Privacy Oriented

By VM Sathish  on 10/28/2008 (for Emirates Business 24/7)

The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Administration (DNRD) will soon introduce four biometric face recognition surveillance camera units at the Dubai International Airport.

The new biometric system is part of UAE Community Protection Face Recognition System. It can capture the facial images of passengers from the flights and complement the iris scan mechanism currently used to nab illegal entrants and wanted criminals. The face recognition system using biometric system will help protect the UAE borders, critical infrastructure and other key assets in the country, said sources.

A senior DNRD official told Emirates Business that the DNRD is thrilled about the result of recent testing of the face recognition system, which will be introduced in other emirates too. The system was introduced at Abu Dhabi International Airport in July. The plan is to have four face recognition sites at important ports of entry – one each in Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman and six in Dubai [four at Dubai International Airport and two outside the airport, five in Abu Dhabi and three in Al Ain].

First Lt Meshal Abdulla Ibrahim Binhussain, Director of Information Security, DNRD, said: “We are going to introduce the latest technology in face recognition. We have achieved outstanding results from testing the system, which comrprises various components – surveillance cameras which will capture facial images of passengers on flight, a sound alarm monitoring system and a database of wanted persons. The facial images of passengers will be relayed on real time basis. It is a non-intrusive system and will be introduced in different parts of Dubai,” he said.

The face recognition system will complement the iris scan currently used to detect wanted and banned people from entering or leaving the country. Later it will be linked to the passport control section of DNRD, he said.

Biometrics is the automatic recognition of a person using distinguishing traits. The face recognition system in Dubai will be part of the broader UAE Community Protection project started by the UAE Ministry of Interior.

The Community Protection Face Recognition System, the first of its kind in the world, has many unique features including machine vision cameras that capture facial images through real time image capture and enhancement technology.

The system uses an advanced detection technology that instantly locates and retains a complete set of key facial characteristics during the enrolment process, which is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Each face recognition unit will cost around Dh1 million.

“All people have an innate ability to recognise faces. The system will enhance that ability technologically using sophisticated software to scan images of individual faces for analysis and identification. It uses sensitive cameras to capture the faces of people – whether they are up close or at a distance, in motion or standing still,” said an official from Abu Dhabi Police.

“With only a brief look from the individual in the direction of the camera, facial characteristics such as the position, size and shape of the eyes, nose, cheekbones and jaw are recorded and the image is instantly secured. Biometric software allows analysis and evaluation of the image by anyone – technicians do not need sophisticated technology to handle the units.”

Owen Bowcott
The Guardian
Monday October 20 2008

Interpol is planning to expand its role into the mass screening of passengers moving around the world by creating a face recognition database to catch wanted suspects.

Every year more than 800 million international travellers fail to undergo “the most basic scrutiny” to check whether their identity documents have been stolen, the global policing cooperation body has warned.

Senior figures want a system that lets immigration officials capture digital images of passengers and immediately cross-check them against a database of pictures of terror suspects, international criminals and fugitives.

The UK’s first automated face recognition gates - matching passengers to their digital image in the latest generation of passports - began operating at Manchester airport in August.

Mark Branchflower, head of Interpol’s fingerprint unit, will this week unveil proposals in London for the creation of biometric identification systems that could be linked to such immigration checks.

The civil liberties group No2ID, which campaigns against identity cards, expressed alarm at the plans.

“This is a move away from seeking specific persons to GCHQ-style bulk interception of information,” warned spokesman Michael Parker.

“There’s already a fair amount of information collected in terms of passenger records. This is the next step. Law enforcement agencies want the most efficient systems but there has to be a balance between security and privacy.” The growth of international criminal gangs and the spread of terrorist threats has increased demand for Interpol’s services.

Last year it carried out 10,000 fingerprint searches; this year the figure will reach 20,000.

