JANUARY 9--Digimarc ID Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Digimarc Corporation (Tualatin, OR; www.digimarc.com) and Visionics Corporation (Minnetonka, MN, and Jersey City, NJ; www.visionics.com), a leader in identification technologies and systems, have announced that the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is enhancing its second-generation digital driver's license issuance program with a pilot project using FaceIt technology developed by Visionics and implemented by Digimarc ID Systems (formerly Polaroid ID Systems). Under the license-issuance program, when first-time driver�s-license applicants apply for a West Virginia license, the system compares their facial image against the 2 million DMV records on file in an effort to quickly identify potential duplicates and aid in subsequent investigations of identity fraud.
Said David Bolyard, director of driver services in the state, "We are the first state in the nation to use facial-recognition software and the first to extend our driver�s-license system to include a statewide child-ID program. The FaceIt facial-recognition component will help us make our efforts to eliminate fraudulent and duplicate registrations effective."
