BioLink is Committed to Add Biometric Security to Bahamian Passports

Released on: February 29, 2008, 2:56 am

Press Release Author: BioLink

Industry: Government

Press Release Summary: BioLink announces its contribution to an e-passport project
launched in the Bahamas, which is expected to cover 255,000 citizens. Introduction
of e-passports enhanced with biometrics is intended to ensure the safety of passport
holders and the security of confidential data stored in a passport against
fraudulent use, including the use of lost or stolen passports. E-passports meet the
globally accepted standards for machine-readable documents, such as the
recommendations established by the ICAO, of which the Bahamas is a member.

Press Release Body: In an effort to combat crimes and terrorism by keeping track of
visitors, the Bahamian Department of Immigration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are
charged with preventing illegal border crossing and trafficking by means of
e-passports. An e-passport is an identity document using biometrics to authenticate
the citizenship of travelers. It contains an embedded contactless chip, holding
electronic data of the passport holder, to ensure the integrity of personal data,
including the holder's biometric credentials.

Bahamian passports are enhanced with biometric features, including fingerprint
biometrics delivered by BioLink. To cross a border, a person's fingerprint is
scanned and compared against the digital fingerprint template contained in the
silicon chip memory. The identification procedure is fast and effortless allowing
for an accelerated flow of passengers and checks by the border authorities.

For Bahamian e-passports, BioLink supplied its biometric development kit, designed
to add security to applications requiring strong identification. The kit is mostly
advantageous for supporting the key global security standards, such as ICAO,
ISO/IEC, ANSI/NIST, ANSI/INCITS, WSQ and BioAPI thus ensuring an interoperable data
exchange with other systems.

For this particular project, BioLink also ensured compatibility of its fingerprint
matching algorithm in the ANSI/NIST format with the ST4e hand-held device delivered
by IRIS Corporation Berhad, a pioneer in e-passports and national multipurpose cards
and BioLink's partner in the Bahamian project.

Piotr Pertsov, Director of Business Development in BioLink, says: "Biometric
technology has so advanced in the past few years that incorporation of biometrics
into passports is no longer considered a 'mission impossible'. E-passports come into
the forefront due to multiple forgeries and duplicity in the national security
domain. BioLink's progress in delivering relevant security solutions is achieved
mostly through our advanced proprietary algorithms and software, as well as highly
skilled managers and engineers, able to fulfill any customer requirements in a fast
and proper fashion. The Bahamian passports are another example of BioLink's
extensive experience and expertise in civil identification projects".

About BioLink

BioLink, a leading provider of biometric identification solutions, develops,
manufactures, and markets advanced fingerprint biometric products. The Company's
products and services form the core of biometric identification and authentication
solutions for all scales of civil identification, access control and information
security applications. BioLink's solutions ensure optimal total cost of ownership in
the industry and are implemented by corporate and government entities worldwide. For
additional information, please visit BioLink's web site at
http://www.biolinksolutions.com.

About IRIS

IRIS Corporation Berhad is a global security solution provider with core expertise
in securing government security documents i.e. National ID and Passport. IRIS
pioneered the world's first electronic passport and national multi-application smart
card with the implementation of the Malaysian Electronic Passport in March 1998 and
MyKAD - the Malaysian Government Multi Purpose Card in April 2001. These
technologies are deployed in many countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
IRIS also provides a full range of smart card readers, integrated terminals, card
personalization equipment and biometric scanners to complement the application of
its smart card solutions. For additional information, go to http://www.iris.com.my.


Web Site: http://www.biolinksolutions.com

Contact Details: Vyborgskaya St., 16, Moscow, Russia
http://www.biolinksolutions.com
nvoronina@biolinksolutions.com

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