Iceland's Keflavik Airport Commences Upgrade of CCTV System With Visionics' FaceIt Technology.

Business/Technology Editors

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2001

Schengen Agreement Spurs Security Requirements and First Airport

Installation for Facial Recognition 

Visionics Corporation (Nasdaq: VSNX), the worldwide leader in identification technologies and systems, announced today that Keflavik International Airport in Iceland has commenced the upgrade of its CCTV system with FaceIt(R) surveillance software.

The FaceIt(R) upgrade coincides with the completion of a new terminal building, specifically designed to efficiently handle passengers entering into Iceland from within the European Union. The Keflavik Airport Authority donated the system to the Keflavik Airport Police in recognition of the opening of the new terminal and the system is due to come online in the next few weeks.

Visionics' partner, Securitas hf is responsible for the FaceIt(R) upgrade as well as the overall CCTV installation for Keflavik Airport. The FaceIt(R) system in particular, is part of a far-reaching security initiative that resulted from Iceland joining the European Schengen Agreement.

(The Schengen Agreement, signed by member and associate countries of the European Union, is designed to facilitate faster travel between those countries. Passengers flying between these countries are now leaving from domestic rather than international airport terminals, eliminating the need to present travel documents when entering or leaving. The Schengen Agreement went into effect in Iceland on 25 March 2001.)

"Since the elimination of border controls as a result of the Schengen Agreement, we were looking for a system to identify known criminals and false asylum seekers, while maintaining the convenience to the citizens of traveling through our country. Integrating the FaceIt(R) technology with our existing CCTV system allows us to achieve our goals without having to overhaul the entire security infrastructure at the airport. We are thankful to the Keflavik Airport Authority for their generosity in providing us with the system," said Johann R. Benediktsson, District Commissioner of Police and Customs for Keflavik International Airport.

Although applicable only to European Union members and associates, the Schengen Agreement demonstrates a broader, more global push to simplify various processes as the number of passengers traveling increases. In the air travel industry specifically, biometric technology addresses the need to ease overcrowding at airports, expedite clearance of passengers and allows airlines, airport and border control authorities to operate more efficiently without compromising on security. In fact, face recognition has already been identified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the most suitable biometric for air travel, as it can also be used in surveillance and counter terrorism operations.

"Face recognition technology such as FaceIt(R) has a unique role to play in the air travel industry, as a way to simplify passenger travel. Its ability to automatically find faces and identify people against a known watchlist will provide the airport community a means to operate more efficiently and without compromising on security. As the leaders in this field, Visionics is the most suitable partner to be working with on this opportunity and we are pleased to be assisting with this installation," said Palmar Thorisson, Technical Division Manager, of Securitas hf.

"The airport is a natural environment for this technology. It is a place where you have to prove your identity; where you need to identify people at a distance, in motion and in a crowd; where, with the expected increase in passenger travel, it is necessary to automate the check-in process all while providing security against terrorists and criminals. The only biometric that can be used in these instances is face recognition," said Dr. Joseph Atick, president and chief executive officer of Visionics Corporation. "We are pleased to be working with our newest partner, Securitas, in delivering the capabilities of FaceIt(R) to an important and growing market."

Similar FaceIt(R) systems are in place in the UK City of Birmingham and in the Newham Borough of London, where, in association with the Metropolitan Police Service, 300 cameras are tied into the CCTV control room. After two years in operation, FaceIt(R) was credited with a 34% reduction in crime, prompting a visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Home Secretary Jack Straw. FaceIt(R) technology is also used in casino applications and in combating football hooliganism.

About Securitas hf

Securitas hf is a privately owned company founded in 1979. The Company has been pioneering the fields of security and guarding in Iceland, and has since been by far the leader in its fields of operation in the Icelandic Market. Securitas hf is divided into two parts, the Security Department operating a central monitoring service and security staff guarding service, and the Technical Department which offers full, 24-hour services relating to burglar alarm, fire, access control CCTV, care systems and emergency lighting. More information can be accessed at www.securitas.is

About Visionics Corporation

Visionics Corporation (Nasdaq:VSNX) is the worldwide leader in identification technologies and systems. Through its respective business lines - FaceIt(R), live scan, IBIS and BNP - the company delivers enabling technology, platforms, products and systems for biometric identification, with a specific focus on face recognition and forensic quality fingerprint identification. The award-winning FaceIt(R) technology enables a broad range of products and applications built by partners (OEMs, VARs and system integrators). These include enhanced CCTV systems, identity fraud applications and authentication systems for information security, access control, travel, banking and e-commerce. The TENPRINTER and FingerPrinter CMS live scan systems are the most widely used by government agencies, law enforcement, airports, banks and other commercial institutions in the US. The IBIS is a revolutionary mobile identification system that combines expertise in biometric capture and connectivity, and is capable of capturing both forensic quality fingerprints and photographs for transmission to law enforcement and other legacy databases. Finally, the BNP is a revolutionary platform for building scalable biometric solutions. These lines of business as a whole are reflective of Visionics' leadership position in the biometric industry and commitment to the innovation of identification technologies.

More information on Visionics can be accessed via the Company web site at http://www.visionics.com or by calling Frances Zelazny, Director of Corporate Communications at [phone].

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected on the basis of such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the "safe-harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For a more complete description of these and other risk factors which may affect the future performance of Visionics Corporation, see "Risk Factors" in Digital Biometrics' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended September 30, 2000 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2000, Form 8-K dated February 15, 2001 and the related Form 8-K/A, all of which have been filed with the SEC.