WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Homeland Security and Defense Business Council today released its ninth monograph in its 9/10/11 Project, focusing on the growth of the use of biometrics and ID authentication, detailing how the partnership of government and private industry has brought sophisticated new biometric and authentication technologies to the mainstream.
Biometrics refers to the capture of one or more aspects of a person's physical characteristics that are unique to that individual and thus can be used as a reliable identifier. By that definition, an ordinary mug shot – a photograph of the face, which was possible as early as the 1830s – qualifies as a biometric. Except for mug shots, however, it was the matching of fingerprints that became a de rigueur tool of law-enforcement in the early twentieth century. Fingerprints, until fairly recently, were just that – fingerprints.
"The need to quickly and accurately identify a person seeking access to information, airports, chemical facilities and other secure locations, has dramatically increased over the last decade," said Marc Pearl, President & CEO of the Council. "With the technology and solutions of the private sector, our country is continuing to rely on and develop reliable identifiers that protect our nation each day. This monograph details the multifaceted public-private partnerships and private sector innovations that exist within the field of biometrics."
On the 10th of each month through September 2011, the Council will release a monograph that will provide a brief history of our security efforts on a specific topic, as well as an assessment of the future of that topic. Each monograph will include a running timeline (interactive on our website) illustrating the events, incidents, and critical government responses pertinent to that month's topic.
To view the biometrics monograph visit: http://homelandcouncil.org/the-91011-project-biometrics.html. Industry leaders will be made available for additional interviews. For more information on the project, visit http://www.homelandcouncil.org/91011-project.html.
About the Council
The Homeland Security & Defense Business Council is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization of the leading companies that bring homeland security solutions to the marketplace. The Council works to ensure that the perspective, innovation, expertise and capabilities of the private sector are recognized, respected and integrated with the public sector. For more information, please visit: www.homelandcouncil.org.