Biometric ATM gives cash via 'finger vein' scan

Poland's cooperative BPS bank says it's the first in Europe to install a biometric ATM -- allowing customers to withdraw cash simply with the touch of a fingertip.
The digit-scanning ATM, introduced in the Polish capital of Warsaw, runs on the latest in "finger vein" technology -- an authentication system developed by Japanese tech giant Hitachi.
The company says that an infrared light is passed through the finger to detect a unique pattern of micro-veins beneath the surface - which is then matched with a pre-registered profile to verify an individual's identity.
"This is a substantially more reliable technique than using fingerprints," Peter Jones, Hitachi's head of security and solutions in Europe, told CNN.
"Our tests indicate there is a one in a million false acceptance rate -- that's as good as iris scanning, which is generally regarded as the most secure method."
Unlike fingerprints, which leave a trace and can be potentially reproduced, finger veins are impossible to replicate, according to Jones, because they are beneath the surface of the skin.
"And before you ask, no -- it doesn't work with fingers that have been chopped off," he added.
While the technology represents a step forward in reducing cases of identity fraud, Jones said that this is just one of many factors that have encouraged the Polish bank to adopt it.
"Here, banks have a responsibility to perform various social functions like dispensing welfare checks and pensions. These cause long queues at the cashier and many people find it inconvenient and even debilitating."
BPS plans to install a biometric ATM at every one of its branches by the end of the year, where, says Jones -- who has worked with the bank for over three years -- they will also function as a collection terminal for state benefits.
Although it is a first for Europe, biometric cash points have been embraced in other parts of the world for some years.
According to business data analysts Bloomberg, the technology became particularly popular in Japan after the passing of legislation in 2006 that made banks liable for withdrawals by criminals using stolen or counterfeit bank cards.
Jones says that there are now over 80,000 biometric ATMs in Japan, currently used by more than 15 million customers.
The machines are also dotted around parts of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Africa -- where, according to banking analyst Stessa Cohen, they are preferred by rural workers living in remote areas, who are not accustomed to carrying bank cards.
So far though, the technology has failed to penetrate banking markets in the West. Cohen, who works for industry analysts Gartner, believes there are a number of data privacy issues that commercial banks have failed to address.
"If these banks are going to make biometrics an attractive proposition, they're going to have to start being much more transparent about what they do with their customer's personal data. They have to show that this type of sensitive information does not belong to them, but to us."
For Jones, however, a driving force behind the lackluster uptake in most western countries is due to a dearth of commercial incentives.
"It's generally the customer who foots the bill for fraud, and the banks have already factored that into their business model. Add to that the fact that it costs thousands of dollars to install a new ATM -- and it's just not worth it from their point of view."
The security and solutions expert believes that Poland's early adoption of biometric ATMs reflects the country's forward-thinking attitude to the role of information technology in society.
"It's no surprise that Poland is the first in Europe. They are one of the most proactive at addressing the challenges of the information age. When they host the EU presidency in 2012, they want to say to the world: 'Look at what we've achieved.'"
The 30 million-strong nation in the heart of Europe boasts one of the fastest growing IT sectors in the region and has placed information technologies at the center of its plan for economic growth over the coming years.
As Kenechi Okelke, IT and telecom analyst for Business Monitor International, told CNN: "Poland's IT sector has performed really well in recent times. IT is a major focus for the government at the moment and they have adopted an IT Infrastructure Plan with money from the government and the European Union."
Dariusz Piotrowski, development director at Microsoft Poland, says that the key to the country's success in technology is a thriving student body focused on technological innovation.
In July this year Poland will host the Imagine Cup -- a highly competitive global tech competition for students, which regularly enjoys upwards of 300,000 entrants from over 100 countries.
Poland's track-record in the competition has been exemplary.
"They stood on the podium 13 times, taking the first prize five times, second five times and third three times." Piotrowski told CNN. "Polish students have succeeded in the categories such as Algorithm, Short Movie, Game Development, Photography, Embedded Development and Software Design."

And as far as human-computer interaction goes, biometric ATMs are just the tip of the iceberg for students in Poland. Their entry for this year's Software Design category is a project titled "InterPeter" -- a breakthrough system that translates sign language into natural language and vice-versa. 

