HID Global Acquires Crossmatch
HID Global in late September acquired the identity management company Crossmatch in a deal that significantly expands its biometric product portfolio and authentication and identity assurance solutions. HID Global, which is part of Sweden’s Assa Abloy Group, didn’t disclose the purchase price. Assa Abloy said that Crossmatch, which has about 270 employees, is expected to have about $125 million in sales this year. Adding Crossmatch helps provide HID Global with a more comprehensive suite of identity management solutions. Texas-based HID Global is known for its credentialing products and software, providing the personal identity verification credential to U.S. government employees, the U.S. Green Card, electronic passport technologies, single fingerprint readers, identification authentication platforms, access control systems, card readers, asset tracking and radio frequency identification tags. Florida-based Crossmatch makes a variety of fingerprint readers and modules, handheld and jump kit multimodal biometric solutions used by military, homeland security and law enforcement personnel, identity management software, and the DigitalPersona multifactor authentication software solution for enterprise digital security.
CBP Ready for Facial Comparison Demo for Pedestrian Travelers
Customs and Border Protection is set to begin a facial comparison technical demonstration for pedestrian travelers at the San Luis port of entry in Arizona. CBP says the facial comparison system will use a camera to test and evaluate taking photographs of pedestrians entering the U.S. and comparing those images to the photos included with the travel documents the travelers present. “This technology demonstration will help inform the agency on next steps to developing and implementing biometric entry/exit in the land border pedestrian environment,” says Petra Horne, acting director of Field Operations in CBP’s Tucson Field Office. For the demonstration, a camera will be placed at the processing booth and will automatically take a photo as the traveler approaches. The CBP officer will review and query the traveler’s travel document, which will retrieve the photo from government holdings. The photo of the traveler will be compared to the travel document photo. American citizens can opt for alternative screening procedures. CBP later this year plans to expand the facial comparison demonstration to the Port of Nogales and will add an exit technical demonstration next spring.