The Busy Persons Guide to Biometrics
OK, so what are biometrics and why should we be concerned
with them?
Biometrics are best defined as measurable physiological and/or
behavioral characteristics that can be utilised to verify the
identity of an individual. They include fingerprints, retinal
and iris scanning, hand geometry, voice patterns, facial recognition
and other techniques. They are of interest in any area where it is important
to verify the true identity of an individual. Initially, these techniques were
employed primarily in specialist high security applications, however we are
now seeing their use and proposed use in a much broader range
of public facing situations.
Biometric Background - How it all Started
It
is tempting to think of biometrics as being sci-fi futuristic technology
that we shall all be using together with solar powered cars, food
pills and other fiendish devices some time in the near future.
This popular image suggests that they are a product of the late
twentieth century computer age.
Popular Biometric Methodologies — What
are they?
You will see reference to a number of biometrics, some
of which are rather impractical even if technically
interesting. The ‘popular’ biometrics seem
to gravitate at present around the following methodologies.
Future Applications — Some Common
Ideas
There are many views concerning potential biometric applications, some popular
examples being;
ATM machine use.
Most
of the leading banks have been experimenting with biometrics
for ATM machine use and as a general means of combating
card fraud. Surprisingly, these experiments have rarely
consisted of carefully integrated devices into a common
process, as could easily be achieved with certain biometric
devices. Previous comments in this paper concerning
user psychology come to mind here and one wonders why
we have not seen a more professional and carefully
considered implementation from this sector. The banks
will of course have a view concerning the level of
fraud and the cost of combating it via a technology
solution such as biometrics. They will also express
concern about potentially alienating customers with
such an approach. However, it still surprises many
in the biometric industry that the banks and financial
institutions have so far failed to embrace this technology
with any enthusiasm.
Verification vs. Identification — The
Distinction
You will often come across the terms ‘verification’ and ‘identification’ which
are sometimes confused when people are discussing biometrics.
The majority of available devices operate in verification mode. This means that
an identity is claimed by calling a particular template from storage (by the
input of a PIN or presentation of a token) and then presenting a live sample
for comparison, resulting in a match or no match according to predefined parameters.
Thus a simple one to one match that may be performed quickly and generate a binary
yes/no result.
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