An automated fingerprint identification system with far greater capacity, known as Metamorpho, will be installed next year. Earlier this month Interpol launched its “global security initiative” aimed at raising $1bn (£577m) to strengthen its law enforcement programmes. It claims to hold the “names and identifiers” of 9,000 terrorist suspects.

Branchflower will speak at the opening of the Biometrics 2008 conference in Westminster about the possibility of extending its biometric database.

Before the conference he said that Interpol wanted to create a face recognition database, to match its fingerprint and DNA records, that could be searched and matched automatically.

“Facial recognition is a step we could go to quite quickly,” said Branchflower, “and it’s increasingly of use to [all] countries. There’s so much data we have but they are in records we can’t search.”

If Interpol had been operating a face recognition database linked to national border controls last autumn, he said, it might have picked up a Canadian teacher wanted for child abuse as he entered Thailand. The paedophile was the subject of a high-profile manhunt.

“We could have picked him up the moment he entered Bangkok rather than having to wait another two weeks,” said Branchflower.”We need to get our data to the border entry points. There will be such a large role in the future for fingerprints and facial recognition.”

Identity Loop - 28 October 2008

HSBC claims to have become the first bank in the UK to use facial recognition technology to improve security at its data centres following successful trials at its offices in Canary Wharf.

The bank will be installing ten facial biometric access control units in two new data centres in the UK over the next six to nine months in a bid to protect sensitive information that might otherwise be vulnerable to loss or misuse.

The move comes at a time when identity theft is now the fastest growing crime in the UK – affecting more than 100,000 people at a cost of £1.7m according to Home Office figures.

Recent high profile cases of sensitive data being lost by financial and also public sector organisations has highlighted the risk to individuals and to the reputation of the organisations concerned.

Recognising this problem, HSBC has been co-operating with UK facial biometric company OmniPerception to develop a more secure access control system for their new data centres. The bank has worked closely with the company in testing and developing the right solution, based onOmni’s CheckPoint  facial recognition product.

First deployed in police applications, in Liverpool, London and elsewhere, OmniPerception’s biometric solutions are now being applied to access control, data protection and the improvement of identity management generally.

After extensive field trials at HSBC’s Canary Wharf offices, the CheckPoint system will be installed at access points as a way of verifying the identity of staff and external contractors who need access to areas containing sensitive information.

John Williams, Head of Physical Risk at HSBC said: “We decided to use biometrics to protect our high vulnerability inner sanctums such as communication suites and data halls.”

In explaining his choice of a facial biometric solution, he said: “To gain acceptance from the user, a biometric needs to be as non-intrusive as possible. One natural thing human beings always rely on is to be recognised by someone they know. It’s far more natural than say, getting your eye scanned or gently moving your finger across a reader to get yourself identified”

He announced the bank’s intention to install ten CheckPoint facial biometric access control units in various IT facilities in the UK; and anticipated their wider deployment to other sites in the future.

Good God. Well… what did I expect? That bastion of un-called-for, Owrellian public surveillance (as I call it, “The New Freedom”), England, is up to it again. By it, I mean doing things that are absolutely abhorrent to human freedom. Just one more reason for me to never set foot on that remote Isle of Slaves. Check this crap out:

UK police to wield mobile fingerprint scanners, facial recognition up next
by Darren Murph, posted Oct 27th 2008 at 11:03AM

Surely your remember Project Lantern from back in 2006, right? If you weren’t too fond of that initiative, let’s just say your worst nightmare is coming true. Going forward, every police force in the UK will be equipped with mobile fingerprint scanners, which will allow the fuzz to carry out identity checks right on the street. Dubbed Project Midas, this here setup is supposed to “transform the speed of criminal investigations”while simultaneously freaking out anyone remotely concerned about personal privacy; in fairness, cops insist that fingerprints scanned via these portable devices will not be stored or added to databases, and we’re told that they’ll only be used ” when they suspect an individual of an offense and can’t establish his / her identity.” The £30 million ($47.5 million) to £40 million ($63.4 million) initial phase should hit widespread deployment within 18 months, and in case you thought it was over after this, you should probably know that facial recognition in the field is the next top priority.

