The Priva ClearedKey® and its reader bind the key to its owner –– the key works only when the owner’s thumb is held against the square on the key.

The device
enables biometric
identification with-
out dependence on
a central biometric
database.

So, how do companies implement

guidelines and attempt to assure food

safety and security?

Currently, many use passive photo ID

badges to identify employees or grant

access to various areas of the facility.

These badges usually contain a full-face

photo of the employee, various access

indicators and some type of magnetic

strip or proximity device.

The problem is that a badge that is lost,

stolen or not returned upon termination

or separation of the employee remains

valid on its face, and potentially can be

used by persons other than the one to

whom the badge was originally issued.

Today, food companies can eliminate

these risks. Importantly, they can also

better assure that employees charged

with performing specific quality-control

functions are, in fact, accessing the

appropriate secured areas at the right

time –– including for sanitation and

food safety checks.

The enabling technology is now being

used in airports to comply with strin-

gent Homeland Security and TSA

requirements for a positive identifica-

tion and access control.

Recently introduced by Priva

Technologies (Chicago), the technology

consists of a new patent-pending phys-

ical-access control solution, the

ClearedBadge® system.

The ClearedBadge® is designed to

assist food-processing plants in comply-

ing with federal and state personnel

and secure facility guidelines.

Homeland Security and TSA have vetted

ClearedBadge®; ClearedKey®, a biomet-

ric device that uses fingerprints to verify

identity, is now being deployed at major

US airports for positive identification of

airline crews and airport employees.

“It’s the ultimate in personnel access

security, complete with built-in sophis-

ticated chip-based technology that

offers robust, positive identity verifica-

tion,” observes Priva chairman & CEO

Jeff Minushkin. “The ClearedBadge®

can be used anywhere secure facility or

systems access control is required, from

high security government installations

to sensitive food processing facilities

including processing equipment, com-

puter systems and data.”

When the badge is authenticated by

insertion into a companion

ClearedReader®, the reader authenti-

cates the user (right person, right badge).

The badge then changes to its clear, or

“on” state, showing the employee’s pic-

ture and any other identification infor-

mation desired. ClearedBadge® /

ClearedReader® “eliminates the prob-

lem of imposters’ gaining access with

found badges, or separated or terminat-

ed employees continuing to have facili-

ty access,” Minushkin says.

The ClearedBadge® is used to grant

selective access to designated facilities,

secure areas, doors, equipment, sys-

tems or data. Only authorized people

get clearance. A digital record of all

“transactions” initiated by

ClearedBadge® or the ClearedKey® is

maintained by the system as proof/veri-

fication of actions initiated, i.e., ingress,