As organizations navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape, security leaders are making strategic shifts toward unified platforms and emerging technologies, according to the newly released 2025 State of Security and Identity Report from HID.
The comprehensive study gathered responses from 1,800 partners, end users, and security and IT personnel worldwide, and reveals a significant transformation in how businesses are approaching security, with mobile credentials and artificial intelligence emerging as key drivers of innovation.”The security industry is at a pivotal moment where the integration of modern technology with existing infrastructure is no longer optional — it’s imperative,” said Ramesh Songukrishnasamy, SVP of engineering at HID. “The fact that 73% of security leaders now prioritize software-driven unified solutions shows we’ve moved beyond traditional siloed approaches. Organizations are demanding platforms that can scale with their needs while providing actionable intelligence.”
Key findings from the report include:
A marked increase in mobile credentials and biometrics adoption, signaling a shift away from traditional access methods
The rapid rise of mobile credentials, with 61% of security leaders identifying their proliferation as a top trend, signals a significant shift away from traditional access methods. Nearly two-thirds are either deploying or planning to deploy mobile solutions. Concurrently, demand for biometric technologies such as fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition is on the rise: about 35% of respondents currently use biometric technology, while 13% plan to, indicating significant growth potential in this segment.
Growing demand for unified security management solutions that streamline operations
As organizations diversify security technology today, many security leaders (67%) are making moves to adopt software-driven security solutions, citing that unifying multiple data collection methodologies would be “somewhat” or “very important” (73%) to their organization.
Strong preference for open platforms that facilitate seamless integration
Interoperability has become synonymous with progress across the security industry over the last few years, and the trend continues as more than half of security professionals reported open solutions as being “extremely” or “very” important to their organizations.
Strategic focus on converging platform solutions rather than standalone products Nearly two thirds of organizations and 73% of integrators and consultants report a shift toward software-driven security solutions that bridge physical and digital functions like video surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection into a more unified platform.
Significant channel transformation driven by digital innovationThe security channel is undergoing significant transformation driven by digital innovation. While 77% of channel partners believe they are adapting well to these changes, growing end-user demand for AI, cloud solutions, IoT integration, and advanced analytics is reshaping service expectations. To thrive, the channel must continuously evolve and adapt to meet the evolving needs of the market and keep pace with digital transformation within the security sector.
Accelerated adoption of AI agents to enhance security operations AI agents are being rapidly adopted to enhance security operations. Use cases are proliferating across access control, identity management, video, and security management platforms. Key benefits cited include improved efficiency and speed of security processes (50%) and enhanced real-time data analysis capabilities (47%).
Continued emphasis on sustainability in security decision-making, budget allowing
Sustainability is still a key factor in security decision-making, with 75% of security leaders now factoring it into their solution selection process. However, sustainability is not the most critical factor when selecting new solutions as security and cost-effectiveness are still the highest priority for 80% of integrators and consultants.
Scientists have developed a detection system that could vastly improve the accuracy of human facial and activity recognition at long distances and through obstructions like fog, smoke or camouflage.
The researchers say their sensitive light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system can generate high-resolution three-dimensional images with double the efficiency of similar LiDAR systems being developed by other research groups, and at least 10 times better image resolution.
At 325 meters — the length of around three soccer pitches — researchers were able to 3D image the face of one of their co-authors in millimeter-scale detail.
The same system could be used to accurately detect faces and human activity at distances of up to one kilometer — equivalent to the length of 10 soccer pitches — the researchers say.
The research is published in the optics and photonics journal Optica and is a collaboration between the Single-Photon Group at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, led by quantum photonics expert Professor Gerald Buller, using equipment developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at California Institute of Technology and by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and by the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
Lead author Dr. Aongus McCarthy is a specialist in optical and optomechanical design and a Research Fellow at Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences (IPaQS). “The results of our research show the enormous potential of such a system to construct detailed high-resolution 3D images of scenes from long distances in daylight or darkness conditions,” said Dr. McCarthy. “For example, if someone is standing behind camouflage netting, this system has the potential to determine whether they are on their mobile phone, holding something, or just standing there idle. So there are a number of potential applications from a security and defense perspective.”
