October 13, 2011

Source: Marketwatch

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.  (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — PositiveID Corporation (“PositiveID” or “Company”) PSID +13.33% , a developer of medical technologies for diabetes management, clinical diagnostics and bio-threat detection, announced today that it has received an order for its VeriChip(TM) microchip to be used for disaster preparedness and emergency management in Israel by an integration partner.

The VeriChip radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for patient identification. The VeriChip can also be used to assist in the management of emergency situations and disaster recovery in conjunction with a customized camera capable of receiving both RFID scanned data and GPS data wirelessly, and a Web-enabled database for gathering and storing information and images captured during emergency response operations.

The Company’s integration partner intends to provide the microchips to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the State of Israel’s military force.

Marc Poulshock, PositiveID’s Vice President of Business Development, said, “We believe there are many important applications for the VeriChip and our associated intellectual property including next-generation identification and bio-sensing capabilities. Our partner is looking to help healthcare organizations, militaries including the IDF, and governments with their disaster preparedness and emergency response needs.”

Read Full Article Here…

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September 15, 2011

Source: NextGov

As the Obama administration works on a set of voluntary online credentials for American Web surfers, some technologists say the government should examine Estonia’s mandatory electronic identification cards as a model.

In the United States, opposition to national ID cards has long prevented the government from assigning citizens electronic credentials for online authentication purposes. But, certain aspects of e-credentials may protect personal information better than the passwords and PIN numbers people currently use for online transactions, according to some privacy groups, including the Center for Technology and Democracy.

A study on international e-identification efforts released Thursday by the nonprofit Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, noted that, “As of 2011, over 90 percent of the population in Estonia had an e-ID. . . In contrast, as of 2011, the United States does not have a national e-ID system. Most individuals still use a collection of poorly secured usernames and passwords to access online services.”

Most Americans do not have a way to prove they are who they say they are online. This spring, the administration took a step toward developing voluntary digital IDs, with a venture called the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace. The public-private initiative, headed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is aimed at allowing Americans to transact with any secure website using one ID, without the need to repeatedly submit personal information.

Estonia began issuing mandatory e-IDs in 2002 as a means of improving government services, as well as commercial services. Some cities use the cards as fare passes for public transportation. Estonian citizens have been able to elect government officials online since 2005 with their cards. Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves estimates 98 percent of banking transactions take place on the Internet.

This is all made possible, however, by additional technology — particularly, card readers — that costs money and can be tricky to install. To use a smartcard for online services, a person must insert the card into a separate piece of hardware connected to a computer and then enter a PIN or password to authorize the transaction, the report explained. “To use a smartcard at home, users need to have card readers on their PCs and the correct software installed on their PCs,” it stated. “To meet the needs of all users, the software must also be available for multiple operating systems.”

One reason for slow adoption of e-IDs in Belgium, according to the study, is that many users did not have readers, and those that did found the accompanying software difficult to load.

Estonia was more proactive with its e-ID program. Early on the government sold a card reader “starter package” for twenty euros and led by example, requiring government computers to have card readers.

Some Estonian officials say the design of their card has been key to overcoming privacy objections.

“We haven’t heard any case of breaking the cryptoprocessor” — the card microprocessor that carries out the secure operations,” Helar Laasik, chief expert for Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, told Nextgov. “Therefore privacy problems are mainly emotional ones, people going around and talking about how government misuses and cross-links databases, etc.”

Furthermore, he noted, the government and corporate databases already track these sorts of personal data.

As for technical difficulties, Laasik said the Estonian e-ID application was translated into all operating systems and Web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari, within a year.

The “most time-consuming is to change the masses’ mind,” he said. “They have to understand that the new system is clear, plain, transparent and highly secure.”

The cards do not contain traceable radio frequency identification chips, which also diffuses some privacy fears, Laasik noted.

“You have a mandatory document called a driver’s license, we have an ID-card,” he said. “The difference is in the secure communication channel. It’s much easier to forge a driver’s license than certificates that [are] in a heavily guarded server.”

The front of Estonia’s cards include a person’s name, photograph, signature, personal ID number, date of birth, gender, citizenship status, card number and expiration date, the ITIF study explained. The back of the card shows the place of birth, card issue date and residence permit information if available. The card also is embedded with a chip containing non-visible data, such as machine-readable certificates for e-authentication and e-signatures.

The electronic innards of the ID program are maintained by a consortium of banks and telecom companies. The partnership provides a standardized technical framework, called DigiDoc, that makes it easy for private sector developers to program digital signatures into commercial software.

“The government has not placed any restrictions on the use of the e-ID in the private sector and the authentication mechanism is available to any outside developer,” the report stated. Currently, businesses and consumers use e-IDs for authorizing online bank transactions, signing contracts and accessing buildings.

The ID cards also are available in a mobile format. The “Mobiil-ID” data is stored on a smaller card that fits into a smartphone.

The report conceded that Estonia may have been able to “be more nimble in its policymaking” for establishing e-IDs than the United States. “A small country with a homogenous population may not face the same political resistance when proposing new technology projects that would be found in a more politically divided nation,” it stated.

