'World's first' facial recognition ATM unveiled in China

Mainland researchers have developed the first automated teller machine with facial recognition technology.

The developers include Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou firm that provides security protection for financial transactions, Xinhua reported.

Tzekwan chairman Gu Zikun, an anti-counterfeit technology expert, believes the technology will curb ATM-related crimes. ATM parts on the mainland currently relied mostly on imported technology, the report said, but the new machine, which combines high-speed banknote handling, improved counterfeit-bill recognition and facial recognition, was wholly Chinese.

Gu said the product had passed the authorities' certification and would soon be available on the market. It is unclear who will manufacture the ATMs and how it will collect facial data.

The news come a week after the state launched its "Made in China" campaign, which aims to transition the mainland from a manufacturing hub for low-end goods to high-quality products within the next 10 years.

Cash machines using fingerprint authentication have sprung up in countries like Chile and Colombia.

These biometrics ATMs are not being used by some countries, such as the United States, because of privacy concerns and its high cost.

Trials of facial recognition ATMs have been carried out elsewhere. In December, a credit union in Baltimore tested such an ATM in the hopes it would stop ATM theft.

But opponents to the technology have taken their concerns about privacy and accuracy online.

"What happens if someone had plastic surgery to look like someone else," one user asked. "How much will it take to turn my face into Jack Ma's?"

http://scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1813322/china-develops-cash-machines-facial-recognition-feature-curb

(CNN) -- Poland's cooperative BPS bank says it's the first in Europe to install a biometric ATM -- allowing customers to withdraw cash simply with the touch of a fingertip.
The digit-scanning ATM, introduced in the Polish capital of Warsaw, runs on the latest in "finger vein" technology -- an authentication system developed by Japanese tech giant Hitachi.

The company says that an infrared light is passed through the finger to detect a unique pattern of micro-veins beneath the surface - which is then matched with a pre-registered profile to verify an individual's identity.

"This is a substantially more reliable technique than using fingerprints," Peter Jones, Hitachi's head of security and solutions in Europe, told CNN.

"Our tests indicate there is a one in a million false acceptance rate -- that's as good as iris scanning, which is generally regarded as the most secure method."

Unlike fingerprints, which leave a trace and can be potentially reproduced, finger veins are impossible to replicate, according to Jones, because they are beneath the surface of the skin.

"And before you ask, no -- it doesn't work with fingers that have been chopped off," he added.
While the technology represents a step forward in reducing cases of identity fraud, Jones said that this is just one of many factors that have encouraged the Polish bank to adopt it.

"Here, banks have a responsibility to perform various social functions like dispensing welfare checks and pensions. These cause long queues at the cashier and many people find it inconvenient and even debilitating."
BPS plans to install a biometric ATM at every one of its branches by the end of the year, where, says Jones -- who has worked with the bank for over three years -- they will also function as a collection terminal for state benefits.

Although it is a first for Europe, biometric cash points have been embraced in other parts of the world for some years.

According to business data analysts Bloomberg, the technology became particularly popular in Japan after the passing of legislation in 2006 that made banks liable for withdrawals by criminals using stolen or counterfeit bank cards.

Jones says that there are now over 80,000 biometric ATMs in Japan, currently used by more than 15 million customers.

The machines are also dotted around parts of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and even parts of Africa -- where, according to banking analyst Stessa Cohen, they are preferred by rural workers living in remote areas, who are not accustomed to carrying bank cards.

So far though, the technology has failed to penetrate banking markets in the West. Cohen, who works for industry analysts Gartner, believes there are a number of data privacy issues that commercial banks have failed to address.

"If these banks are going to make biometrics an attractive proposition, they're going to have to start being much more transparent about what they do with their customer's personal data. They have to show that this type of sensitive information does not belong to them, but to us."
For Jones, however, a driving force behind the lackluster uptake in most western countries is due to a dearth of commercial incentives.

"It's generally the customer who foots the bill for fraud, and the banks have already factored that into their business model. Add to that the fact that it costs thousands of dollars to install a new ATM -- and it's just not worth it from their point of view."
The security and solutions expert believes that Poland's early adoption of biometric ATMs reflects the country's forward-thinking attitude to the role of information technology in society.

"It's no surprise that Poland is the first in Europe. They are one of the most proactive at addressing the challenges of the information age. When they host the EU presidency in 2012, they want to say to the world: 'Look at what we've achieved.'"
The 30 million-strong nation in the heart of Europe boasts one of the fastest growing IT sectors in the region and has placed information technologies at the center of its plan for economic growth over the coming years.

As Kenechi Okeleke, IT and telecom analyst for Business Monitor International, told CNN: "Poland's IT sector has performed really well in recent times. IT is a major focus for the government at the moment and they have adopted an IT Infrastructure Plan with money from the government and the European Union."

Dariusz Piotrowski, development director at Microsoft Poland, says that the key to the country's success in technology is a thriving student body focused on technological innovation.

In July this year Poland will host the Imagine Cup -- a highly competitive global tech competition for students, which regularly enjoys upwards of 300,000 entrants from over 100 countries.

Poland's track-record in the competition has been exemplary.
"They stood on the podium 13 times, taking the first prize five times, second five times and third three times." Piotrowski told CNN. "Polish students have succeeded in the categories such as Algorithm, Short Movie, Game Development, Photography, Embedded Development and Software Design."
And as far as human-computer interaction goes, biometric ATMs are just the tip of the iceberg for students in Poland. Their entry for this year's Software Design category is a project titled "InterPeter" -- a breakthrough system that translates sign language into natural language and vice-versa.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/05/first.biometric.atm.europe/

caxim04:
Cool but they will device a new way of forcing victims to withdraw for them. The best solution is to build a reliable police institution. We need to build institution and not men.

Few months ago a man's picture was shared on twitter taking money from the victim's account. That was the last we heard, same guy was part of the one chance syndicate that attacked me last year. The team has been operating for the past two years along ikorodu road and apapa-oshodi axis yet no concrete response from the police. We need a vibrant police and not this "jeun jeun" boys.

Cybertext:
Not feasible in This Country...

Apart from network problem et'al... This criminal bandit are so desperate and might chop off fingers of card bearers just to get what they want...

obailala:
You are absolutely right, the criminals are very daring and would do anything to lay their hands on that cash; they could even kidnapp a victim, take his/her card and cut-off the persons fingers for use at the fingerprint scanners

Only safety measure might just be for individuals to open 2 accounts and ensure the account with the ATM card only has forfeitable sums in it.

Yomieluv:
or the robbers will now be moving with POS machine...

obailala:
You are absolutely right, the criminals are very daring and would do anything to lay their hands on that cash; they could even kidnapp a victim, take his/her card and cut-off the persons fingers for use at the fingerprint scanners
Only safety measure might just be for individuals to open 2 accounts and ensure the account with the ATM card only has forfeitable sums in it.

ladyF:
Facial recognition is good... but chai, that fingerprint own, odikwa very risky o. Make all these one chance people no go start to cut people fingers biko...


It's [size=13pt]FynestGeh[/size] again

BlackSeptember:
Facial Recognition a lot of naija gals will have their cash trapped in various banks because the ATM won't recognise their different powdered face

BlackSeptember:
Facial Recognition a lot of naija gals will have their cash trapped in various banks because the ATM won't recognise their different powdered face