[Via Pocket-lint, image courtesy of SpringCard]

Indeed, the boys on the Malibar Front need our help! The Daily Mail is reporting that these fingerprint scans will be random!

Despite early glitch, system a go for early November

By Jeremy Twitchell (writing in the Las Vegas Sun)
Wed, Oct 22, 2008 (7:36 a.m.)

A minor glitch in the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicle’s new high-security system for issuing driver’s licenses shouldn’t impact the system’s planned rollout next month, officials said.

The new system still requires drivers to apply in person at a DMV office and have their picture taken, but changes after that. Instead of receiving a license on the spot within minutes, the new licenses will be manufactured at a central plant in Lacey, Wash., and mailed to drivers within seven to 10 days.

The central issuance system, which debuted Oct. 17 in Carson City, encountered problems on its first day when the information and photos taken for that day’s licenses failed to transmit to the plant in Washington.

“The system didn’t recognize them,” DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said. “Nothing is lost; we have all of the applications and the photos on the computers still. It’s just a matter of figuring out the bug that prevented them from transmitting and fixing it.”

Malone said the glitch was believed to be simple and likely would not take more than a day or two to fix. He said the new system is still planned to launch at DMV offices in Las Vegas and Henderson on Nov. 6 and 7.

The new central issuance system will incorporate technology such as laser perforations and ghost images to make Nevada licenses among the most secure in the nation.

“The card itself — it’s much harder to try to counterfeit,” Malone said. “Once you see one of these things, you’ll see what we’re talking about … It’s not like any card you’ve ever seen.”

The new licenses will not require drivers to make an extra trip to the DMV; existing licenses will remain valid until the expiration date printed on them.

The security features being added to the new licenses will increase their cost by 75 cents each, from $21.25 to $22 for drivers younger than 65 and from $16.25 to $17 for drivers 65 and older. Read the rest of this entry »

By The Associated Press (via the StatesmanJournal)
October 26, 2008

CORVALLIS — The new computers at the Oregon DMV never forget a face.

The state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division is installing the new computers to compare a new driver’s license photo with an old license image to see if they match.

The idea is to make it harder for criminals to get fake IDs.

Oregon DMV spokesman David House said that is one of the reasons drivers always get a temporary paper license when they get a renewal.

He said Digimarc, the Beaverton company behind the new technology, also needs time to review all the license application photos.

Digimarc is considered a leader in preventing electronic identity theft, counterfeiting and piracy.

But House said that DMV workers will make the final decision after the computer makes its comparison.

The software runs through millions of other photos in the system. If there is a question, trained DMV workers sit down with the photo and all the potential matches and decide whether or not to question the application.

After the photo is confirmed, the laminated permanent driver’s license with the new photo is sent by mail.

Oregon lawmakers authorized the facial recognition system in 2005.

The system accounts for $3 in the $4.50 increase in the driver’s license fee that went into effect in July.

The new computers are scheduled to be installed throughout Oregon by the end of November.

DMV offices getting the new equipment will be closed for a few hours while it is installed and workers are trained how to use it.

Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com

And that Gazette-Times version of the story:

New DMV software aims to cut ID fraud
BY TOM HENDERSON
CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES

Computers will compare new photo with old license image to see if they match

New computers at the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles will make it harder for criminals to get fake IDs.

That’s because the computers never forget a face.

The new computers are scheduled to be installed throughout Oregon by the end of November. DMV spokesman David House won’t say when the new technology will arrive in Benton and Linn counties. The computers are being installed field office by field office with little or no advance notice, he said.

DMV offices will be closed for a few hours while the equipment is installed and office personnel are trained in how to use it.

The new technology is pretty slick, House said.

