European tech companies Sopra Steria and Idemia will update the French government’s fingerprint database.
The two companies secured the contract to redesign and install a fingerprint management system for France’s ministries of Justice and the Interior.
The project is dubbed FAED 3 to replace the nation’s existing fingerprint database that has been in use since 1990. The platform aids police criminal investigations and in securing court convictions in France.
Under the contract, Sopra Steria and Idemia will combine their capabilities for the program. Sopra Steria will be in charge of software and contract-related tasks while Idemia will oversee data transfer, biometric software development and hardware maintenance.
The two companies have previously collaborated on the development of a pooled biometric data matching system for the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs agencies.
“This contract is further proof of our longstanding fruitful teamwork with Sopra Steria to serve the public interest,” said Laurent Pellegrin, vice president of France Public Security and Identity at Idemia.