Company News

Denmark Selects IDEMIA to Deliver New Border Control Solution

The Danish National Police, Rigspolitiet, has awarded IDEMIA with a ten-year contract plan to develop and maintain a new border management system for the external Schengen borders of Denmark due to the annual increase in visitors and the changed EU regulations.

According to a press release issued by IDEMIA, Rigspolitiet decided to take the opportunity provided by the introduction of the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) to replace and enhance its current border management solution, as the implementation of the new EES regulations is planned to take place next year.

To be able to provide the Danish National Police with a comprehensive solution, IDEMIA has partnered with two local companies in Denmark – Systematic and Biometric Solutions.

The EES, which is to become fully effective by May 2022, is a new scheme that aims to allow the EU Member States to record each entry and exit as well as replace the existing use of passport stamping.

In addition, the system aims to help the Member States to deal with large numbers of travellers, help to identify third-country nationals that don’t meet entry rules and reduce irregular immigration, among others.

To help the Danish border management, the new system will address the hardware needs of around 12,000 officers in border control, immigration, and law enforcement.

Moreover, the solutions will also assist with immigration control and law enforcement searches in national and international criminal databases, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Apart from the national border management system, the solutions that will be provided by IDEMIA will also include the following: 

• Self-service kiosks

• Portable integrated border control equipment

• Automated border control eGates

• Self-adjusting cameras

• Fingerprint scanners to equip manual counters

• Mobile biometric tablets.

In addition to complying with the new EES requirements, Denmark’s Entry/Exit System will also function in line with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) regulations.

ETIAS will be an automated IT system created to ensure security as well as identify irregular migration or other risks posed by visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen Area. It will also facilitate the border crossing process for the majority of travellers who don’t pose such risks.

Tiger Global Leads $23m Round of Identity Authentication Start-Up

Identity cloud platform Authing has raised US$23 million in a series A round led by Tiger Global Management. CDH Investments VGC, Agora, and existing backers GGV Capital and MiraclePlus also participated.

The Beijing-based startup will use the new funds for research and development, talent attraction, and market expansion, aiming to improve its product matrix and accelerate the commercialisation process of its services.

Authing provides applications with authentication, authorization, user management, and security risk control services through identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) cloud computing.

Authing has also built a partner network by integrating nearly 100 applications that cover a range of enterprise services in collaborative office, cloud computing, marketing, management, development tools, human resources, and other fields.

Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport Introduce Biometric Recognition System

After a one-time registration via the Miles & More App and accepting the terms of use, frequent flyers can access boarding pass control and selected quick-boarding gates using the airport’s contactless access system.

On 9 November, Austrian Airlines and Vienna International Airport jointly introduced the biometric recognition system for contactless travel. Star Alliance Biometrics facilitates boarding without presenting the boarding pass and passing through security access quickly and contactless. This feature is exclusive for Miles & More members. After a one-time registration via the Miles & More App and accepting the terms of use, frequent flyers can access boarding pass control and selected quick-boarding-gates contactless.

A special infrastructure has been set up at the Vienna hub in Terminal 3. The biometric recognition system not only allows for more travel comfort for frequent flyers, in times of increased hygiene standards, it also provides an important contribution to health protection. Since the facial recognition technology is not affected, passengers can keep their FFP2-mask on, which is mandatory inside the terminal.

Star Alliance Biometrics uses an identification solution based on the facial recognition technology ‘NEC I:Delight’ from Japan’s NEC Corporation. It is available for free to all Miles & More members who have agreed to the terms of use of their biometric data.

The one-time registration via Miles & More App can be done in just a few steps. During registration, members are asked to take a photo of themselves, confirm their identity with their passport and select the airlines and airports where they would like to use the service. Personal data such as photos and other identification features are encrypted and safely stored within the platform. The system has been developed in compliance with applicable data protection laws and is based on the latest facial recognition technology. The storage of personal data is limited to a necessary minimum. For example, no customer names are stored. The one-time registration must be completed 24 hours before departure.

Are Governments Ready for Digital Transformation?

In their Hype Cycle™ for Digital Government Technology, 2021 survey, Gartner® have identified 32 technology areas to watch for driving more digital government services.

According to Gartner® ‘60% of governments will have tripled citizen digital services by 2023, but fewer than 25% will be integrated across organizational silos. Government CIOs can help accelerate transformation by understanding what new and existing technologies can meet their objectives.’

You can download a complimentary copy of the Gartner research to learn more about their recommendations on citizen-focused technologies and other supporting technologies and the priority technologies to invest on to maximise return on investment.