Hundreds of thousands of refugees are finding assistance – and something unexpected – in safe camps around the world: a biometric identity they can use long after they move on. These permanent biometric records are being created by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, better known as the UN Refugee Agency.

NTT DOCOMO is implementing the Qualcomm Snapdragon Sense ID biometrics platform and Nok Nok Labs S3 Authentication Suite to deliver strong authentication to the mobile carrier’s customers and devices.

In the past 40 years, fingerprint science has moved from examiners studying ink-stained sheets with magnifying glasses to Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS), which use computer systems and software to pull up possible matches. There is still a human element to these systems as they have grown in use outside of law enforcement to conduct background checks and for other purposes.

Microsoft announced that the latest version of its operating system will come equipped with Windows Hello and support finger, face and iris biometrics. If a system already comes with a fingerprint scanner it can automatically be enabled for the consumer to access the system, web sites or applications. Facial and iris recognition will require additional hardware.

Fujitsu unveiled a prototype iris reader for smartphones and tablets. The systems uses LEDs to capture the iris and authenticate to devices by just looking at the screen.

Delta ID is closer to bringing its iris recognition technology to the masses thanks to an infusion of cash from Intel Capital and other investors. The $5 million boost will help the California-based biometric authentication provider meet growing demand from some of the world’s leading device makers.

One of the biggest recurring issues that the biometrics industry faces is that the technology is often misunderstood, in turn perpetuating resistance to its use and creating assumptions based on a general lack of knowledge. One of the larger misunderstandings has to do with biometric technology associated with the eye; iris — which is common and mainstream — versus retina.

The FIDO Alliance standards initiative was a key topic at the Cloud Identity Summit (CIS) and the alliance conducted an interoperability session where members demonstrated how their FIDO Ready solutions could work together.

Passwords aren’t the answer to online access and entrepreneurs are proposing new ways to enable easy and secure online access. Two solutions being proposed include a watch that uses iris biometrics and a color wheel that would plug into a USB drive.

The Regarding ID summer 2014 issue is online. Read about the biometric boogeyman, digital identity technologies, will Bluetooth challenge NFC, problems with e-passports, identity vetting efforts at the local level, defining the hardware security module and much more.