Morpho (Safran) has won a contract to supply the Lithuanian government with fingerprint scanners. Commissioned by the Information Technology and Communications Department to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the 145 MorphoTOP scanners will be used to process visa requests.
Essentially, what this means is that everyone requesting a visa will have to submit their fingerprints for processing in the MorphoTOP systems, which will then secure the biometric data in a database for later reference. The main purpose of the endeavor is to secure the country’s Schengen Area, as border security officials will be able to access the database for their work.
As with many biometric initiatives underway in Europe, the project is the product of new European Union standards, in this case relating to ease of travel between member states. The same kinds of concerns have prompted countries like Bulgaria to implement biometric screening systems at its airports, and compelled Ukraine to implement a biometric passport system for its citizens. Morpho, of course, is no stranger to the region. In addition to having a presence in Lithuania’s telecom and chemical detection sectors, it also recently became the sole supplier of all official documentation in the nearby Slovak Republic.
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March 4, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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