Biometric records containing more than a million fingerprints has been left exposed in a publicly accessible database that included a total of 27.8 million records that featured facial images, uncrypted user names, passwords, employee records and logs of entry to secure areas, among other sensitive information.

Facial recognition software marketed to law enforcement agencies shows it mistakenly matched the faces of one out of five lawmakers, 26 lawmakers total, with images in an arrest photo database, including Phil Ting’s, San Francisco, CA Assemblymember and proponent of the AB 1215. The bill, also known as The Body Camera Accountability Act, bans facial recognition and biometric surveillance in police body cameras. 

SmartMetric, Inc. reports the top benefits associated with using biometric authentication for payments in the mind of consumers are that it eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords/PINs (50%) and perceptions that it is more secure than passwords/PINs (46%).

United Airlines announced a new partnership with CLEAR. The biometrics technology reduces the overall amount of time customers spend at the airport security checkpoint by automating the document check portion of the TSA process.

The Biometrics Institute is calling for a balanced dialogue to demystify biometrics, with the release of the results of its Biometrics Institute Industry Survey. 

The use of facial recognition in the United States public sector has received a great deal of press lately, and most of it isn’t positive. 

The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport implemented kiosks for a biometric scanning service for travelers. 

Harrow Council in the UK has successfully trialied a drug-test technology that uses fingerprints alone.

Former Vice President Joe Biden talked about smart guns with biometric measures during night two of the Democratic Presidential candidates’ debate, nationally televised last Thursday.

Fifty-six percent of consumers in North America and Europe are concerned about the switch to biometrics, and 81 prefer passwords for online payments due to security concerns, according to the report “Lost in Transaction: The end of Risk?”.