When you get your picture taken at the DMV, the computer looks at your new photo and automatically matches it with your old one — just to make sure you are indeed you. Over the next 24 hours, it does the same thing with millions of other photos in the system. House said this is to ensure you’re not a different person, trying to get a fake ID.

A human being makes the final decision. Trained DMV workers sit down with the photo and all the potential matches and decide whether or not to question the application.

Oregon legislators passed a law authorizing the facial recognition system in 2005. It’s one the reasons you don’t get a regular laminated driver’s license the same day it’s approved. You get a temporary paper license. Your laminated license arrives in the mail.

House said this gives employees at DigiMark, the Portland company behind the new technology, time to review all the license applications.

The facial recognition system also accounts for $3 in the $4.50 increase in the driver’s license fee that went into effect in July.

Facial comparisons are made just with faces on file within the state. Nonetheless, House said, facial recognition should cut down on a lot of fraud.

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

[With the most important parts in bold]

Leaders from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations gathered in Paris on Tuesday where a new crackdown on offshore financial centres is expected to be discussed as part of plans aimed at tighter regulation of the global financial system.

The initiative is being led by the governments of France and Germany, and could lead to the drawing up of a new ‘black list’ of offshore jurisdictions still deemed to be ‘uncooperative’ or with tight banking secrecy and confidentiality laws. Switzerland, Luxembourg and Austria - all jurisdictions with a measure of banking secrecy - have apparently boycotted the meeting.

From an offshore point of view, the recent rhetoric from the French government concerning the current banking crisis is worrying. Last week, President Nicolas Sarkozy questioned why banks that have received backing from the government should continue “operating in tax havens,” while Prime Minister Francois Fillon described offshore financial centres as the “dark pockets” of global finance which should be eliminated altogether.

The OECD launched its campaign against ‘harmful’ tax competition at the turn of the century, naming more than 30 jurisdictions on its blacklist, since which time the majority have been removed after promising to put in place tax reforms that effectively removed the distinction between ‘onshore’ and ‘offshore’ regimes.

Meanwhile, the OECD’s Financial Action Task Force, which was more concerned with anti-money laundering, also placed more than a dozen jurisdictions on its blacklist, all of which have been removed after putting in place legislation which some argue is even tougher than in some onshore countries. Despite this, French Budget Minister Eric Woerth has suggested the need for a new [FATF] blacklist to be released some time in 2009.

It is thought that about 18 leaders attended Tuesday’s meeting, and most are likely to be sympathetic to the Franco-German position. However, the US was notable by its absence at the meeting with the looming Presidential election taking precedence. Nonetheless, Washington is almost certain to support another offshore crackdown in the months and years ahead, whoever is in the White House.

By Robert Verkaik, law editor @ The Independent
Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Government plans to build a giant database holding information about every phone call, email and internet visit were last night dealt a major blow after the man in charge of prosecuting terrorism in England and Wales warned of the dangers posed by a “Big Brother” security state.

Sir Ken Macdonald, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told ministers not to “break the back of freedom” by creating irreversible powers that could be misused to spy on individual citizens and so threaten Britain’s hard-won democracy.

Sir Ken’s intervention in the debate over the controversial new database is the latest and most serious among a growing number of senior public figures from across the political spectrum who have raised concerns about the potential misuse of information collected in the name of national security.

Last week, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, the Government’s independent reviewer of terrorism laws, described the “raw idea” for handing over millions of pieces of private information to the state as “awful”.

Under the proposal, internet service providers and telecoms companies would surrender phone and internet records to the Home Office, which would store them for at least 12 months so that police and security services could access them.

But Sir Ken, giving the Crown Prosecution Service lecture in London, said: “We need to take very great care not to fall into a way of life in which freedom’s back is broken by the relentless pressure of a security state.

“Technology gives the state enormous powers of access to knowledge and information about each of us, and the ability to collect and store it at will. Of course, modern technology is of critical importance to the struggle against serious crime. Used wisely, it can protect us.”