But, according to the report, the United States may have a cost advantage because economies of scale could drive down hardware and software prices. In addition, the nation is an incubator for innovation.

“Although the United States is late in creating a national e-ID strategy, if it heeds the lessons from early adopters it can capitalize on an enormous opportunity to create an e-ID system that can leapfrog those of other countries and help invigorate our information economy,” it added.

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September 11, 2011

Source: Activist Post

The weekend of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, has caused many to reflect on the event itself, as well as the decade that we have experienced since. There have indeed been many casualties to recall. One of the saddest casualties is the First Amendment to the nation’s founding document; it is effectively dead in 33 states according to a ACLU compilation of incident reports across America. A targeted program of surveillance and harassment has become fully centered on the population itself.

This was first made evident in the 2009 MIAC report, which cited supporters of prominent political candidates like Ron Paul, as well as an assortment of other activists who support peace, freedom and liberty, as potential threats. Law enforcement has been directed to treat such “dangers” with suspicion and extreme caution.

The ACLU has compiled an interactive map of those states which have logged incidents of police harassment and surveillance of Americans engaging in other apparently un-American activities, namely: peaceful protest, photographing public servants while on duty, questioning American leadership and policy, recording one’s surroundings while in public, and having certain religious or political affiliations that could apparently be tied to extremism.

Here are just a few examples among dozens of incident reports cited by the ACLU that show the range of First Amendment violations.

Maine – FBI Intercepts and Stores E-mails Planning Peaceful Protests.
The FBI intercepted and stored e-mail communications pertaining to protests at the Brunswick Naval Air Show and against the christening of an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer organized by Veterans for Peace and co-sponsored by Pax Christi Maine, PeaceWorks, WILPF, Peace Action Maine, Smilin’Trees Disarmament Farm, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Maine Coalition for Peace & Justice, Island Peace & Justice, Winthrop Area People for Peace, and Waldo County Peace & Justice

New York – Police Detain Muslim-American Journalism Student for Taking Photos for a Class Assignment.
Mariam Jukaku, a 24-year old Muslim-American journalism student at Syracuse University, was stopped by Veterans Affairs police in New York for taking photographs of flags in front of a VA building as part of a class assignment. After taking her into an office for interrogation and taking her driver’s license, the police deleted the photographs from her digital camera before releasing her.

North Carolina — Pentagon Surveils Veteran.
Debbie Clark, who was honorably discharged from the US army after eight years of active duty and who is married to an active duty military man, found herself under Pentagon surveillance when she participated in a protest at Fort Bragg in March 2005 led by veterans and military families.

Texas — Fusion Center Describes Conspiracy to Spread Tolerance.
In February 2009, a DHS-supported North Central Texas Fusion System intelligence bulletin described a purported conspiracy between Muslim civil rights organizations, lobbying groups, the anti-war movement, a former U.S. Congresswoman, the U.S. Treasury Department, and hip hop bands to spread tolerance in the U.S. The bulletin was reportedly distributed to over 100 different agencies.

Colorado — FBI JTTF Monitors American Indian Movement, Peace Groups, and Environmental Groups.
In August 2005, the ACLU obtained the documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request containing information on the Colorado American Indian Movement and the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. The files show that JTTF agents opened “domestic terrorism” investigations after they read notices on web sites announcing an antiwar protest in Colorado Springs in 2003 and a protest against Columbus Day in Denver in 2002.

Arizona Maricopa County Sheriff Department Surveils Political Enemies.
An internal report accuses the Maricopa County’s Chief Deputy Sheriff of using Maricopa’s anti-corruption unit to conduct politically motivated investigations and of surveiling Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio’s political rivals.

California — Military Monitors Campus Anti-Recruiting Protests. Two Department of Defense (DOD) Threat and Local Observation Notices (TALON) from April 2005 describe anti-recruiting protests by students at the University of California campuses of Berkeley and Santa Cruz. The source for both TALON reports, a “special agent of the federal protective service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” relayed protest information he received through email alerts.

Undercover Campus and County Sheriffs Attend Cal State Fresno Lecture on Veganism. On November 10, 2004, the California State Fresno student group Campus Peace and Civil Liberties Coalition (CPCLC) hosted an on-campus lecture by a speaker formerly employed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The lecturer addressed approximately 60 people about the benefits of a vegan diet. Six of those 60 attendees were undercover police officers—three from the county sheriff’s de­partment and three from the campus police department.

The scope of the incidents compiled on the ACLU map reflects a new America; one where the Bill of Rights and Constitution have been re-defined as the most serious threat, rather than the greater threat that exists from promoting an atmosphere of hysteria and fear that is inevitably leading to the eradication of protections afforded by those very documents.

First, do you believe that it is only 33 states? Do you believe that the principles of freedom outlined in the Bill of Rights and Constitution make America less safe in The Age of Terror? Are these incident reports examples of your tax dollars well-spent? Please use the comment section below to give us your thoughts, as well as other incidents that exemplify the loss of our Constitutional rights.

