Firm Says Access Control Goes 'Beyond Biometrics'

Nov 4, 2008 12:28 PM

An airport security program under way at BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport "has put a new emphasis on the need for greater use in airports of stronger identity verification technology," according to Paul Onorato, president of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations [CAPA]. Onorato made his remarks at an Airports Council International-North America panel discussion on airport security.

"Positive identification of anyone with access to the cockpit is essential and that's why CAPA is pleased with the success, thus far, of the BWI SecureScreen program," says Onorato.

SecureScreen is a joint effort of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA), CAPA and Priva Technologies with support from BWI and the Maryland Aviation Administration.

Priva technology is at the heart of the SecureScreen system. It uses a security platform that was developed by Priva specifically for access control and employs biometrics. "But, the platform goes beyond biometrics by creating an integrated trust system specifically designed to enhance security, maintain privacy and protect against systemic fraud and intrusion," says Charles Chambers, an airport security expert and a Priva executive vice president who participated in the ACI panel discussion.

Chambers says that reliance solely on biometric identification can actually weaken security instead of strengthening it. "There is a lot of authoritative literature about how off the shelf biometric systems do not provide sufficient proof of an individual's identity and how they can be spoofed," he says.

The first participants in the SecureScreen program were 200 Southwest Airlines pilots who went through a quick enrollment process, which stored their fingerprints, photograph, and other protected security information. After positive identification, TSA clears the pilot to proceed into the secure area to report for flight duty.

"The screening takes only a few seconds but it offers robust access control because it provides not only biometric identification of users, but an additional three different ID verification factors. In addition, the platform protects the privacy of the personal information provided by users and is designed to foil spoofing," says Chambers.

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