FC: Microsoft will use biometric identifiers in future Windows versions

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/402255.asp?cp1=1

   Microsoft to use `biometric' tools for Windows
   By Jathon Sapsford
   THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
   May 2 -  Microsoft Corp. has agreed to include in future versions of
   its Windows operating system a type of software that uses "biometric"
   devices such as fingerprint or eye scanners to boost online security.
          MICROSOFT TUESDAY WILL ANNOUNCE it signed a licensing agreement
   with closely held I/O Software Inc. of Riverside, Calif., which has a
   proven "application programming interface," or API, for biometrics
   technology. This essentially is a program that lets fingerprint or eye
   scanners communicate with operating systems. (Microsoft is a partner
   in MSNBC.)
          Some see these scanners, which identify users based on unique
   individual characteristics, as eventually enhancing or replacing
   computer passwords. A crucial step in this process, say those in the
   industry, is the acceptance by both producers and users of an API that
   allows easy employment of the devices. The goal is to create a
   software infrastructure that would let users simply plug in biometric
   devices and start using them to log on.
   [...]

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