Immense Biometric Project Will Usher In New Year
In 25 days, agents at 115 airports and 14 seaports across the United States will begin collecting biometrics from travelers holding visas.
It was a little more than seven months ago that U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced the US-VISIT program. And on Jan. 5, 2004, Homeland Security agents will begin collecting two fingerprints and a digital photo from travelers entering the United States, except those who are citizens of the 27 nations that are exempted from U.S. visa requirements. Homeland security issued a proposal to contractors late last month for US-VISIT, which will be one of the largest biometrics projects ever and could have a big impact on the future of the technology, experts say.
The size of the project has caused a U.S. congressman to begin an investigation into the project to make sure departments are cooperating and that VISIT will not discourage tourism. Meanwhile, a test of the border control system appears to be going well at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport.
Homeland Security is meeting the January deadline by using existing contracts to outfit airports and seaports. But the 225-page proposal issued on Nov. 28 calls for a prime contractor to take control of the project. Lockheed Martin Corp., Computer Sciences Corp., and Accenture LLP have been selected as the three finalists for the project. The deadline for VISIT contract submissions is Jan. 22, with an award expected in May.
Whoever wins the award will be responsible for implementing biometrics at the more than 300 points of entry into the United States. There is a possibility that the system in place at airports on Jan. 5 will be entirely different in a couple of years as existing databases and processes are replaced by an entirely new system.
Homeland Security had seven months to draft the proposal to contractors, but some members of the biometric community say US-VISIT could be in store for problems. "In the rush to secure US borders, biometrics was pulled out of the 'immediate
solutions' filing cabinet and put on the table with a panic deadline of 2004," says Yona Flink, CEO of Israel-based biometrics firm OptiSec Ltd. "The solutions that were put forward and the US-VISIT project as presently conceived is a 21st century version of the Great Wall of China."
Flink says the program will not reduce or eliminate the possibility of terrorism in the United States. "The basic assumption that all or most terrorists and future terrorists are or will be known biometrically to the system, that they will enter only via ports that have a US-VISIT system in place, and that all documentation used for enrolling foreigners into the program will be legitimate documents, is absurd," he says.
VISIT may end up causing law-abiding citizens problems, Flink says. "Imagine when the CEO discovers his right index finger minutiae are similar enough to those of an internationally wanted drug dealer that his print is returned from the watch list as positive," he says. "Or that the 69-year-old grandmother is a wanted 19-year-old student that has overstayed her visa."
Another member of the biometric community, who did not want to be identified, says a program like VISIT could work if Homeland Security took more time. "The timing seems very ambitious and every time they try to do that things fall through the cracks and you end up going back and reworking systems," says the official. "The problem is political. With the presidential election coming up there are pressures from the citizens and government to do something." Homeland Security officials were not available for comment on these
criticisms.
While some criticize the proposal for being vague, it does outlines the goals of the project and emphasizes that contractors will have to have an "end vision" for VISIT.
John Dorr, vice president of marketing at Littleton, Mass.-based Viisage Technology Inc., a facial recognition and identification vendor didn’t expect the proposal to have in-depth information on technology. "I wouldn’t expect to see hundreds of pages detailing the technology" coming from the government, he says. "Because of the sheer magnitude of the project the government is looking to industry to build the vision."
Also, since US-VISIT will take at least five years to be implemented, it’s difficult to
predict what technology will be used, Dorr says. "Who can predict technology?" he asks.
The current technology seems to be performing well in a pilot at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, says an industry expert who asked not to be identified. Homeland Security is testing VISIT with select Delta Airlines flights.
The system has been in place since October and has not significantly impacted the time it takes individuals to proceed through the immigration checkpoints, the official says. "Evidently there has been a good job done in training inspectors and there seems to be a lot of support for the program," the official says.
Homeland Security is watching closely how long it takes travelers to be processed. The department laid out specific guidelines on clearance times and says it should not take more than 15 seconds to capture the two fingerprints and digital photo, and no more than 10 seconds for that information to be checked against a watch list.
Those time constraints and the number of fingerprints being used will limit the watch list that can be searched, experts say. Two fingerprints offer a limited amount of information, and the size of the database will have to be scaled back in order to meet those time restraints. If a larger database were used while scanning just two fingers the time for the search would increase.
Fingerprint experts say the VISIT database would probably have to be kept to around 2 million sets of prints. While this might seem like a large number, IDENT, the existing DHS fingerprint database has 14 million sets. It's not known how Homeland Security will compile the new database. But department officials have said the system will start taking eight fingerprints from visitors by 2006, which will allow DHS to increase the watch list.
The potential for long lines at checkpoints could affect tourism, a concern of U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). The congressman sent letters to the U.S. State Department and Homeland Security asking for details on how US-VISIT is proceeding. Specifically, Davis is looking for information about how the State Department and DHS are working together; possible adverse impacts on commerce and tourism; and how VISIT will collect, store and accurately access the vast quantities of biometric records.
In a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Davis says VISIT could cost the country if not properly planned. "A poorly designed system could clog consular operations, costing millions in commerce for the United States," Davis’ letter states. "Furthermore, an ineffective system could degrade border security."
Davis sent a similar letter to Ridge. Both letters included a lengthy list of questions on how the agencies are working to implement and plan US-VISIT.
Some of the information requested from the State Department includes: consulates currently collecting data and the types of data being collected; a description of how the biometric data is collected; the number and status of personnel required to perform the collection; and a description of facility changes made to accommodate the data collection.
From Ridge, Davis would like to know, among other things, when each airport, seaport and land port of entry will begin participating in the program.
Less than a month from now, travelers entering the country with visas will have en entirely new process to go through. As daunting as it may seem, the systems will be in place at airports and seaports by Jan. 5, the government says. "We’re on schedule," said Shonnie Lyon, acting director of implementation management for US-VISIT at a conference Monday.
December 10, 2003
Immense Biometric Project Will Usher In New Year
cardtech.faulknergray.com
Palm Reading Becomes More Popular In Law Enforcement
U.S. To Test A Smart ID Card For Seamen
UK To Test Biometrics In Step Toward National ID Card
Use of Smart Cards as Health Cards: HIPAA and Beyond
The next issue of IDNewswire will be published on Jan. 7. Happy Holidays.
cardtech.faulknergray.com
steve |
