Senate Panel Clears Reform to Speed Hiring of Some Border Agents
(Government Executive, May 17, 2017)
Some applicants for Border Patrol positions could soon be eligible to skip the polygraph tests currently mandated for all potential hires, with a Senate committee approving a bill to expedite the hiring process in certain cases. The Boots on the Border Act would allow former federal employees who served in law enforcement for at least three years; had the authority to make arrests, conduct investigations and carry firearms; and previously passed background checks to skip the polygraph exam.
Trump administration sends NAFTA renegotiation letter to Congress
(CNBC, May 18, 2017)
The Trump administration on Thursday notified Congress that it plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, the three-member deal with Mexico and Canada that President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked. The United States can start renegotiating the agreement 90 days from the notification to Congress. A letter from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to congressional leaders says the administration wants NAFTA to be "modernized."
FCC votes 2-1 to advance repeal of Obama-era internet rules
(Reuters, May 18, 2017)
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 on Thursday to advance a Republican plan to reverse the Obama administration's 2015 "net neutrality" order. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants the commission repeal the rules that reclassified internet service providers as if they were utilities. He thinks the open internet rules adopted under former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, were unnecessary and harm jobs and investment.
Google and PayPal partner for mobile shopping by fingerprint
(Finextra, May 18, 2017)
Android Pay users that have linked their PayPal accounts will soon be able to pay for goods when mobile shopping using the Chrome browser with just a touch of their fingerprint. The development is an extension of a partnership announced between the two tech firms last month which enables consumers in the US to use PayPal as a payment method in the Android Pay wallet in apps and in stores.
Apple patents ideas for a borderless device with a fingerprint-scanning screen
(CNBC, May 17, 2017)
A list of newly granted patents hints at some of the features Apple may be building into a future device and potentially their next iPhone, including a larger, borderless screen with an embedded fingerprint scanner. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a list of 56 newly granted patents for the American tech giant on Tuesday. Included among the patents were designs for a mobile device screen with bending edges, which would replace the device's bezel.
Facebook Slapped With EU Fine Over WhatsApp Deal
(The Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2017)
Facebook was fined €110 million ($122.7 million) by the European Union’s antitrust regulator on Thursday for providing incorrect information or misleading authorities over the acquisition of its messaging unit WhatsApp, a warning shot to other companies registering their deals for review. The EU said Facebook inaccurately claimed during the merger review in 2014 that it couldn’t routinely match Facebook and WhatsApp user accounts—something the company started doing two years later when it began combining user data across the services.
Australia: Govt eyes private sector access to national facial recognition service
(Computerworld AU, May 18, 2017)
Within the Australia Attorney-General’s Department there’s a view that private sector access to the government’s national facial recognition system would represent a “natural progression” of its development. Andrew Rice, AGD assistant secretary, Cyber and Identity Security Branch, today said that there would be proof of concept opportunities for private sector access to the system in FY17-18. The department’s view is that there needs to be “as broad as possible defences against identity crime in Australia,” he said.
In China, your face can really open doors now
(The Washington Post, May 18, 2017)
Your face can get you more than just toilet paper in China. Now a number of female students at one of the country’s top universities can use their face to open doors, according to news reports. Beijing Normal University recently installed two facial recognition devices at the entrance way to the No. 13 female student dormitory. This adds to a growing list of ways the Chinese have made their face the key to the things they want.
TSA Innovation Task Force Industry Day
(ACI-NA, May 18, 2017)
The Transportation Security Administration informed ACI-NA that the Innovation Task Force (ITF) Innovation Day will be held on Monday, June 5, 2017. The industry day will be held at Boeing’s facility in Arlington, VA. The industry day will provide an overview of ITF, its current initiatives, requirements for the Innovative Demonstration for Enterprise Advancement (IDEA), and an opportunity to understand which innovations are most impactful in the field. Registration will open at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 19.
The DERMALOG "Iris Matching" Scores with Accuracy and Convenience
(PR Newswire, May 18, 2017)
The biometric Iris Solution by DERMALOG provides the speed of more than 8.5 million Matches per second, certified by the SGS-TÜV Saar. In working with digital iris images the Iris Recognition shows a precision that is made for using with large-scale data sets. Collected iris images and worked out details (templates) serve for registration, verification and identification.
