Consortium To Help Bring Biometrics To PCs

Expect biometrics technologies -- initially fingerprint, voice, and face recognition -- to dramatically improve the identification and authentication of PC users, says the newly formed BioAPI Consortium. Plans are to provide standardized application programming interfaces (APIs) that can be incorporated into operating systems and application software, say consortium members Compaq Computer Corp., IBM Corp., Identicator Technology, Microsoft Corp., Miros Inc., and Novell Inc.. In the third quarter of 1998, the Consortium hopes to issue an API description and a statement of scope. Those wishing to contribute to the draft or assist by incorporating the APIs into their products can learn more by contacting the Consortium's secretary, Tom Koenig at [email protected].