Biometric Access Control

At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people worldwide became displaced as a result of conflicts like the war in Ukraine, human rights violations, and other persecution. Millions of people have been left stateless, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) officially classed 35.4 million of these displaced people as refugees. But how can Biometric ID help and what is it exactly?   When refugees are forced to flee their homes with little warning, important documents are often left behind or lost in the chaos of crossing borders and refugee camps. Millions of people find themselves far from home without any means of identification, and the problems this can cause are wide-ranging. Without an ID, refugees can’t access health care, employment, or education and it also makes it nearly impossible for humanitarian agencies to track individuals or reunite families. Refugee camps become harder to manage with civilians inside them difficult to track and care for and host nations encounter security issues.   This is where Biometric ID comes in. Biometrics can give refugees a way of identifying themselves in a unique way only identifiable to themselves. This in turn leads to better protection and access to vital services. Keeping track of the huge numbers of refugees entering camps can vastly improve humanitarian services, and host nations can use the data to prevent fraud and improve refugee relations in local communities.    In this article, we’ll discuss how a lack of ID impacts the refugee crisis, and how Biometric ID technology may be the key to solving these issues.   Running efficient refugee camps  When refugees arrive at a camp, the first thing they have to do is register to access aid. Traditionally this process involves manually fingerprinting each individual and filling out time-consuming paperwork. Fingerprinting requires training, and paper records are difficult to archive and keep track of, and as refugee populations increase at camps, this process becomes even more complex and harder to maintain. It is vital to have a clear picture of the number of refugees at a camp at any given time to provide adequate security, housing, sanitation, and food and water. The traditional method of registration also makes it difficult to reunite separated family members as it requires aid workers to physically search through thousands of documents.    Biometric ID registration has proven effective at mitigating some of these issues. Humanitarian workers collect each individual\’s unique characteristics and store them in a digital database. These include fingerprint scans, iris scans and facial images, and registering them only takes seconds. Refugees are then provided with personal ID cards that are valid throughout the facility for them to access the aid they need. This data allows agencies to effectively manage the facilities, and the registration process is much quicker and easier. The digital database also makes it possible to locate family members and loved ones in minutes.    The Biometric ID technology used to register refugees is suitable for difficult environments and can endure extreme conditions such as extreme heat, dust and power outages. This system is much more robust and reliable than traditional methods.   A better life after resettlement  Around 850 million people worldwide lack access to identification in general, not just Biometric ID. This makes accessing services and benefits very difficult, particularly for refugees living in host countries. Without an official ID, individuals can’t access healthcare, education or banking and they can\’t get a mobile phone contract or work. This often leads to discrimination and abuse, with women being particularly vulnerable to exploitation if they are unable to access jobs. Access to these basic human rights is essential for refugees to assimilate into the countries and communities they have been resettled.    In 2022, the Cameroon government and the UNHCR ran a successful Biometric registration program, where 6,000 refugees from the Central African Republic received Biometric IDs. This gave them access to healthcare, education, bank accounts, and mobile phone subscriptions. Some of Cameroon’s refugees had been waiting nearly 10 years for access to these basic public and financial services.    Giving refugees access to id allows them to contribute to the society they live in. This reduces tensions with local communities and allows refugees to build a new life. Biometric IDs also allow host counties to manage the refugee population. They help authorities to identify criminals, manage border security and ensure the right people are accessing the aid they are entitled to.    Biobox: Revolutionising Biometric ID enrollment  At Arana Security, we’ve created an all-in-one Biometric enrollment and verification solution. Biobox allows you to capture and store Biometric ID data in under 4 minutes, using facial, iris and fingerprint data for layered protection against ID fraud.    Biobox is flexible and easy to use. It includes the following components: Flatbed fingerprint scanner Iris scanner  Laptop  HD camera Biometric fingerprint, iris and facial recognition software Waterproof, shockproof case    Biobox can be used across a variety of scenarios. It is ideal for Biometric ID enrollment across law enforcement, banking, education, border control, and in refugee camps.    We worked on a project for the United Nations, where they opted to use Biobox. We successfully provided a secure and portable solution to capture Biometric data to issue ID cards.  To find out more about Biobox or learn more about Biometric ID, book a consultation today.

