President Obama signed a budget bill with an amendment that mandates federal agencies deploy a trusted ID platform for citizens to access information. The General Services Administration is assigned the big job on a short deadline but the agency isn’t necessary starting from scratch. Connect.Gov is designed to solve this problem and may be the solution to the government’s identity woes.

Advanced Optical Solutions Inc. is out to change the way fingerprint biometrics are captured with that it’s calling “zero-touch fingerprints.” The company now has an FBI-certified system that enables authentication by waving a hand through a small door.

2016 is quickly approaching and in anticipation of the Workshop: Applying Measurement Science in the Identity Ecosystem, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has released some white papers to help move the conversation along.

With close to two-thirds of responding companies having suffered a data breach in the past 12 months, 95% reported they would increase cybersecurity spending in the next year. Enterprises are also ramping up authentication procedures with 66% moving beyond user names and password for authentication.

HID Global has received an order from the U.S. government for the redesign, manufacture and supply of the country’s Green Card; Crossmatch announced that the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has deployed the company’s fingerprint scanner to enroll refugees and migrants entering the country; GMO GlobalSign has previewed its upcoming identity and access management solution.

AVISIAN Publishing is pleased to announce the release of the interactive version of the Winter 2015 Regarding ID magazine. Some highlights from this issue include: Wallet holds DNA for digital ID, Protecting kids’ online identities, Municipal governments issuing IDs and Clear IDs resurrected at airports, stadiums.

Employees aren’t taking best practice security practices into their personal lives, according to the Ping Identity 2015 Online Identity Study. While 74% of employees wouldn’t give up their work login credentials for anything, a third of respondents noted that they would give up their personal email information.

Changes to the visa waiver program were announced but there is still a security gap. Countries need to link the passport to the traveler though biometrics in order to truly secure borders.

Gemalto has managed a modernization of Guinea’s voter register; IRIS Corporation has inked a $22 million contract to supply ePassports to the Government of Solomon Islands; prizeotel has selected ASSA ABLOY Hospitality to implementing Mobile Access at three locations.

Criterion Systems and its subcontractor ID Dataweb received an NSTIC pilot to implement projects with IDW’s Attribute Exchange Network. For the pilot, IDW delivered the system and business model to simplify online identity verification for attribute providers, identity providers and relying parties.