But he added that “we need to understand that it is in the nature of state power that decisions taken in the next few months and years about how the state may use these powers, and to what extent, are likely to be irreversible. They will be with us forever. And they, in turn, will be built upon. So we should take very great care to imagine the world we are creating before we build it. We might end up living with something we can’t bear”.

Sir Ken, who steps down as DPP next month, also described how in 2004 he had resisted pressure from Tony Blair to make it easier to prosecute terrorism suspects by lowering the standard of proof in such cases.

He said: “In all the debates that have raged back and forth, Britain has been absolutely right to hold fast to this course. We would do well not to insult ourselves and all of our institutions and our processes of law in the face of these medieval delusions. As I say, the response to terror is multi-layered. But it should not include surrender.”

His concerns are shared by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, who has said that the creation of the database is a “step too far” for the British way of life. Liberty, the human rights group, has also called for a halt to the plans. Gareth Crossman, the policy director at Liberty, said: “There are huge dangers in the central collection of vast amounts of intimate information about everyone. The bigger the data haul, the greater the temptation to treat innocent habits as suspicious behaviour.”

By Charlie Sorrel October 20, 2008 | 8:07:41 AM

From a Wire article.

Britons who want to buy a pre-pay cellphone will no longer be able to remain anonymous if the British Government gets its way. The government want its subjects to produce a passport or other official ID when buying any kind of mobile phone, including non-contract phones.

According to the Sunday Times, the UK government is planning a national database of cellphone ownership, which is – of course – to allow them to spy on their employers, the citizens of Britain. Obviously such a database would be pointless without some way to record ownership of pre-pay mobiles — these are the traditional “burners” used by the criminal and (perhaps rightfully) the paranoid. What’s that you say? The real criminals know how to buy fake passports, so the only people affected will be the innocent? We tend to agree.

Even more shocking is the fact that GCHQ, which is aptly described by the Sunday Times as “the government’s eavesdropping centre” has already been given £1 billion ($1.7 billion) to get started on the island-wide surveillance scheme, and it has already installed “thousands of ‘black boxes’” which intercept calls and other communications.

At least when the US government spies on its citizens it has the decency to pretend it isn’t and – if caught – blame it on someone else.

Source: Passports will be needed to buy mobile phones [Sunday Times via BoingBoing]

…and that’s probably because, in usual form for a government, the Australian governments cannot stay within their budget, do not produce anything of value, and must steal more and more from their “subjects” to sustain themselves. For the archives, here are the Australian government’s latest contributions to the growing global threats to financial privacy:

Tax Office reaps rewards from Austrac data mining

Karen Dearne | October 16, 2008

THE nation’s financial intelligence unit helped bust drug rings, arrest money-launderers and people sending funds to terrorists but the Tax Office was the biggest beneficiary of an expanded regulatory regime over the past year.

In 2007-08, Austrac identified $36 million in previously undisclosed income through the ATO’s offshore voluntary disclosure initiative, and contributed to ATO assessments of more than $76.7 million, according to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre’s annual report.

Austrac also found more than $8.5 million of annualised savings for Centrelink.

Austrac had appointed a senior data mining analyst to work with the Tax Office in its investigation of the financial arrangements of high-wealth individuals. The analyst produced modelling programs to match Austrac financial transaction records with ATO information, improving data matching rates and providing more robust investigative options.

The financial intelligence unit has now started work on several predictive models to help monitor transactions involving offshore tax havens.

Austrac chief executive Neil Jensen said the unit received nearly 70,000 financial transaction reports each day from its regulated entities during 2007-08, up more than 14 per cent on the previous year.

“Under the new Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing Act, we deal with a wider range of ‘designated service’ providers, and our approach at present is on achieving voluntary compliance,” Mr Jensen said.

“We have identified over 15,000 businesses and organisations with obligations under the new law - a much broader family of entities than under the original Act.”