At Arana Security we are dedicated to providing cutting-edge biometric solutions that help improve security, provide a better customer experience, and transform how we go about our daily lives. In this article, we’ll discuss how airport biometrics are revolutionising the way we travel.   Airport biometrics have already transformed air travel, and as technology advances and the biometrics industry grows, we can expect even bigger changes in the coming years. From biometric boarding to enhanced border security, biometrics have created a much more seamless, secure, and passenger-centric airport experience.   Airports around the world have been slowly implementing new biometric systems for more than 20 years.  The introduction of digital id to increase airport security in the wake of 9/11, kicked off the beginning of airport digitisation. It wasn’t until the Covid pandemic hit that we witnessed a rapid escalation in biometric transformation at airports worldwide. The latest SITA insights report has estimated that by 2024, 60% of all airports will have invested in biometric technology.    How does it work?  Each individual has unique characteristics that can be used for biometric identification. These characteristics include fingerprints, gait, palm prints, iris patterns, and facial patterns. Because no two persons can have the same biometrics, biometric technology uses these unique identifiers in place of passwords, pins and photo id for a more secure and accurate level of identity verification. The financial sector is also using similar biometric methods successfully to help enhance its security and improve accessibility.   Passengers can opt-in to share their biometrics remotely before they travel to the airport, and once they arrive they will be instantly verified via cameras or scanners at each touchpoint. Many airports now have this technology available for check-in, security checks, baggage drop, and boarding. This negates the need to carry passports, boarding cards or any other documents required.    Here are the top 5 ways that using airport biometric technology for air travel has revolutionised the industry.   1. Biometric boarding  Many airports have adopted biometric boarding procedures, where passengers advance through the boarding process themselves using facial recognition screens. The biometric software will analyse the image in seconds, and compare it with the image the passenger shared remotely before arriving at the airport. When the match is confirmed, the passenger can board without showing a passport or boarding pass, and without interacting with airline staff.    Biometric boarding has proven to be much more efficient than traditional boarding. The biometric system has been shown to halve the normal average boarding times at Los Angeles International Airport, boarding around 400 people in 20 minutes. In 2022, Korean Air launched biometric boarding using palm scanners for domestic flights from Seoul Gimpo International Airport as part of plans to minimise wait times, speed up boarding, and improve overall customer experience.    2. Hygiene  The outbreak of the Covid pandemic emphasised the need to improve health and safety procedures in airports worldwide. With millions of people travelling through airports each year, and with numerous touch points throughout the journey, it became apparent that airports have the potential to be a breeding ground for the spread of illness and disease.    Digital identification at the various stages of air travel has helped decrease this risk by eliminating unnecessary contact between security agents, airline and other airport staff, and passengers. Contactless machines and facial recognition technology have negated the need to pass documents back and forth or interact with touchscreens.   3. Paperless travel  The removal of physical paper documents from airport travel is not only more hygienic, but it has also made the customer experience much more seamless. In the past, passengers have been required to carry passports, boarding passes, vaccination cards, and visas. Biometrics allows passengers to use their unique characteristics instead of carrying various documents which they may forget or lose.   4. Border security  In the wake of terrorist incidents, increased criminal activity, and the Covid pandemic, there has been a push to improve and streamline border security.  These issues that have resulted in heightened security have increased wait times and congestion. When security systems become under more stress and have limited resources to deal with busier checkpoints, the result is often that criminals have an opportunity to get past these checks unnoticed. Biometric e-gates have been highly successful in tackling these issues by cutting down waiting times and quickly detecting criminal activity. Documents can be falsified but faking biometrics is nearly impossible.   For more information about how biometrics are improving global border security, you can read our article.    5. Biometric luggage drop  Airports across the world have begun testing self-bag drop systems using biometric photo matching. Spirit Airlines tested this system in Chicago and New York and found that time spent checking bags was reduced by 30%.    Airport biometrics have helped create a more user-friendly, streamlined customer experience at the airport, that is more hygienic and provides greater security. As biometric technology advances, we are likely to see more transformations in how we travel.    If you want to find out how we could help make your business more efficient and secure, book a consultation today. 

