International Biometrics Industry Association Submits Comments on REAL ID.

WASHINGTON -- On May 8, the International Biometrics Industry Association (IBIA) submitted comments in response to the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which provide guidelines to Departments of Motor Vehicles on the creation of secure credentials that are required for access to Federal facilities and for boarding aircraft as mandated by the REAL ID Act.

IBIA supports the goals of REAL ID and the use of biometric technologies to ensure that it is implemented effectively. Biometric technology is the only technology that can bind an authentication or verification event to an actual person. As such, biometrics has an important role in meeting one of the key goals of the REAL ID Act to establish the identity and immigration status of an applicant before a card can be issued.

"Biometrics" include proven technologies that identify or verify individuals based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Examples of biometric technology include products that recognize faces, hands, fingers, signatures, irises, veins, voices, and fingerprints.

Biometric technology is the most effective means available to verify a claim of identity since the use of biometrics can establish that the person presenting a document or credential is the person to whom it was issued.

IBIA's recommendations to DHS for effective implementation of REAL ID included the following:

1. Use of biometrics for detecting multiple records for the same person to ensure that only one license is issued to a person

2. Use of biometrics to verify that a renewal applicant is not an imposter but is in fact the same person that the license was previously issued to

3. Require DMV employees who are in a sensitive position of public trust related to the license issuance process to submit to a fingerprint-based criminal history records check as part of the employee background check vetting process

4. Use of biometrics for employee physical access control to DMV facilities and secure areas to ensure that only authorized personnel can gain access to those areas directly related to the issuance process or storage of license or ID card stock material

5. Use of biometrics to authenticate DMV employees when logging onto information systems and for each transaction related to license or card issuance to prevent unauthorized access to license or ID records and to provide a positive audit trail of who was responsible for each license or ID-related transaction

6. Secure storage of biometric templates in a secure machine readable technology on the license or ID card to enable positive verification of the card holder when presented for Federal purposes

7. Implement smart card technology for storage of the biometric data to ensure privacy, security and flexibility to meet future applications

The International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit trade association founded in 1998 to advance the collective international interests of biometric developers, manufacturers, and integrators. For more information, please visit our web site at www.ibia.org. Inquiries should be submitted by email to [e-mail] or by telephone to [phone].