US starting small


The vast resources of the US Department of Homeland Security are now focused on its own biometric ID card scheme, Government Computer News reports.

Careful reading reveals they are proceeding cautiously compared with our own dear Home Office.

1. Only 200,000 or so pre-screened volunteers (whose backgrounds have already been checked for other purposes) will be involved.

2. The “biometric” is the same as for the US-VISIT scheme, a digital scan of two index-finger-prints. (OK-ish for verification; not much good for identification. Ministers who don’t know the difference see here.)

3. No externally obvious milestone dates for the programme have been announced, so the DHS won’t be embarrassed however long it takes, and has no temptation to misrepresent its results to suit its targets.