The system uses pulses of laser light to measure the distances to objects in a scene. The team’s breakthrough involved being able to measure the time it took for a laser pulse to travel from the system to the object and back with an accuracy of approximately 13 picoseconds — a picosecond being one million millionth of a second. This timing is around 10 times better than the researchers had been able to do previously.
“The timing is really phenomenal,” Dr. McCarthy explained. “It allows us to measure variations in depth very, very accurately — on a millimeter scale — which means we can distinguish between closely separated surfaces at very long distances.”
The system could lead to “step change improvements” in applications such as facial and human activity recognition, and the imaging of scenes through “clutter and atmospheric obscurants,” the researchers say.
A key advantage of the system is being able to accurately measure distances in broad daylight — when scattered light from the sun typically has a negative impact on the measurement process. By using a laser wavelength greater than can be seen by the naked eye — at 1550 nanometres — the daylight background is significantly reduced. This wavelength is also ideal for very high transmission in the atmosphere and in optical fibers.
Another advantage is that the laser output of the system is low power and “eye safe” — meaning the laser beams from the system are safe to look at from any distance.
The researchers tested their system at three distances they could see from their rooftop laboratory. These were a neighboring rooftop 45 meters away, a location on the ground 325 meters away and a distant radio mast exactly one kilometer away. It was at the 45 meter and 325 meter locations that research co-author Gregor Taylor posed while his colleagues scanned his head.
Dr. McCarthy said he would now like to test the system over much longer distances.
“Could we recognize a vehicle type at 10 kilometers, whether it’s a car or a van or a tank?” Dr McCarthy asked. “These kind of distances would be of real interest.”
Dr. McCarthy said the system could also be used to monitor the movement of buildings or rock faces to assess subsidence or other potential hazards.
The team built the system using a highly advanced detector developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which are well known for their groundbreaking scientific and technological research. This detector, called a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD), has to be cooled to a very low temperature of approximately minus 272 degrees Celsius — or 1 Kelvin — the base unit of thermodynamic temperature measurement. It then becomes ‘superconducting’ and has no resistance to electrical current flow until a photon of light lands on it.
The special cryocooler fridge that cooled the team’s detector to the low temperature to carry out their research was another crucial component of the research.
This compact cooling system was designed and developed by the Quantum Sensors group of Robert Hadfield, Professor of Photonics at University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering.
The research was funded and supported by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the European Research Council (ERC), the DARPA DSO Invisible Headlights program, the NASA ROSES-APRA program, and the Alliance for Quantum Technologies INQNET framework.
The research paper is entitled, high-resolution long-distance depth imaging LiDAR with ultra-low timing jitter superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.
INTERPOL released preliminary results of its largest-ever operation against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, carried out across 116 countries and territories.
Operation Liberterra II (September 29 to October 4) led to the rescue of 3,222 potential victims of human trafficking and identified 17,793 irregular migrants.
Authorities around the world conducted police raids, reinforced strategic border points, monitored nearly 24,000 flights and deployed officers to known trafficking and smuggling hotspots. Globally, nearly 8 million checks were carried out against INTERPOL’s databases.
A total of 2,517 arrests were made during the week — 850 of which were specifically on human trafficking or migrant smuggling charges.
Operational coordination units were set up in Argentina, Senegal, the Philippines and North Macedonia to assess intelligence and facilitate cooperation between countries within their respective regions and beyond. The operation also saw an unprecedented level of support from 15 specialized units from INTERPOL’s General Secretariat, partner organizations, national agencies and NGOs.
“In their relentless pursuit of profit, organized crime groups continue to exploit men, women and children — often multiple times over. While still preliminary, the results of this operation highlight the vast scale of the challenge facing law enforcement, underscoring that only coordinated action can counteract these threats,” INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said.
