The Future of Biometrics at the Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its highly-anticipated call to industry to share solutions for the Biometric Exit Program. The Request for Information (RFI), issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), explains that CBP intends to add biometrics to confirm when foreign nationals are departing the United States, in order to deter visa overstays, to identify criminals, and to defeat imposters.

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"It's a very helpful RFI," commented Michael Dougherty, CEO of the Secure Identity & Biometrics Association. "In short order it explains the background for Biometric Exit, outlines the experiments that CBP has made using different biometric modalities at the air, land and sea ports, clearly discusses the goals and objectives of the Program, and then encourages vendors to explain how they can help CBP satisfy its challenges while minimizing risk and life cycle costs."

"In turn, DHS will see a significant response to the RFI from industry," said Dougherty. "Companies have made great technological strides in their ability to capture and match biometrics at speed to manage and ease travel, and to do so affordably. Their inputs, which are due on July 1, will be important to DHS as it creates the statement of work for its eventual request for proposals."

Dougherty, who previously worked at DHS' Border and Transportation Security Directorate and later served as the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, commented that "DHS has become very good at substantive outreach to industry, which is important for the Department in understanding what's technologically possible, and important for vendors who want to understand DHS' requirements so that they can create solutions that will aid DHS in fulfilling its different missions."

"Dialogue and understanding between DHS, its government partners and industry is critical," said Dougherty. "To help promote that dialogue, SIBA has put together an 'Identity and Biometrics Innovations Forum' to take place at the Reagan Building on June 29. Our goal is to put together, in one place and on a single day, important speakers from the agencies and components that are key to implementing state-of-art biometric and identity management systems for facilitating travel, maintaining the integrity of the immigration system, and combating terrorism and crime."

"The Forum," remarked Dougherty, "will feature panelists from the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to discuss screening innovations to increase accuracy, speed and throughput. They will be followed by CBP, which will provide an update on Biometric Exit and the future of traveler management. We will then hear from the DHS Office of Biometric and Identity Management (OBIM) and the FBI Biometrics Center of Excellence on advances in the sharing of biometric and biographic information with domestic and international partners."

"We are delighted with the level of interest in the Forum," concluded Dougherty, "creating occasions where government and industry can examine problems together is an important objective for SIBA."

http://www.sibassoc.org 
Contact:
Michael Dougherty
703.786.5784

SOURCE Secure Identity & Biometrics Association

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