DHS Releases FY16 Entry/Exit Overstay Report
(American Security Today, May 22, 2017)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released the FY 2016 Entry/Exit Overstay Report. The report provides data on departures and overstays, by country, for foreign visitors to the United States who entered as nonimmigrant visitors through an air or sea Port of Entry and were expected to depart in FY16. The report specifies that U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed 50,437,278 in-scope nonimmigrant admissions at U.S. air and sea POEs who were expected to depart in FY16—of which 739,478 overstayed their admission, resulting in a total overstay rate of 1.47 percent.
More than 600K foreigners overstayed visas in 2016
(USA Today, May 22, 2017)
More than 600,000 foreign travelers who legally entered the United States in 2016 overstayed their visas and remained in the country at the end of the year, the Department of Homeland Security reported Monday. Little has been known about the population in the past. Homeland Security issued the first report on visa overstays in January 2016. Monday's report gives government officials and immigration researchers a second year of data, possibly providing insights into countries or visa categories that may warrant closer scrutiny from immigration officials.
Many Illegal Immigrants Arrive Legally
(The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2017)
More than 700,000 foreigners who were supposed to leave the country last year stayed beyond the terms of their visas, though some of them subsequently departed, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. Congress has long pressed for a biometric entry and exit system to track foreigners, but successive administrations haven't delivered. Proponents of such a system note that the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had come to the U.S. legally and overstayed their visas.
WannaCry Malware Has Strong Links to Group Tied to North Korea, Symantec Says
(The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2017)
A group linked to North Korea is highly likely behind this month’s global ransomware assault, and the attack more closely resembles the behavior of a crime ring rather than a government-orchestrated campaign, a cybersecurity researcher said. In a blog post late Monday, Symantec, a cybersecurity firm, said the WannaCry ransomware carried “strong links” to Lazarus, a group security experts suspect was behind the theft of $81 million last year from the Bangladesh central bank and a 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Supreme Court Limits Where Patent Lawsuits Can Be Filed
(The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2017)
The Supreme Court limited the ability of patent holders to bring infringement lawsuits in courts that have plaintiff-friendly reputations, a major decision that could provide a boost to companies that defend against patent claims. The high court, in an opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, ruled unanimously that a specialized appeals court has been following an incorrect legal standard for almost 30 years that made it possible for patent holders to sue companies in almost any U.S. jurisdiction.
UK Home Office Consultation Focuses On Biometric Law Enforcement Devices
(Silicon UK, May 22, 2017)
The UK Home Office Biometrics Programme has launched a consultation for potential suppliers ahead of procurement for biometric law enforcement devices. Potential suppliers have until 2 June to return a questionnaire on the project, which is planned to result in the award of a three-year contract for what’s termed the Strategic Mobile Solution, including fingerprint devices, fingerprint capture software and frontline law enforcement agency process management. In a Prior Information Notice the Home Office said it also plans to carry out meetings with potential suppliers as part of the consultation, whose results are then to be used to refine its procurement approach.
Chinese Data Proposal Would Undermine Its Own Innovation and Discriminate Against Foreign Firms
(ITIF, May 11, 2017)
According to comments published by ITIF, China’s new data-handling proposal would expand the scope of local data-residency requirements and inhibit the seamless collection, use, and transfer of data. If implemented in its current form, this proposal will not only undermine Chinese firms’ own ability to use data to innovate, but also will discriminate against foreign technology firms that will be forced to use duplicative computing facilities and be constrained in how they use data.
South Africa: CSIR system uses biometrics to identify minors
(IOL, May 18, 2017)
South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed a system that will capture biometric information of babies and store them on their birth certificates to be used to identify them later in life. Funded by the Department of Science and Technology, the CSIR researchers have defined the fingerprints, ears, and the iris as suitable biometrics for this application. Over the next two years, researchers will be collecting samples from minors to establish whether it can be used to verify or determine their identities.
BehavioSec Partners With Kount To Deliver Behavioral Biometrics To Customers Globally
(BehavioSec, May 23, 2017)
BehavioSec (www.behaviosec.com), the leading behavioral biometric technology company, today announced a new partnership with Kount (www.kount.com), the premier fraud prevention solution for card-not present transactions, which incorporates BehavioSec’s behavioral biometric technology into Kount’s comprehensive fraud management platform. The new integration provides greater context for authentication and collaborative fraud mitigation.