In this article, we’ll look at biometric identification and the pivotal role it could play in the near future to help secure fair and just elections. We’ll explore the following considerations: Secure and fair elections – why they should be the cornerstone of democracy A Biometric solution: what is Biometric voter registration Examples of successful implementation of BVR across the world Secure and fair elections – the cornerstone of democracy For any democracy to be considered legitimate, its citizens must have the opportunity to choose who governs them and how they are governed, by free and fair elections. With almost half the world living in a democracy of some description, ensuring the integrity of elections has become increasingly challenging in the digital age. Cyberattacks and the spread of disinformation have become more prevalent, as well as identity theft and increasing public mistrust in political processes.  In many countries, elections are the cause of increased tension that often boils over into violent confrontations as often displayed on the news.    Even long-established democratic systems are not immune from exploitation. In 2020, the world witnessed President Donald Trump promote false claims of electoral fraud following Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election. These claims stoked so much tension among his supporters that ultimately culminated in the January 6th attack on the Capitol that has been called an attack on democracy itself.    A biometric solution: Biometric voter registration In the last decade, governments worldwide have begun implementing biometric voter registration (BVR) to address some of these challenges. BVR is the process of enrolling people onto a digital voting register using their unique biometric identification characteristics, including iris, face, and fingerprints. Biometric voter authentication then confirms the identity of each individual by comparing their biometrics with a database.    Biometric voting systems drastically reduce vote tampering and voter fraud by ensuring no duplicate votes are counted, and each person is who they say they are creating a fair and just voting system based on true population representation. This system brings many young or flawed democracies closer to achieving voter equality and the principle of one person, one vote.    Examples of successful implementation of BVR across the globe Bangladesh  In 2007, after weeks of mounting tension and political violence, President Iajuddin suspended all political activity, including the January parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. A 17-party alliance had announced a boycott on the grounds that the system was biased. The elections were postponed until December 2008 with the aim of providing a credible voter list for free and fair elections in the meantime. While the task was mammoth and the time frame tight, the project successfully used biometric identification methods to register 80 million voters in a highly accurate voter list, with a verifiable individual ID card and a citizens database.   Ghana In 2020, the Ghanaian government procured 75,000 biometric identification devices ahead of the general elections. Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensah said he hoped the new biometric devices would ‘enhance the integrity and credibility of the polls.’ He said, “It is expected that the enhanced features of the devices will speed up the verification process and go a long way to ensure that only persons whose biometric details are captured in our system vote on election day.” The introduction of the latest biometric voter registration technology resulted in 17 million Ghanaian voters being registered and the President declaring it the most credible voter register in the country\’s history.    Guinea  In Guinea, enrolling citizens to vote has been complicated in the past, as there is no reliable civil registry and individuals have no way to prove their identity. This has resulted in people registering several times and casting multiple votes. There has been no trustworthy way to authenticate votes. Biometric technology allowed people with little or no documentation to register using their unique characteristics – in less than 4 months 5.5 million people had registered. In Guinea’s March 2020 elections, the system was declared a complete success, and elections were proclaimed as ‘Standard’ by international observers.      Albania  In 2020, the Albanian government amended the country’s legal framework, allowing for biometric voter verification to be put in place. They paired biometric voting and authentication to make their elections faster, more reliable, and more transparent. The elections were a great success, cutting down the process from two days to one day. Voters were able to verify their identity through their fingerprints at the polling stations, and the fingerprints were then deduplicated to check for double voting.  These examples (and many other examples worldwide) of successful implementation of biometric identification-based voting solutions would suggest that biometrics are the future of ensuring secure and fair elections.    Find out more about the Biometric ID solutions we offer here at Arana Security, or book a consultation to speak to our dedicated team about your security needs.