Source: CNN

Brazil's Lula pays tribute to Africa's historic role

Brazil is committed to help Africa build a future of stability and development, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said.

On his last African tour as president, he said Brazil could never repay its historic debt to the continent.
His successor would have a moral duty to increase trade and investment, he told West African leaders in Cape Verde
Brazilian trade with Africa has quadrupled since Lula became president in 2002.
The Brazilian leader has made improving links with Africa a vital part of his foreign policy, which emphasises "South-South" relations.
He has toured the continent at least ten times, visiting 25 different countries.
Despite high popularity ratings at home, he is barred by the Brazilian constitution from a third consecutive term as president and must step down after elections in October.
'Historic debt' "Today we are united for the future," President Lula told a summit of the West African regional grouping Ecowas in Santa Maria, Cape Verde.
"Brazil - not just me - took a political decision to make a re-encounter with the African continent."
He said Brazil could never repay its "historic debt" to Africa - a reference to the millions of Brazilians who are descended from African slaves.
"Brazil would not be what it is today without the participation of millions of Africans who helped build our country."
He said Brazil was determined to help eliminate hunger and poverty in Africa through trade, investment and the transfer of technology.
"Whoever comes after me has the moral, political and ethical obligation to do much more."
'Defender of Africa' President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde paid homage to Lula on behalf of Ecowas.
"Brazil is a country that is respected and listened to, and its president is a great defender of Africa's interests. It should have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council," he said.
Trade between Brazil and Africa has grown from $6bn (£4bn) to $24bn (£16bn) under President Lula.
Brazilian companies have invested heavily in oil and mining, and have taken on big infrastructure projects.
Lula has also promoted cooperation on agricultural development and bio fuels, and launched an international television station - TV Brasil Internacional - that broadcasts to African nations.
Lula's final tour also takes in Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa.
He will attend the Fifa World Cup final as leader of the host country for the 2014 tournament.
He said he hoped Brazil would face an African team in the final in 2014.

Source: WN

Mexico polls test political support

The elections for 12 governors, 14 state legislatures and mayors in 15 states in Mexico are the biggest political challenge yet for the government of Felipe Calderon.
The Mexican president has deployed troops and federal police to wrest back territory from drug traffickers.
But drug-related violence, which is widespread in the country, has prevented many Mexicans from participating in the vote.
Many see the elections as a major test of public support for Calderon and his economic and security policies.
Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports.

Source: WN

India hails $3 billion showpiece airport terminal

A massive new terminal at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is being touted as a testament to India's economic prowess.

The sprawling five million square foot building was officially opened Saturday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi.

Complete with imported granite floors, huge white columns fitted with expensive speakers, 63 elevators, 95 immigration counters and a state of the art security and baggage system, Terminal 3 is also home to India's first transit hotel.

Officials say the new nine-level hub will be able to handle 34 million passengers per year, making it one of the biggest in the world.

"This is a confirmation that India has truly arrived on the world stage," India's Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told the crowd of invited guests.

Terminal 3 is a far cry from the cramped, low tech international terminal that existed before.

In addition to its architectural grandeur, the $3 billion building is attempting to be green with high ceilings featuring skylights to save on energy consumption during the day.

It was built in just 37 months in anticipation of the Commonwealth Games, which are coming to Delhi in October this year.

But the terminal is not without its critics. Some question the amount of money spent on the project, pointing out less than one percent of the population travels by air.

Source: CNN

Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

"I think the redraft, while improved, remains troubling due to its vagueness," said Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, which counts representatives of Verizon, Verisign, Nortel, and Carnegie Mellon University on its board. "It is unclear what authority Sen. Rockefeller thinks is necessary over the private sector. Unless this is clarified, we cannot properly analyze, let alone support the bill."

Representatives of other large Internet and telecommunications companies expressed concerns about the bill in a teleconference with Rockefeller's aides this week, but were not immediately available for interviews on Thursday.

