federals.

[FreedomNeocon]

Good, and while you are it take DNA.

I'm serious.

Screw this BS... we have a National ID systsm... it called your Drivers License!

I think starting 2006, they should do a COMPLETE biometric sample at birth. Fingerprint, DNA, Thermal Scan, Retinal Scan.

You info is kept ONLY on YOUR card. At stations you would swipe your card then provide the request (put your eye here, finger here, look here, etc). Compare the biometrics on the card to those provided 'on the fly' for 100% identification.

You can bitch and whine and play out all the doomsday HYPOTHETICALS, but I'm tellin' ya you are just delaying the inevtiable.

All we are talking about introducing IT into the existing Driver License system, liking state to state, and improving the fraud-protection.

[JamminJAY]

Hello - it's a state agency. You don't have to hack those, you just buy the database from them.

Yup.

[tarator]

California has been doing it (fingerprinting for driver licenses) for years.

[mhx]

We've been putting up with this crap for years in California already.

[mhx]

I couldn't have said it better myself :-)

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

Anybody else have a better idea how to catch the illegal aliens? And those who stole ID's?

[tarator]

Ah, so that's what it's for! How many do you think they've caught so far?