October 11 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

The following article entitled “After Katrina: Identifying the Dead with Biometric ID” from Forensic Magazine illustrates one of the many ways biometric technology can help us answer human problems:

Teams of forensic experts were among the first responders to help restore order amidst the chaos of the 2001 World Trade Center bombing, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

But disaster management, in the U.S. as elsewhere, is clearly a work in progress. Systemic issues abound, and other aspects of the recovery process – namely the contribution of the forensic sciences – are handicapped by data shortfalls from the field.

In June 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the National Center for Forensic Science, took the important first step of issuing guidelines entitled “Mass Fatality Incidents: A Guide for Human Forensic Identification.”

The guide, in considering the full array of post-mortem data collection techniques – visual, anatomical and circumstantial evidence, dentition, fingerprints, and DNA – directed medical examiners to use “all available methods” to confirm victims’ identities. Click here for more.

Hopefully, more useful biometrics applications such as the one above will receive increased media exposure before the more senseless implementations (impossibly secured border checks, for example) ruin public support for the technology entirely.

Posted in Disasters, Biometrics | No Comments »

October 11 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Digital Trends has reported that “a task force of MPs, the All Party Group on Identity Theft, has recommended the creation of a post that would essentially be an identity fraud tsar to co-ordinate work by different organizations.” Concerted effort around the topic of identity at a national level is much needed in all countries. The fundamental basis of most security measures, identity, has not been given the attention it deserves. Hopefully, new focus such as that given through the proposed co-odination measure in the UK will bring about some much needed research and analysis on the topic of identity as it relates to security, as well as spark similar initiatives in other states.

Posted in Identity | No Comments »

October 11 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Some interesting statistics around what information British citizens are throwing out with the trash have been published as part of the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week in the U.K.

• 79% of Britons are still being careless with our personal details.

• Over 19 million households regularly place sensitive materials in their waste and recycling bins

• 11% throw away whole credit/debit card numbers – a combination of a complete card number with its associated expiry date and owner’s signature was found in the waste and recycling of 13% of households

• A third of Britons are still throwing away everything a fraudster needs to steal a person’s identity, including passports, driving licences, CVs, phone and utility bills

Protecting personal information is integral to preventing identity and credit fraud. Ensuring as much personal data remains as confidential as possible is the most simple and effective way to avoid being a victim of such crime.

Posted in Identity, Cyber Crime | No Comments »