VSNX..The Tampa installation is interesting.
This could be a wide ranging application. Quite disturbing, in some respects. 1984 revisited.
TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2001--
Deployment Adheres to Established Privacy Guidelines
Visionics Corporation (Nasdaq: VSNX), the worldwide leader in
identification technologies and systems, and its partner, Advanced
Biometric Imaging L.L.C. (ABI), announced today that the Tampa Police
Department has integrated FaceIt(R) technology into the CCTV system
operating in the entertainment district of Ybor City in downtown
Tampa.
The installation is designed to support Ybor City's recently
completed $45 million revitalization project, called "Centro Ybor."
Led by Steiner and Associates and Assembler Retail Inc., this
revitalization has brought many restaurants, shops and theaters into
this historic area of Tampa. The addition of FaceIt(R) to the existing
CCTV system was approved earlier this month by the Tampa City Council
and Mayor Dick A. Greco as part of the security initiative surrounding
the Centro Ybor project.
Detective D.W. Bill Todd, Jr. of the Tampa Police Department said,
"Face recognition technology is a powerful tool to assist in
maximizing public safety. Used in conjunction with our existing CCTV
system and the efforts of our redevelopment project, we are sending a
message that we are committed to enhancing the quality of life in our
neighborhoods, and to making Ybor City a desired destination point for
our citizens. We are pleased to be working with ABI and Visionics
Corporation, the recognized industry leader, in ensuring that these
objectives are met."
The FaceIt(R) system integrated by ABI and Steiner and Associates,
automatically scans the faces of people passing in front of the 36
cameras in central Ybor City and searches those facial images against
photographs of criminals held in a database at the police control
room. If there is no match, the facial images are discarded. The
database itself is maintained jointly by the Hillsborough County
Sheriff's Office and the Tampa Police Department, and will contain
approximately 30,000 images of persons with outstanding felony
warrants, when fully operational.
These parameters have been followed in accordance with
industry-established privacy guidelines and with existing law
governing the use of personal data by public agencies:
-- Clear signage has been posted throughout the area indicating
that "Smart CCTV" is in use;
-- The images in the database are those of known offenders;
-- Non-matching images are discarded from the system once the
comparison has been conducted.
"As a co-founder of the International Biometrics Industry
Association, we are working in close partnership with the Tampa Police
Department to ensure that this installation adheres with established
guidelines for responsible use. The growing acceptance for the use of
FaceIt(R) technology in CCTV control rooms validates it as an
important, powerful tool for law enforcement and we are pleased to be
leading the industry in delivering these capabilities," said Dr.
Joseph Atick, president and chief executive officer of Visionics
Corporation.
(The International Biometrics Industry Association (IBIA) is a
trade association founded in 1998 to advance, advocate, defend and
support the collective interests of the biometrics industry. IBIA
speaks with authority on behalf of the industry to the public, opinion
leaders and government officials in the U.S. and abroad. The
organization has put forth a set of privacy principles that must be
adhered to by its members. These principles govern the use and
management of biometric data in the public and private sectors and
also correspond with existing law governing the use of personal data
by public and private entities.)
In addition to Ybor City, Visionics' FaceIt(R) technology is the
underlying face recognition engine for CCTV operations in Iceland's
Keflavik Airport, and the U.K.'s Newham Borough of London and
Birmingham City Center. It is also used to enable mugshot/booking
systems throughout the U.S., in casino applications and in combating
hooliganism in sporting events overseas.
About Visionics Corporation
Visionics Corporation (Nasdaq:VSNX) is the worldwide leader in
identification technologies and systems. Through its respective
business lines - FaceIt(R), live scan, IBIS and BNP - the company
delivers enabling technology, platforms, products and systems for
biometric identification, with a specific focus on face recognition
and forensic quality fingerprint identification. The award-winning
FaceIt(R) technology enables a broad range of products and
applications built by partners (OEMs, VARs and system integrators).
These include enhanced CCTV systems, identity fraud applications and
authentication systems for information security, access control,
travel, banking and e-commerce. The TENPRINTER and FingerPrinter CMS
live scan systems are the most widely used by government agencies, law
enforcement, airports, banks and other commercial institutions in the
US. The IBIS is a revolutionary mobile identification system that
combines expertise in biometric capture and connectivity, and is
capable of capturing both forensic quality fingerprints and
photographs for transmission to law enforcement and other legacy
databases. Finally, the BNP is a revolutionary platform for building
scalable biometric solutions. These lines of business as a whole are
reflective of Visionics' leadership position in the biometric industry
and commitment to the innovation of identification technologies.
More information on Visionics can be accessed via the Company web
site at visionics.com or by calling Frances Zelazny,
Director of Corporate Communications at +1 201-332-9213.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such
forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made
based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and
information currently available to, management pursuant to the
"safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. For a more complete description of these and other risk
factors which may affect the future performance of Visionics
Corporation, see "Risk Factors" in Digital Biometrics' Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2000 and its quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000, both of
which have been filed with the SEC.
--30--jeh/ny*
CONTACT: Visionics Corporation
Frances Zelazny, 201/332-9213 |