A spokesman for Rockefeller also declined to comment on the record Thursday, saying that many people were unavailable because of the summer recess. A Senate source familiar with the bill compared the president's power to take control of portions of the Internet to what President Bush did when grounding all aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001. The source said that one primary concern was the electrical grid, and what would happen if it were attacked from a broadband connection.

When Rockefeller, the chairman of the Senate Commerce committee, and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced the original bill in April, they claimed it was vital to protect national cybersecurity. "We must protect our critical infrastructure at all costs--from our water to our electricity, to banking, traffic lights and electronic health records," Rockefeller said.

The Rockefeller proposal plays out against a broader concern in Washington, D.C., about the government's role in cybersecurity. In May, President Obama acknowledged that the government is "not as prepared" as it should be to respond to disruptions and announced that a new cybersecurity coordinator position would be created inside the White House staff. Three months later, that post remains empty, one top cybersecurity aide has quit, and some wags have begun to wonder why a government that receives failing marks on cybersecurity should be trusted to instruct the private sector what to do.

Rockefeller's revised legislation seeks to reshuffle the way the federal government addresses the topic. It requires a "cybersecurity workforce plan" from every federal agency, a "dashboard" pilot project, measurements of hiring effectiveness, and the implementation of a "comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy" in six months--even though its mandatory legal review will take a year to complete.

The privacy implications of sweeping changes implemented before the legal review is finished worry Lee Tien, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco. "As soon as you're saying that the federal government is going to be exercising this kind of power over private networks, it's going to be a really big issue," he says.

Probably the most controversial language begins in Section 201, which permits the president to "direct the national response to the cyber threat" if necessary for "the national defense and security." The White House is supposed to engage in "periodic mapping" of private networks deemed to be critical, and those companies "shall share" requested information with the federal government. ("Cyber" is defined as anything having to do with the Internet, telecommunications, computers, or computer networks.)

"The language has changed but it doesn't contain any real additional limits," EFF's Tien says. "It simply switches the more direct and obvious language they had originally to the more ambiguous (version)...The designation of what is a critical infrastructure system or network as far as I can tell has no specific process. There's no provision for any administrative process or review. That's where the problems seem to start. And then you have the amorphous powers that go along with it."

Translation: If your company is deemed "critical," a new set of regulations kick in involving who you can hire, what information you must disclose, and when the government would exercise control over your computers or network.

The Internet Security Alliance's Clinton adds that his group is "supportive of increased federal involvement to enhance cyber security, but we believe that the wrong approach, as embodied in this bill as introduced, will be counterproductive both from an national economic and national secuity perspective.

Source: cnet

5 UK, US troops die in Afghanistan

KABUL, Aug 14: Attacks killed three British and two US soldiers in southern Afghanistan, the alliance force said Thursday, as thousands of troops pressed on with anti-insurgency operations ahead of next week''s vote, reports AFP.
The three British soldiers died on Thursday after they were hit by an explosion while on a foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand, Britain''s Ministry of Defence said.
It took the British death toll to 199 since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, it said.
The deaths were also announced by the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), which said separately that two US soldiers were killed in other incidents in the south on Wednesday and on Thursday.
One involved an explosion and the other was a "direct fire attack", it said.
The soldiers are the latest in a long line of mostly Western troops to die in the effort to defeat extremists in Afghanistan.
Around 30 international soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this month, according to the icasualties.org website which compiles a toll.
Last month was the deadliest for the troops since the 2001 US-led invasion, with 76 killed, the website says. Most deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices.
US Marines and British troops have been pressing major offensives in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar ahead of the landmark August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.
The aim is to secure these areas so that election workers can move in and voters can cast their ballots without fear of attack.
About 4,000 Marines deployed into insurgent strongholds in Helmand in early July and were able to retake areas held by the extremists. The Taliban have responded by planting bombs to hit the troops.
US and Afghan troops launched a new operation on Wednesday in northeastern Helmand. The province is one of the world''s main poppy-producing regions and a route for Taliban fighters crossing from Pakistan to join the insurgency.
Operation Eastern Resolve II deployed 400 US troops and 100 Afghan soldiers to a Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, said Brigadier General Larry Nicholson, commander of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan.

Source: newstoday-bd