Saudi access control systems market to hit $1.2 billion by 2020 (Trada Arabia)

Push notifications to bust truant Saudis

Saudi School Goes Biometric to Curb Student Bunking (New Indian Express)

In a novel step to monitor students' attendance, a school in Saudi Arabia has introduced fingerprinting system, also enabling parents to be updated about their children's arrival and departure time via a cellphone message.

New Saudi biometric visa policies meet some resistance

PAKISTAN: Travel agents protest implementation of biometric system for Saudi visa applicants (Express Tribune)

“We have written to Etimad three times to come and discuss with us the system but they are not contacting us,” said Khalil, adding that if the system continues in the same manner, then the number of pilgrims from Pakistan would be reduced by half.

Pakistan already uses biometrics pretty extensively in elections and travel documents, so this seems to be more about implementation than biometric acceptance.

Saudi biometric market to hit USD1.5b by 2019

MENAFN.com: USD1.5 billion by 2019. This growth and will be mainly controlled by fingerprint biometrics technology, which is already being adopted in the country due to its low cost and ease in its installation and usage.

Biometrics for government accoutability

Fingerprinting to end honeymoon for govt staff (Arab News)

Government employees may soon have to mark their attendance through biometrics, which may rob them of the luxury of coming late or even bunking work.

The proposal to have biometric attendance marking in all public departments was mooted by several monitoring agencies including the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). The move is aimed at ensuring strict and timely attendance of government employees in various sectors.

Saudi Arabia to introduce biometric visas

Saudi Arabia: Biometrics to ease entry of visitors, pilgrims at airports (Arab News)

The Foreign Ministry said yesterday it has signed contracts with specialized international companies to set up biometric centers for providing visa services to prospective visitors to the Kingdom, including pilgrims.

Saudi Arabia automating teacher time-and-attendance with fingerprint biometrics

Saudi Arabia: Teachers to be fingerprinted to ensure attendance (Saudi Gazette)
It looks like this is as much about streamlining paperwork and payments as actually keeping track of whether or not teachers are showing up.

E-gate system introduced at two Saudi airports

Airport E-gates: Yesterday Taiwan

Today Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has introduced the e-gate system at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam to facilitate the entry and exit of passengers.

"Those who want to make use of the electronic facility should approach the registration center at the two airports to get their e-gate cards," the Passport Department said in a statement on Saturday.

Officers at the registration center will check an applicant's identity and upload his/her biometric features (fingerprints and eye images) into the system before issuing the e-gate card with the applicant's photo.

Protecting Biometrics on ID Documents

Spotlight on Entrust, its CEO and how they fit in to secure ID.
Putting a face and a fingerprint to a name (Daily Herald, Provo, UT)

"We put a digital signature into the chip or the magnetic strip," Conner said in his Dallas headquarters office. "We encrypt and digitally sign all of the personal information that you provide so that it can't be tampered with."

The same is true for more than half of the passports issued by governments around the world.

Passports in six European countries and Malaysia have added biometric photos and fingerprints embedded by Entrust to foil counterfeiters. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates use its encryption for their national identity cards, some with biometrics.

But the piece de resistance is an all-in-one smart card developed for Interpol so that its law enforcers can move seamlessly from one country to the next, get inside any of its worldwide facilities and securely hook up at even the most insecure public Internet kiosk or cafe.