The use of biometric technology isn't new or novel to many of us - we will provide our fingerprints for access control and identification at least once in our lives. Not all biometrics are as ubiquitous as the fingerprint, however. Another form of biometrics, facial recognition software, used by DMVs in the state of Illinois, has helped the state drastically cut down on one of its most infamous problems - drivers license fraud.

67-year old Constable Michael Solow just can't stay away from work. After being suspended from duty while facing charges of oppression and coercion, the West Conshohocken man was taken off-duty.

A court employee in Cebu City, Philippines was reprimanded and gave a public apology recently. His crime? Not truancy, nor slacking off on the job, or supply theft - but forgetting to wear his ID badge. All workers in the Philippines are required to have a publicly displayed ID badge at all times, identifying who they are, who they work for, and why they are where they are at the time.

In Trinidad, tactical police offers must now wear identification badges with their photographs on display at all times. Criminals in black have been impersonating members of tactical forces, who usually participate in the execution of search warrants and raids, in order to commit crimes against unwitting civilians. From now on, legitimate tactical unit officers will travel with uniformed police, in marked vehicles. Acting Deputy Commissioner of Crime Operations Gilbert Reyes cautioned the public against cooperating with people dressed in black who do not have proper identification on display.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing a proposal that would require all boaters to pass a safety class before operating a vessel. Upon passing the class, each boater would obtain an ID card that proves they're fit for the sea. The aim of the ID card is to cut down on the number of fatalities caused by dangerous boating. Reports show that similar boater ID card programs have reduced the number of boating fatalities by 25 percent in Oregon and Connecticut.

With over 1 billion citizens, India is the second most populous country in the world, second to china. Over 1 bilion people live and work in this giant democracy every day, and with such a large population comes a proportionally large government and education infrastructure. Officials have recently implemented a plan to ensure that Indian medical post-graduates from indistinguishable government departments do not mistakenly get teaching jobs, and they're going to use RFID cards to help make the plan come to life.

India is known for lots of things - the birthplace of many major religions, the Taj Mahal, delicious food, V.S. Naipaul, and the Indus Valley civilization. India has also long been revered for its spices, including cardamom, the unique ginger relative used in everything from digestive aids to Chai tea. There are over 40,000 cardamom growers in India today, and their regulatory group, the Spices Board, has introduced a new ID card program which is aiming to increase exports of the spice.

Authorities in Guangdong Province, China (one of the country's wealthiest areas) have introduced a plan which aims to boost security, prevent crime, and make cities and villages in Guangdong safer for everyone. RFID cards, to be issued to all residents, are a key element of this plan. Citizens would be required to carry one of these ID cards on them at all times, and information from the cards will be used to bolster a government program called the "public security information network." The RFID cards, which will hold information like bus records and credit card purchases, will likely transmit the information stored on the card to checkpoints at certain intervals. RFID cards, or contactless smart cards, have the ability to transmit information to a reader or interceptor through radio waves.

While fake IDs have begun to present large scale security issues on a national level, they still are a major problem for small businesses like restaurants, bars and convenience stores. Penalties for steep for establishments caught selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, and with ID card technology developing every day, it has become even more difficult to determine if an ID is real or forged.

Fake IDs are usually thought of as a teenage problem - used by underage kids to buy alcohol and tobacco or get into trendy night clubs. However, in the last five years, falsified ID cards have shown to cause many more problems than underage drinking.