Harris Corporation selects AuthenTec biometric fingerprint sensor system for FDCA program

WASHINGTON and MELBOURNE, Fla., 25 May 2006. Harris Corporation has selected AuthenTec, a biometric fingerprint sensor security company, to provide its EntrePad 1510 slide fingerprint sensors for the U.S. Census Bureau's Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) program. FDCA is a five-year, $600 million program that will integrate various automated systems to obtain field census data.

AuthenTec's fingerprint sensors will be used to secure census information during the 2010 Census, in one of the largest biometrics implementations by the U.S. government.

AuthenTec's EntrePad 1510 sensor will be embedded in more than 500,000 PDA devices that census takers will use to capture information collected during interviews. Census takers will enroll their fingerprints in the device and then slide their fingers across the sensor to authenticate that the information was input by them. The sensor provides a security chain that protects the Census network, and eliminates the need for passwords.

Harris will serve as the systems integrator and provide overall program management. Other Harris team members on the program include: Accenture LLP, Unisys Corporation, Dell Computer Corporation, High Tech Computer Corporation, Sprint, Oracle, Client Network Services Inc., and Headstrong.

The FDCA program will provide advanced, automated systems that deliver data to the Census Bureau's computing systems in near real-time for integration with other data sources.

AuthenTec's EntrePad 1510 small, secure fingerprint sensor for wireless applications provides security and convenience in cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless devices. The EntrePad 1510 for the wireless market is complimented by the company's EntrePad 1610 for PC products, including laptops and peripheral devices used in government applications. Both sensors are based on AuthenTec's patented TruePrint and TrueMatch technologies, which provide accurate fingerprint images, enabling the company to create small sensors that are able to read virtually every fingerprint. Because the sensors read below the surface of the skin, they also are not affected by dirt, oil, scars, or other finger conditions.