ITnews.com: Centrelink, an Australian government agency that delivers a range of social services to citizens, has deployed a biometric voice-verification system to authenticate users' access to welfare services. The system was built by KAZ, an Australian I.T. services company, and is based on technology developed by both the Queensland University of Technology and U.S. voice-recognition vendor Nuance.
Customers using the service will have their voice signature recorded and will choose from a range of security questions. The system then uses pattern-recognition software to match any future calls and verify the speaker's identity. Centrelink project manager Ross Summerfield said the technology, which cost $2 million to build, is the first government deployment of voice biometrics in Australia.
