Project Summary 

• Evaluate 1:1 and 1:N use of biometrics in U.S. visa issuance and at U.S. ports of entry to detect attempted entrance on the part of national security threats; assess ability of biometric technologies to process tens of millions of unique entrants, and hundreds of millions of border crossings, in challenging operational environments

IBG Responsibilities  

• Evaluated current operations and processes at U.S. consulates and ports of entry
• Evaluated biometric-related legislative requirements in USA PATRIOT and Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act
• Developed detailed concepts of operation for each visa/POE operational scenario
• Addressed impact of U.S. and international standards efforts, e.g. M1 and ICAO, on biometric technology selection and system architecture
• Provided recommendations on global enrollment of several million visa entrants through self-service kiosk network
• Developed "off-card storage" recommendations for transactional authentication at land, air, and sea POEs
• Provided recommendations on multiple-biometric 1:N and 1:1 system design
• Identified major risk areas and independent variables

In mid-2002, IBG was engaged by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to evaluate the role of biometric technologies in the upcoming Border Entry/Exit system, a project designed to substantially revise the manner in which aliens enter and exit the U.S. IBG provided OSTP with detailed technology recommendations based on (1) extensive requirements gathering and (2) development of detailed concepts of operation for 1:N, 1:1, and watchlist applications. IBG's evaluation extended to include storage alternatives, impact of the Entry/Exit program on U.S. relations with both visa waiver and non-visa waiver countries, and the limitations of program efficacy due to vulnerabilities in U.S. and Canadian ID methods.

The several-month project culminated in an extensive report with detailing findings and recommendations.