New identity solution in SA

South African biometrics group Fingerprint-IT is introducing a product
designed to combat identity fraud, phishing, password theft and
repudiation, says company director Bryan Kimmel.Kimmel believes biometrics
technology has entered the second phase of its lifecycle in terms of
global applications, and is moving away from being solely an access
control solution.Fingerprint-IT's BioIdentity application is a third-party
verification and identity register, which requires that clients submit
their identity details to the vendor, which captures these and submits the
information to BioIdentity over the Internet or direct
connection.BioIdentity checks for non-duplication and then registers the
client along with their details, says Kimmel."The client initiates a new
transaction when purchasing something or when his identity has been
confirmed. He does this by placing his finger on a fingerprint scanner,
and BioIdentity then returns a positive, negative or unknown result."If
the result of the verification is positive, Kimmel says, the vendor can
then proceed with the transaction knowing the true identity of the client
has been established.Furthermore, the system can be integrated into any
transactional system to enable the secure processing of any type of
financial transaction that is identity bound. Kimmel claims this
eliminates all hacking vulnerabilities, as well as ensures security for
the client, merchant and financial institution.Kimmel says that, apart
from eliminating the threat of fraud and skimming, the system also allows
for quicker checkouts and customer convenience, and enables
customer-pattern tracking and directed promotional advertising. In
addition, BioIdentity can be used for age verification for movies, as well
as sales of tobacco and alcohol products."BioIdentity works with any
fingerprint reader, providing it meets our stringent security
requirements."Kimmel points out that vendors do not require expensive
server hardware or IT staff to manage yet another system, which means
there is a low up-front cost."It is available as a standalone system and
integrates into any existing application," Kimmel says.

Posted: 10/7/2005 10:35:17 AM

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