“Beyond providing a snapshot of global trafficking and migration trends, the operation served as a vital capacity building opportunity for countries, fostering relationships between specialized units, and enhancing cross-agency collaboration,” said INTERPOL’s executive director of police services, Stephen Kavanagh.
Trafficking-fueled Fraud
The week-long operation uncovered dozens of cases in which trafficking victims were deceived and coerced into committing fraud, marking a clear departure from traditional trafficking patterns, where human exploitation is the sole criminal objective.
Targeting online scam centers using human trafficking victims has been an operational priority since INTERPOL issued an Orange Notice warning its membership of this growing and globalizing trend. In many of these cases victims are lured with false promises of employment and are kept there through intimidation and abuse.
In the Philippines, for example, officers raided a warehouse where more than 250 people, mostly Chinese nationals, were running romance scams on an industrial scale. Officers are now combing through seized devices and carrying out interviews to separate the potential victims of trafficking from members of the criminal enterprise.
On the other side of the world, in West and Central Africa, officers uncovered eight separate cases, involving multiple victims forced into exploitative pyramid schemes. Once recruited, they were transported across borders and held against their will, often suffering physical and psychological abuse.
In one instance, 24 Togolese victims were safeguarded in Mali. The women had been promised employment in locations as far away as North America, but instead, they were charged “recruitment fees” of up to USD 6,000 to operate a multi-level marketing scheme. They were then forced to target family and friends to join as well. So far, 10 arrests have been made.
Human trafficking: A Global Phenomenon
Following raids on houses, businesses and nightclubs in North Macedonia, 13 suspects were arrested on charges of human trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering. The 32 potential victims identified during the raids — all women — were mostly from abroad, including Albania, Colombia, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.
Additional cases:
In Costa Rica, the female leader of a sect was arrested on suspicion of forced labor, child exploitation, emotional and physical abuse. Those recruited were made to take vows of poverty and silence, while top members lived a life of luxury, with high-end vehicles and multiple properties.
In Syria, authorities identified a group of doctors suspected of organ trafficking.
In Iraq, 25 people were arrested in connection with a trafficking ring involved in forced begging.
Ethiopian national authorities arrested a 26-year-old man for recruiting seven victims into domestic servitude in the Middle East, where they were held for weeks, mistreated and starved.
Migrant Smuggling: Exploiting the Desire for a Better Life
Analysis of migrant flows is ongoing, but of note was the increasing number of Asian migrants, particularly Vietnamese, detected in the Americas during the operational week. Venezuelan nationals, however, remain the largest group of irregular migrants reported by participating countries, with most migrating to North and South America.
Tunisian authorities intercepted 27 individuals, including 21 minors, attempting to travel to the United Kingdom under the pretense of a language study trip. Coordination with INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Manchester helped identify three suspects in the U.K., who have now been referred for prosecution on smuggling charges.
In Kenya, the Transnational Organized Crime Unit arrested two suspects accused of exploiting Ethiopian migrants, uncovering around 100 victims confined in a four-bedroom house. The victims reported being beaten and coerced into contacting family members for money.
Additional cases:
U.K. authorities located and identified a Syrian man wanted by Romania for illegally transporting migrants from Bulgaria to Romania, for onward travel to the Netherlands.
In Türkiye, authorities detected and safeguarded approximately 1,500 irregular migrants, arresting 94 suspected smugglers.
Authorities in Montenegro arrested 11 members of an organized group suspected of smuggling 350 migrants from Asia into the European Union. Police recovered cash, phones, vehicles, asylum documents and foreign passports.
Security has long been a front-of-mind issue for commercial aircraft owners/operators. Security risks are just as real in the business aviation sector. Security threats to business aviation are everywhere, so businesses and individuals who operate in the business aviation community must make sure to have a plan in place that’s active, effective and dynamic. Risks are incredibly varied and can be of a geopolitical, social, cyber, weather or medical-related variety among others, security experts say.
