Are you who you say you are?

Are you who you say you are?

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

8279612_sIsraeli technology may solve the problem faced by the security organizations protecting the U.S. civil aviation.

Israeli companies may offer a number of technologies that are able to authenticate the identity of air passengers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to procure new credential authentication technology (CAT) in fiscal year 2014 in a major procurement.
To prepare for that acquisition, TSA Monday sought information from industry as to capabilities to support a system that could verify identity documents, such as driver’s licenses or boarding passes, being carried by an air passenger through various airport checkpoints.
According to HS Today TSA apparently is beginning the effort to purchase CAT systems anew after several attempts to examine technology in the past, including the purchase of samples of up to 30 different systems in October 2011.
A CAT system must verify the identity of air passengers and confirm they are able to travel beyond the security checkpoint for boarding their planes, TSA said in an announcement Monday. It must display authentication credentials to a transportation security officer (TSO) or other qualified operator and ensure proper ticketing of the passenger, instructing the system operator as to what action to take if the passenger is not yet cleared.
The CAT system also must integrate a credentials scanner, technology to authenticate credentials, a graphic user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). Under a separate contract, TSA already has produced the API, which provides an interface with its Security Technology Integrated Program (STIP) for the transfer of passenger data.

“TSA envisions the CAT system as a flexible system that can be deployed in different configurations depending on the needs and constraints of each checkpoint environment,” TSA said.
Through the request for information (RFI) , TSA plans to conduct market research to assist it with preparing a request for proposals (RFP), which it will release later this year. TSA said it would like to increase its knowledge of market capabilities and identify vendors that can provide CAT systems to its Office of Screening Capabilities (OSC).
TSA asked companies to submit white papers up to 20 pages in length to its contracting offices by April 15. Companies can submit questions on the RFI through April 9.