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Senate Sneaks RFID Drivers License, Internet ID into Transportation Bill

May 4, 2011

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Interpol Chief Calls for Global Electronic Identity Card System

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Source: Beat The Chip

BTC – On March 30th, Florida Sen. Anitre Flores submitted an amendment with high ambitions for Floridian driver identity. The amendment was passed out of the local Transporation Committee in SB 1150 and is now headed for Florida State’s Budget Committee. The Committee Substitute now contains language, reasonably defined and considered may allow for RFID tags to be added to Florida drivers licenses. However, that’s not worst of what’s ahead. Online authentication of drivers license information is being added as an alternative to another Big Database DHS program, E-Verify.

SEE ALSO: Amendment Waters Down E-Verify Bill on Eve of Judiciary Committee Hearing

Our guest, Paul Henry of Floridians against Real ID, discussed more about meeting the challenges ahead for driver identity in Florida and how it might soon be Real ID on the Internet.

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Source: WV Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Clarksburg FBI complex is taking part in a $1 billion project that will enable law enforcement agencies to identify criminals and terrorists by physical characteristics more quickly and accurately, an FBI official said Monday in Charleston.

Earlier this month, the FBI center unveiled its “Next Generation Identification System,” which will slowly replace an older system that can no longer handle the volume of fingerprints sent to Clarksburg.

“It’s bigger, better, faster,” said Stephen Morris, a deputy assistant director at the FBI Center. “It increases capacity and accuracy.”

Morris spoke Monday at a Charleston Rotary Club luncheon at the Civic Center.

The NGI system, built by Lockheed Martin, allows FBI employees to conduct automated fingerprint searches and exchange information with more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies.

In later stages, NGI system also will be expanded to include the analysis of palm prints, handwriting, faces, human irises and voices.

Read Full Article Here…

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Source: Wired

Scanning prisoners’ irises is just Step 1. In Afghanistan, local and NATO forces are amassing biometric dossiers on hundreds of thousands of cops, crooks, soldiers, insurgents and ordinary citizens. And now, with NATO’s backing, the Kabul government is putting together a plan to issue biometrically backed identification cards to 1.65 million Afghans by next May.

The idea is to hinder militant movement around the country, and to keep Taliban infiltrators out of the army, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan commander Lt. Gen. William Caldwell tells Danger Room. “The system allows the Afghans to thoroughly screen applicants and recruits for any potential negative past history or criminal linkages, while at the same time it provides an additional measure of security at checkpoints and major facilities to prevent possible entrance and access by malign actors in Afghanistan,” Caldwell e-mails.

It’s a high-tech upgrade to a classic counterinsurgency move — simultaneously taking a census of the population, culling security forces of double agents and cutting off guerrilla routes. (Plus, bombs and weapons can be swabbed for fingerprints to build files on insurgent suspects.) Gen. David Petraeus, now commander of the Afghan war effort, relied heavily on biometrics during his time in command of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Twenty to 25 Afghans a week are currently caught in the biometric sweep, military officials estimate. That number could grow significantly in the months to come. The “population registration division” of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior is “embarking on a program to develop, print and distribute biometrically enabled national ID cards,” e-mails Col. Craig Osbourne, the director of NATO’s Task Force Biometrics.

President Hamid Karzai has yet to sign on. But the “Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has already secured a $122 million contract for the database development and printing of cards in support of that plan,” Osbourne adds.

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/09/afghan-biometric-dragnet-could-snag-millions/#ixzz10TgWTfbP

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Source: Cryptogon

Via: International Business Times:

The production of the RFID chips, an integral element of the new generation of German identity cards, has started after the government gave a 10 year contract to the chipmaker NXP in the Netherlands. Citizens will receive the mandatory new ID cards from the first of November.

The new ID card will contain all personal data on the security chip that can be accessed over a wireless connection.

The new card allows German authorities to identify people with speed and accuracy, the government said. These authorities include the police, customs and tax authorities and of course the local registration and passport granting authorities.

German companies like Infineon and the Dutch NXP, which operates a large scale development and manufacturing base in Hamburg, Germany are global leaders in making RFID security chips. The new electronic ID card, which will gradually replace the old mandatory German ID cards, is one of the largest scale roll-outs of RFID cards with extended official and identification functionality.

The card will also have extended functionality, including the ability to enable citizens to identify themselves in the internet by using the ID card with a reading device at home. After registering an online account bonded to the ID card, are able to do secure online shopping, downloading music and most importantly interact with government authorities online, for example.

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• $335,906 Is The Price Of The Constitution

The Obama administration is set to propose a new system for authenticating people, organizations and infrastructure on the Web. The online authentication and identity management system would be targeted at the transactional level — for example, when someone logs into their banking website or completes an online e-commerce purchase.

Making such a system effective, however, will require creating an “identity ecosystem,” backed by extensive public/private cooperation, said White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt, delivering the opening keynote speech at the Symantec Government Symposium 2010 in Washington on Tuesday.

Here is a quick video tour of the Motorola Droid X, the newest Android handset for Verizon Wireless.