Of the nearly 18 million financial reports received, there were 29,000 suspicious transaction reports - up 19 per cent on the previous year; and 2.9 million significant cash transaction reports involving $10,000 or more, up nearly 10 per cent.

The ATO was by far the biggest recipient of Austrac’s reporting, receiving 27,730 notifications in the past year, while the Federal Police received 3072 and Customs 1468.

Victoria Police was the fourth largest user, receiving 664 reports, with NSW Police not far behind on 620. Centrelink received 507 reports.

Austrac’s annual report said information about a number of transactions involving $2.5 million of foreign currency resulted in the seizure of cocaine with an estimated street value of $87.5 million and the arrest of three people charged with importing cocaine and one charge of money laundering.

In another investigation, several people were arrested and charged with being members of a terrorist organisation and making funds available to a terrorist organisation. The Australian-based individuals were allegedly transferring large sums to businesses in Southeast Asia believed to be acting as fronts for the terrorist group.

And the director of an offshore company who operated accounts in Australia using legitimate personal and business details was found to be involved in money laundering activities exceeding $58 million in total, by exploiting local financial institutions, the report says.

During the year, Austrac complete a review of its intelligence capabilities, and plans to introduce a case management system to better track its internal processes and interactions with partner agencies.

It also conducted research into the use of advanced text mining for analysing suspicious transaction reports.

“This research revealed trends and patterns that will assist in prioritising high-value suspect reports for dissemination to agencies,” Austrac said. “We have also continued to expand access to external data sources, which include restricted information held by partner law enforcement agencies, and publicly available information such as media reports and business name registraion information.

“Austrac will continue to seek broader access to external data sources which can validate and enhance the quality of our financial intelligence.”

And then there’s this, from The Age:

EBay users warned about declaring income

October 17, 2008 - 5:31PM

The tax man has warned eBay users they must declare income earned from the sale of goods on the popular auction website.

Australian users of the site were recently asked to provide detailed personal information, including user IDs and monthly sales data, following a request from the Australian Tax Office.

In particular, the ATO requested information from eBay members who sold more than $50,000 worth of goods on the site in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 financial years, and those who sold more than $75,000 in the financial year ending June 2008.

The difference between the tax years is because the income threshold at which a person must register for GST has changed.

The ATO said it had not targeted eBay users, but requested the information as part of its normal compliance procedures.

“People need to consider whether they’re running a business or whether they’re engaging in a hobby,” an ATO spokesperson told AAP.

“If it’s a business then they are required to declare that income in a tax return.”

And then we have:

Austrac releases new AML guidance

Reporting requirements

By Alice Uribe | Wed 08 Oct 2008

In preparation for the first phase of the AML and counter-terrorism laws, Austrac has released new reporting guidance.

Regulator Austrac has released a Public Legal Interpretation (PLI) in preparation for the December 12 date, when all reporting entities will be required to submit suspicious matters, under the first phase of Australia’s anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism laws.

The sixth in a series, the PLI aims to explain various provisions and obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act) and the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 (FTR Act).

The PLI is focused on the requirements to report suspect transactions and suspicious matters, and it also sets out Austrac’s view on the general prohibition on the use of these reports as evidence.

“The PLI series is an important channel, through which Austrac provides guidance about some of the more complex legal issues affecting cash dealers and reporting entities,” Austrac chief executive Neil Jensen said.

“This latest topic is significant, as it touches on the current FTR Act reporting requirements, as well as the reporting requirements soon coming into effect under the AML/CTF Act.”

The Financial Transaction Reports Amendment (Transitional Arrangements) Bill 2008 was recently introduced into parliament.

It provides for affected entities, which currently report to Austrac as cash dealers under the FTR Act, to continue to report in the same way during their transition to the new reporting format.

According to Austrac, this will assist entities with the transition from the FTR Act reporting obligations to their AML/CTF Act reporting obligations.

Australia’s government hates you and wants to fine you for making money. The end.