IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The card will include the individual’s fingerprints and will have security features to prevent tampering, counterfeiting and forging, confirming to relevant international standards. All applications will be scanned and details will be computerised following a verification process before the card is printed, Kumara informed.

Beyond simply collecting the biometric data of all the population, other aspects of the project include creation of a system for personal ID number and subsequent ID card that makes use of the collected biometric data for citizens and the establishment of a fiber optic-based communication network.

In a report presented to the council of ministers last month, Sudan’s Minister of Interior Ibrahim Mahmoud said that all financial and technical preparations had been completed to commence the process on Monday, 16 May.

According to Mahmoud, whose ministry will maintain the registry, the technical arrangements include advanced registration methods and ameliorated system of personal ID and civil fingerprint as well as the establishment of the registry’s communication network through optical fiber cables.

As these cards are biometric, they will contain a data chip with a photo and fingerprint detail. They are more secure than the current system and all EU member states will implement the same type of residence permit cards on 20 May 2011.

The UT card will be no bigger than a bankcard and will be clearly marked ‘Residence Permit’. The biometric data will only be stored on the chip and it will expire when the permit has been processed. It is important to remember that the UT card is only a proof of residence permit, it is not acceptable as ID or a travel document.

"Since anti-terrorism has become a global trend, Taiwan will follow the lead of the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Union in imposing the biometrics requirement for foreign nationals entering the country," the ministry said.

The requirement is part of a series of new measures in a proposed revision of rules governing foreign applicants for Taiwan resident visas.

Since the in-person passport application requirements was introduced on 1 July for first-time applicants, over 300,000 citizens have applied leading to the in-person passport application rate of 45.18 percent, noted Thomas Chen, Director General of the Ministry's Bureau of Consular Affairs.

The ministry said the e-passport, which increases document security and therefore speeds up immigration procedures, had already played an important role in obtaining visa-waiver status in the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union.

"Adapting a cost effective and simple technology is a good way of solving the many election-related problems plaguing many African countries," said NEC chairman Damian Lubuva. The technology will infuse the electoral system with transparency and accountability, he said.

At present, official statistics availed by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) show that there are some 20 million registered voters on the Permanent National Voters Register (PNVR) in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar out of the total population of about 45 million.

Plans are underway to introduce the use of biometric electoral system in Tanzania’s 2015 general election, Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) said on Monday.

NEC chairman Damian Lubuva said the decision to use the digital system has been taken by the government to make the voting process more secure and boost confidence in the accuracy of the results.

The Immigration Bureau of Thailand has told lawmakers that it is currently working to increase the database capacity of its biometric system used for immigration controls.

The system currently in use has a capacity of 50 million entries which is already exhausted and the Bureau has now resorted to manual checks for travellers while the capacity upgrade is being done, The Nation Thailand reports.

According to Colin McGeachey, a biometrics specialist with 3M Canada, the Caricom cluster of countries started pooling their border control resources back in 1972, and today the Caricom group has 15 member countries with around 16 million people flying through a total of 18 airports throughout the region each year.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a poverty reduction and social development strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14.

What the government previously did was to distribute Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards to beneficiaries however after a detailed evaluation of the project it was found out that some of the project beneficiaries were making the ATM cards as collateral to loan sharks.

BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr said the programme will enhance the country’s border security and boost the agency’s capability to thwart the entry of foreign terrorists and other illegal aliens.

When focusing on the civil and military biometrics market we have to distinguish four areas in which this technology is applied in: border control, e-government, law enforcement and the military. It is evident that border control will have the biggest influence on the biometrics market growth in the next 10 years. The global civil and military biometrics market is expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 14 per cent.

A lone, distinct ektara tune leads into the official theme song for Aadhaar and as the tempo picks up, a medley of musical instruments from all parts of India — ravan hatha, madal, mridangam — lend a diversity that merges poetry with procedure, a melody that officials hope will grow on people, inducing them to register for their 12-digit unique identification (ID) number.

This is the clarion call to enrol for Aadhaar, a project of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chaired by Nandan Nilekani. Called Yeh Hai Meri Pehchaan, the official theme song for Aadhaar is due for formal launch this month-end by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

After five years of extended discussions and cancelled tenders, Turkey was finally able to launch its biometric passport system eight months ago. Taking the current demand into consideration, 5 million biometric passports that have already been produced are expected distributed to Turkish citizens by 2013.