Feds To Have Unified Biometric Federal ID System

An anonymous submitter writes "There have been rumors flying among the scientific community about a proposed standard for 'Personal Identity Verification' by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). According to the standard, all federal employees and contractors would require a 'PIV "card" that is "personalized" with data needed by the PIV system to later grant access to the subscriber to Federal facilities and information systems.' Besides the likely efficacy questions, concerns in the scientific community concern what impact this will have on our foreign collaborations (or even grad students)."

Comments

Re:Bah

[psifishdot]

If you're a foreign researcher or student, photo ID includes the passport from your country of origin. PIV requires going to wherever they give these out, supplying an array of biometric information, submitting to yet another background check, etc.

This bites. I am a Canadian graduate student and my group collaborates with a DoE lab in the United States. Already, this lab has had problems with foreign collaborators who are not from Canada, Europe or Australia being denied entry to the country. This lab has already lost some of its top people due to Homeland Security kicking them out (i.e. not renewing their visas). Furthermore, they have had problems bringing in collaborators with unique expertise required to upgrade laboratory equipment.

Our Canadian group sends undergraduate and graduate students to this lab to gain experience through our collaboration. We have a large stake in this lab, and have a lot of equipment there. If we can't send our undergraduates and master's students, because of the long wait times to go through the background check, then what is the point of collaborating with the US? We'll have to pack up our equipment and send it to our collaborators in Germany or Sweden.