In a bid to address these risks, the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) hosted an online course this past fall, entitled, “Business Aviation Security Fundamentals” (BASF). It was hosted by Dyami Security Intelligence and IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO)/International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH).
According to the BASF course description, “this new live, virtual, two-day course is designed to equip business aviation professionals with the essential tools to safeguard their operations. Learn about aircraft and passenger security, threats from emerging conflict zones, climate activism, and information security. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of effective risk-management strategies, integrating security practices into their organizational framework, and mitigating these potential threats. The course will provide insight into conforming to IS-BAO/IS-BAH standards and its security chapters.”
“Dyami founder and CEO Eric Schouten is the course presenter,” the BASF course description added. “He brings his aviation intelligence and expertise in espionage, terrorist plots, and the MH17 disaster that inspired him to create Dyami, aiming to make security and intelligence services accessible and affordable.”
During the two-day workshop, the business aviation topics covered included security rules and regulations, security awareness and culture, and risk assessment strategies and mitigation. The content was put together by Schouten, IBAC’s IS-BAO director, Andrew Karas, and IBAC’s IS-BAH director, Terry Yeomans.
In a wide-ranging discussion with Transport Security International after the BASF course was held, these three gentlemen explained the motivation for creating it, the security threats faced by business aviation, and the ideas that were shared to address these threats.
Transport Security International: What was the impetus for creating the Business Aviation Security Fundamentals course, and who was it aimed at?
Andrew Karas, IBAC’s IS-BAO director
Andrew Karas: Here at IBAC, we had thought about it for a couple of years. There’s been a growing need for an awareness of security tailored to business aviation operations.
The course itself was designed to educate people such as flight department personnel, security managers, aviation professionals, and both air operations and ground handling to enhance their understanding of security and best practices as well as touch on some regulatory requirements.
We reached out to Eric and his Dyami team to get some subject matter expertise and bring to the table his experience and the experience of his team, so that they can educate business aircraft operators as well as ground handling organizations on security.
Terry Yeomans, IBAC’s IS-BAH director
Terry Yeomans: I think as the reach of safety management systems expands into the ground handling sector, that we need to work out how we’re aligning the practices that we do with our standards and recommended practices between the IS-BAH and IS-BAO systems and how they can interface with security matters. After all, safety and security starts on the ground, and it’s all about trying to get people to talk, to engage, and to understand where those interfaces are and how we can make everyone safer and more secure. So there was a very simple logic behind why we decided to do something.
Transport Security International: Eric, what is your expertise in business aviation security?
Eric Schouten, founder/CEO Dyami
Eric Schouten: As a former intelligence liaison from the Dutch Security and Intelligence Service, I have found that the business aviation industry really needs support in knowing how to handle the security threats that are out there. For the people who have to deal with it, who are not doing this on a daily basis or as a full-time job, they need to understand what threats are out there, how to discuss this with the leadership, and also how to deal with it within the budgets that they have in place.
I worked over 13 years at the Dutch Security and Intelligence Service, and most of the time I was the aviation liaison serving the aviation industry with intelligence reporting and awareness. I was dealing with airports, FBOs, and airlines, providing them with the intelligence they needed to have a safe and secure operation on a global level.
I was involved with MH17 crisis management. I shared intelligence on counter-terrorism and counter-espionage situations. And I discovered during my career at the agency that the business aviation industry really needed support in dealing with these threats because airlines usually have large security departments, while the business aviation industry does not. So they also need that same type of intelligence.
Transport Security International: With respect to business aviation security, what are the threats facing the industry today?
Schouten: The most common threat right now is what’s happening in the world. The world is changing rapidly, and geopolitical risks are in place.
So you can’t just run an aircraft operation like you did four to five years ago. Countries are in conflicts. You have to deal with overflight risks, and you also have to understand the destination and what’s happening over there. Civil unrest is rising, which is why you have to understand what’s happening in the country of destination. Is it safe to park your aircraft over there, and how do you deal with espionage risks for your clients?
