Eye on Security: Panini Meets FBI Standards, And VGS Gets Set to Launch Card Tokens

Panini S.p.A., which has been expanding beyond its base in devices for image processing, said early Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation has certified its fingerprint-authentication technology, called BioCred. The scanning technology meets image-quality specifications set by the FBI’s Appendix F standard, said to be the law-enforcement agency’s highest standard for fingerprint recognition, according to Panini’s announcement. The FBI standard also ensures that fingerprints can be compared when collected by two different certified devices.

The new device, which is intended to authenticate customers in-person, has also passed tests for detection of multiple fingerprints simultaneously and for sunlight interference, Panini adds.

“Our company is positioned to address a growing market opportunity with innovative applications, so we are working closely with certification bodies, making sure we do things the right way from the very start to quickly earn the legitimacy our brand deserves,” says Pierpaolo Bubbio, research-and-development director at Panini, in a statement. “The FBI certification ensures that our upcoming solutions in fingerprint biometrics comply with the highest standards and fully meet market expectations in terms of quality and reliability.”

Panini, which maintains offices in Torino, Italy, and Dayton, Ohio, introduced BioCred as a concept late last year. It now says the FBI certification of the technology underscores its efforts to move beyond check-imaging with identity-verification products.

In related news, San Francisco-based Very Good Security Inc. announced Monday it is preparing to offer a service that masks 16-digit card numbers with unique 16-digit token identifiers for processing through VGS or other processors. Tokens, which replace the primary account number on cards, are meant to protect card-account data as transactions are processed. The tokens are recognized by networks such as Visa or Mastercard as stand-ins for the actual account numbers.

The new service from VGS is meant to reduce tokenization costs for merchants that would otherwise face network fees or the prospect of locking in with a single processor, according to VGS.

The service will be available “soon” as a private beta, requiring an invitation, VGS says.