Open Biometrics

Several companies currently provide their version of border control, biometrically enabled identity management solutions. However each company's software requires registration of the user and storage into their proprietary architecture. The sharing of registrations provides not only a single point of convenience to the traveler but also aids in detecting potential circumvention of the system. Once this repository is under way, smaller applications could also use the repository for use within their applications. This would eliminate the individual registration for each biometric application. Short of having a national repository of biometrics, smart cards offer an excellent method for a portable database. The current state of smart cards has proven to be less than stellar for security. But the technology will get better, and over time should become a proven leader for portable applications.