When you look at security risks from an FBO/airport level, they’re dealing with the rise of activism and it’s not just climate activists. It could also be activists dealing with what’s happening in another side of the country and all of a sudden your operation is affected. It could be that there is a facility at your airport that is providing services or is part of the supply chain of a war abroad and activists find you. So you really have to understand the why and how to counter this.
Transport Security International: So how did you tackle this during the two-day BASF course?
Schouten: Well, the first thing we did was to share stories together. We taught the students to drink coffee together and to share information.
I personally think that’s a very core principle of risk management. You have to be able to share information with others or be able to get help from other organizations, and then you have to identify what are the types of risks. Then you have to feed the risk management assessment with intelligence. You have to feed it by identifying what type of organization you are and what are the threats coming ahead of you.
As it turned out, we had a mix of students. Some of them are aircraft operators and others are FBO type of operations. They have different threat levels. An aircraft operator has to deal with geopolitical risk. What’s happening over there? Meanwhile, the operation on the ground really has to deal with the local risks. So you have different risk appetites. (Note: The Institute of Risk Management defines a risk appetite as “the amount and type of risk that an organization is willing to take in order to meet their strategic objectives.”)
Transport Security International: What relationship does the notion of “risk appetites” have on business aviation security?
Karas: I’ll touch on that, and then I’ll hand it over to Terry if he has any other comments.
My program is the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). Like the IS-BAH program, IS-BAO has a chapter that covers security. That chapter asks organizations to establish and maintain a security program that’s proportional to the threats against the organization. So it asks their personnel and their facilities and their oversight to look at their vulnerabilities and see what requirements they need. Do they have regulatory requirements? Do they have corporate requirements? Do they have individual person requirements? So, our standards provide those questions for operators to answer.
Yeomans: Since the Pan Am incidents (such as the Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103), there’s been increased heightened activity about airside activity and airside security. It’s been about trying to get people to think about what their risk appetite is and to start considering what they need to do, not necessarily just to deal with the regulation, but going beyond what the regulation’s looking for.
That being said, the regulation is really aimed at airline security. It’s not designed for business aircraft security. And we do have different risk appetites in terms of the business structure that we have. So it’s good to get people talking to open up and think about, “Well, maybe I’m not alone, maybe I can work this journey with other people that do this in the same way.” And that’s why we’re trying to bring everybody together; ground handling, aircraft operations, security intelligence saying, “Okay, what is out there? What do you think has happened? What have you seen happen in the past? And how can we better educate everybody to think outside the box?”
Transport Security International: So how was the BASF course structured?
Schouten: It was a two-day online virtual course, and what’s important to understand is that we truly made it an interactive course. It wasn’t a PowerPoint slide deck that people see all the time. No, it was all about sharing stories and experiences and deep diving into that with best practices. The best practices are key.
The most important part of the course was to take assumptions away. What organization is doing this? Is that organization doing this for you within the company? Are people doing this or your client assumes that you are taking care of their security risk assessments? Well, in reality, you may not. So you really have to understand that the security culture has to be in place, and also how to work with your board because it’s all about understanding.
Transport Security International: So what did you students learn about business aviation security during the BASF course?
Schouten: Basically what we noticed was a lot of eye-openers taking place.
For instance, the people in charge of business aviation security often get the task because they have backgrounds in the police force or in defense or something like that. And all of a sudden, they’re responsible for the security part of this business aviation operation where there is a challenge and they can’t do this alone. So we saw a lot of students really have an opening up like, “Oh wow, so this is all we need to do, but we need help with this.” And that was very interesting to see.
What I noticed — and Andrew and Terry can correct me or at least add to it — is that business aviation is a fast business. “We have to be somewhere quickly and it’ll be alright.” However, given the world today with the new threats out there, you can’t just operate like you used to.
Yet the assumption that everything will be fine is still there. I really notice it. I was at an aviation conference and you still see this mentality, and that really has to change. We have to change the security culture of assumptions about everything is still okay. We really need to change that.
