Biometrics Face Maritime Challenge

It's amazing how quickly technology becomes law. In Albany, New York, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program mandates new biometric ID cards, initially required for 500 transportation workers, at a cost of $132.50 apiece. The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) includes a background check, fingerprint and iris scans. There may be a several year delay in scheduling implementation, however, as a maritime environment poses technical challenges for biometric readers. The U.S. Coast Guard, responsible for enforcing TWIC, has yet to fully work out the policy details of exactly how these new biometrics will be used for up to 1.5 million workers nationwide. Why is wireless security moving so slowly?

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