Karas: To piggyback on what Eric said, from the aircraft operator side the assumptions are that the security situation will be handled at various steps to their destination; that there’s already security measures in place that allow them to have the awareness of overflight risks; the security at their destination, at their hotel or transportation is in place; and that the security situation at the destination is being managed appropriately by the state or the local police authorities. Those are the assumptions that I think many operators have and those assumptions, like Eric probably alluded to, may no longer be valid. I’ll pass it over to Terry because he handles the ground operations side.
Yeomans: Generally all of aviation — particularly in our sector — is very much inward facing: “What’s the security threat to me? What’s the security threat to my company, my workers, my employees?”
What we’re trying to get people to think about is how you can open up those silos; how you can bridge that and work together as a team, rather than that insular inward-looking focus all the time. Because by reaching out and speaking to people saying, “Okay, well what do you see? What do you hear? Can you help me with this?” — that’s going to open up and make everybody much safer in the way we operate.
Transport Security International: So how did the BASF course turn out? And does IBAC plan to offer it again?
Karas: We had seven in this class. We are offering this course as schedules permit, but it’d be offered a few times a year. It’s based on everybody’s availability. We don’t have anything set, but we do plan to offer it in the future.
Schouten: We are very willing to offer this every three months or every two months. And we’re seeing interest in this because a lot of people are struggling with how to deal with the threats out there. Look at the situation right now in the Middle East; it’s really a discussion point at this time. So people are interested in how to deal with emerging conflicts. It’s becoming a topic, so they need guidance and IBAC is providing this now.
Yeomans: Everybody knows there’s a risk, but they believe that it’s covered or somebody else is covering it for them. This course is opening up a pathway to get people to talk about where the gaps are in business aviation security today, and how we can address those gaps.
The global security order is facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions, and the vulnerability of critical infrastructures are demanding an increased commitment to defence and security issues from Germany and other European countries. DSEI Germany will be held for the first time from 19 – 22 January 2027 at the Messegelände Hannover (Hannover Exhibition Grounds) to address this demand.
DSEI Germany is organised by Deutsche Messe AG in partnership with the organisers of DSEI UK and DSEI Japan, the world’s leading security and defence exhibitions. DSEI UK and DSEI Japan take place every two years in London and Tokyo respectively.
DSEI Germany will showcase the modern military equipment, armaments, technologies, products, processes, and materials required to ensure national defensive potential, the ability to meet alliance commitments, and geopolitical security. The event will support industrial companies and their suppliers to meet the increasing demand brought about by the “Zeitenwende,” the turning point which is transforming Germany’s defense policy.
The security policy priorities of NATO and the EU will form the basis of the debate, with military leaders and civilian decision-makers discussing strategic defence issues and opportunities for partnerships.
Following the historic “Trinity House” agreement between the UK and Germany, with the aim of deepening security and defence cooperation between the two countries, DSEI Germany will provide a forum for consolidating and expanding partnerships and alliances both within Europe and worldwide, while promoting cooperation in security policy.
Today’s defence requirements are becoming increasingly complex and demand comprehensive, networked solutions in all areas of the modern army. The trade fair offers industry partners a platform to present capabilities and technologies tailored to the respective military needs.
DSEI Germany is receiving comprehensive support from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence and Bundeswehr: “The turning point in Germany’s defence policy not only requires us to reorientate our defence strategy but also calls for technological and industrial capabilities to be promoted in a targeted manner,” explained Boris Pistorius, the Federal Minister of Defence. “DSEI Germany can provide Germany with an important platform to demonstrate its defence capabilities, technological leadership, and innovative strength on the international stage.”
Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs, said: “The announcement of DSEI Germany is an important signal for Lower Saxony as an important industrial location. After all, the view of the defense industry has changed fundamentally, not least as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In view of the current geopolitical challenges, the importance of close cooperation between industry, research and politics to develop new solutions for the security and defence capabilities of Germany and Europe is more evident than ever. Our security and resilience are directly linked to the operational readiness and capabilities of our armed forces. Hannover as the location of this new leading trade fair not only strengthens our defence industry, but also numerous suppliers and partners who play a key role in the value chain. Lower Saxony is an important location for industry in Germany and it is therefore only logical that Deutsche Messe AG is also involved in this sector and makes a decisive contribution to networking the industry.The Zeitenwende described by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz requires us as a society to set the right course for the business location. DSEI Germany offers a platform on which strategies, innovations and new partnerships can be established in order to meet the challenges of our time with combined forces. The fact that we in Lower Saxony are hosting this event shows that we are prepared to take responsibility here”.
“DSEI is a long established and respected brand in the defence and security sector and has a strong reputation for delivering events of outstanding value for the global audience we serve at both DSEI in London and Tokyo. DSEI Germany presents a key opportunity to bring the domestic industry together with its allies and partners to demonstrate capability and concepts,” said Chris Gallon, CEO, EMEA for DSEI.
“No other trade fair company has a national and international political network that can match that of Deutsche Messe,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe. “Together with the DSEI team, and in combination with our modern premises which have a long track record of hosting world-class industrial trade fairs, we can wield our strengths in a targeted manner to make an important contribution toward strengthening security in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.”
Hundreds of students marched through the Serbian countryside in late January as they took anti-graft protests north to the city of Novi Sad. They reportedly planned to blockade three bridges over the River Danube.
The protest date marked three months since concrete construction at a railway station collapsed in Novi leaving 15 people dead.
Protests began popping up against suspected corruption in construction contracts as a result of that collapse. It has developed into a serious challenge to the country’s leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, a driver rammed a car into a silent protest on January 31, injuring two doctors. Media reports say both hit their heads on the pavement and are being examined.
The incident was the third vehicle ramming event and happened in downtown Belgrade during a planned 15 minutes of silence which was to be observed daily throughout Serbia to commemorate when the canopy collapsed at the railway station in Novi Sad.
Pro-government thugs had previously attacked the protesters, many of them students, twice ramming cars into the crowds. Two people were seriously injured in the previous attacks.
The Rwandan backed M23, a group of Congolese rebels, along with Rwandan forces, shut down the airport in Goma. Thousands reportedly fled the area due to the fighting which killed 13 UN peacekeepers. The airport serves as a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts in the area.
The U. N.’s top humanitarian official in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday called for Goma airport to be urgently reopened, warning its continued closure is paralyzing relief operations.
“Goma airport is a lifeline,” said Bruno Lemarquis, UN deputy special representative of the secretary-general. “Without it, the evacuation of the seriously injured, the delivery of medical supplies and the reception of humanitarian reinforcements are paralyzed.”
Lemarquis urged all parties to “shoulder their responsibilities” and facilitate the immediate reopening of the airport. “Every hour lost puts more lives at risk. This is an absolute emergency. All those involved must act without delay to enable humanitarian flights to resume operations and guarantee access to relief supplies,” he said. “The survival of thousands of people depends on it.”
Regula, a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions, has updated its Regula Document Reader SDK. Now, the software fully supports the new Digital Travel Credential (DTC) format, aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. This enhancement enables governments, airlines, and border control authorities worldwide to process travel documents with unmatched security, efficiency, and ease—whether on-site or remotely.
The DTC is a secure digital solution that streamlines travel experiences. It consolidates key personal information into a single virtual document that travelers can store on their mobile devices or upload to their digital wallets and share whenever needed. The main goal of the DTC is to facilitate clearance procedures during travel and ensure that people are eligible to enter their destination before they board a flight.
The process of DTC-VC creation
The ICAO has defined three types of DTC, each offering varying levels of convenience and security for travelers.
DTC Type 1 allows travelers to create their own digital credentials by extracting a Virtual Component (DTC-VC) from a physical electronic identity document, stored on their personal device. However, travelers must still carry the original document for identity verification.
DTC Type 2, issued by authorities, combines a cryptographically linked Virtual Component (DTC-VC) and a Physical Component (DTC-PC). This format adds an extra layer of security while maintaining a connection to the physical document.
DTC Type 3 represents the future of travel identification: a fully digital document issued directly by authorities. Unlike the other types, it eliminates the need for a physical ID, streamlining identity verification for a completely digital experience.
Now, with Regula Document Reader SDK, users can create and reprocess DTC-VC from ePassports, and verify it by passing DTC-VC data as input. Also, support for handling DTC-PC has been introduced. The updated Regula Document Reader SDK can:
read the document’s RFID chip with a smartphone or passport reader and create DTC-VC;
recognize, read, and verify DTC-VC with a smartphone, passport reader, or server;
read DTC-PC with a smartphone or passport reader, parse its data, and verify it.
The updated Regula Document Reader SDK is equipped with advanced features that fully support DTC implementation.
Trustworthy NFC verification. First and foremost, it provides trusted server-side NFC verification of the ID so it ensures accurate and trustworthy DTC-VC creation. Since all the data from the chip can be verified on a secure server, there is no need to question the reliability of the checks performed by a mobile device (which is prone to manipulation). Such an approach ensures that the virtual component of a traveler’s document is secure and taken from an authentic ID.
Compliance with ICAO guidelines and technical reports. Regula Document Reader SDK not only verifies DTCs but also guarantees that each DTC fully complies with ICAO guidelines and technical reports. This makes Regula’s solution an indispensable tool for airlines and governments so they can be confident in the validity of travelers’ DTCs.
Future-ready technology. In addition to supporting DTC-VC, Regula’s technology is fully compatible with handling DTC-PC. Looking further ahead, Regula is ready to process DTC Type 3, a digital passport that is expected in the next several years.
To facilitate the fast and smooth global application of DTCs, Regula Document Reader SDK relies on the most comprehensive identity document template database, which is owned and maintained by Regula. Currently, it contains more than 14,000 ID templates from 251 countries and territories, and it’s constantly growing.
Regula Document Reader SDK is designed for easy integration into third-party applications, allowing clients to incorporate this advanced DTC-ready technology seamlessly into their existing systems. With customizable options, businesses can adapt the solution to meet their unique operational requirements while providing end users with a secure, streamlined digital experience.
“We see that the world is rapidly moving to embrace digital IDs. According to the Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Regula earlier in 2024, nearly half of businesses around the world, 42%, are actively integrating digital IDs into their systems. For the Aviation sector, this rate is even higher: 50%. By ensuring full DTC support in the latest update of Regula Document Reader SDK, we are helping our clients to smoothly transition to the future of travel, where secure, digital-first solutions redefine the passenger experience.” — Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula
18 people died and 10 others were injured in Nigeria when a gasoline tanker exploded, according to officials there.
The accident happened on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway in the southeastern state of Enugu. The tanker, loaded with gasoline, lost control and rammed into 17 vehicles. It then burst into flames, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps said in a statement Saturday evening.
Those killed were “burnt beyond recognition,” the spokesperson of the safety corps rescue teams, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said. Several other people in the pile up were rescued unharmed.
Nigeria lacks an efficient railway system to transport cargo, experts say, making fatal truck accidents common along most major roads in Nigeria.
Earlier this month, 98 people were killed in a gasoline tanker blast in north Nigeria, near the Suleja area of Niger state, after individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator. Bystanders attempted to “scoop” gasoline, a very unsafe practice. Authorities then began a nationwide campaign against the scooping of gasoline from fallen tankers and other practices that could lead to death.
See related story on securing chemical transport here.
See related post about another fuel tanker explosion here.
A man known as the “truck stop serial killer,” Bruce Mendenhall, has been serving a life sentence for killing two women who were last seen at a truck stop in Tennessee. But he was convicted of a third murder while serving his sentence for the other two. Carma Pupura was last seen speaking with Mendenhall at the Flying J Travel Center in Indianapolis in July of 2007. Mendenhall is also awaiting trial in the death of a fourth woman in Alabama.
