Biometrics
Biometrics is described as the use of human physical features to verify identity and has been in use since the beginning of recorded history. Only recently, biometrics has been used in today’s high-tech society for the prevention of identity theft. In this paper, we will be understanding biometrics, exploring the history of biometrics, examples of today’s current technology and where biometrics are expected to go in the future.
By definition, “biometrics” (Woodward, Orlans, and Higgins, 2003) is the science of using biological properties to identify individuals; for example, fingerprints, retina scans, and voice recognition. We’ve all seen in the movies, how the heroes and the villains have used other’s fingerprints and
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European Biometrics Forum is established. US patent for iris recognition expires.
Biometrics began with the inking of the fingers and feet and pressing those inked parts onto paper. Today, law enforcement agencies are able to utilize biometric tools on the molecular level to pinpoint criminals when no other evidence exists. In between these two extremes fall a whole range of techniques used for identification.
The most basic of the techniques is the fingerprint and palm recognition. These methods, while strong, still have their weaknesses. This led to looking for next level of identification just under the skin by mapping the vascular structure of a person’s hand. Each person has a unique, intricate pattern of blood vessels that is virtually impossible to replicate since blood vessels have to be grown and cannot constructed. Another method of biometric identification is through dental records. Dental records are commonly used to identify a human by comparing the dental features (i.e., tooth size and placement, dental work, oral injuries, etc.) and whose identity cannot be determined through conventional means. Such situations would include a person who’s been burn, been dismembered, or has severely decomposed. This method of identification has taken on such an important role that “Disaster Dental Identification Teams” have been developed to assist with identification following disaster situations.
Biometrics is a piece of technology shown off in BTTF2 and now biometrics are almost being used in our everyday lives. People have it on their phones and sometimes even check into work with them. The problem is people place their hands everywhere making it easy to find them. Basically ruining the whole concept of safety with biometrics. For example, Magaly Ramirez, a student
Identification processes are significantly more complex and error prone than verification processes. Biometrics technologies are indicators of authentication assurance with results based on a predetermined threshold with measurable False Accept Rates and False Reject Rates.
I concur with you on the use of biometrics by the government, and especially facial recognition to apprehend criminals. The recent rise in criminal cases can be halted if such a system is deployed. Biometrics can never go wrong and is in fact one of the most accurate ways of identifying people. If the government can be able to launch a system that can capture personal specifications, it can be really helpful.
Biometric Authentication refers to the usage of software that looks for physical markers to allow access to a system. Some of the most commonly used physical markers are fingerprints, face-recognition, voice-recognition, and iris-recognition (Williams & Sawyer, 2015). As no two humans are exactly alike biometics are less likely to be hacked, although it is not impossible.
Biometrics is a human characteristic used for security preferences for example using your fingerprint or your eye to unlock your phone. Biometrics was originally used to document criminals by taking their fingerprints and documenting it. Biometrics is the most secure form of security as it cannot be lost or stolen and only one user can use biometrics at a time as nobody has the same biometrics. Biometrics have advanced a lot in the last decade but there is a limit because it uses the human body and the human body is not going to change so there is a limit to the things we can use biometrics for and once we met that limit biometrics cannot get more advanced. Biometrics are used a lot in today’s world for example Airports they are used in passport control, your details are stored on an international database and when you pass through passport control you walk into a booth and look into a camera the software then scans the iris and matches the details with the information stored in the database. Another example is in schools like Priestlands school, students use biometrics to purchase food and drink they do this by parents putting money on their accounts and when they go to purchase food they scan their fingerprint and it takes money off their account, and to take out books in the Library. I believe that, Biometrics has a lot of potential as it is a great way to open your phone because it is quick and very secure and it makes getting through an airport faster but there are
“Fingerprint recognition is one of the divorce inference using the impressions made by the minute ridge formations or patterns found on the fingertips. No two people have exactly the same arrangement of the ridge patterns, and the remaining patterns of any one individual unchanged. Fingerprints infallible provide a means of personal identification. Other personal characteristics may change, but not fingerprints”. (1)
I do agree with Pam Dixon that biometric databases could be subpoenaed by police officers and that it would violate consumer’s privacy. Currently, law enforcement are starting to adapt their surveillance systems to also use biometrics to help recognize and locate criminals with facial recognition software. There are programs from both the Department of Homeland Security’s Biometric Optical Surveillance System and Department of Defense researchers that are taking this to a whole new level by creating a digital biometric file that includes your iris as well as technology that can do this without your permission from 10 meters away. The FBI is also developing a database that will be able to store information such as palm prints, iris scans, voice
Because vein patterns are uniquely located beneath the user’s skin and that must have blood flowing readily through them to be scanned, they are almost impossible to copy or change. This means that the a finger vein scan would be a very useful and unique way to identify users on our system and at the same time a very portable method with the size of some of the scanners today.
The use of fingerprinting as a means of identification was born out of the need of law enforcement officials to have permanent records that could determine if a convict had been previously arrested or imprisoned. Before the advent of fingerprinting, law enforcement used a number of different methods to try to accomplish this. Ancient civilizations would tattoo or physically maim prisoners. In more recent times, daguerreotyping (that is, photographing) was used, but proved to be less than reliable, because people had the ability to dramatically alter their appearance (Skopitz). As a result, this method too, became obsolete with the discovery of fingerprinting, an absolutely infallible
Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.
Biometrics technology aims at utilizing major and distinctive characteristics such as behavioral or biological, for the sake of positively indentifying people. With the help of a combination of hardware and specific identifying sets of rules, a basic human attribute, automated biometric recognition mimics to distinguish and categorize other people as individual and unique. But the challenges surrounding biometrics are great as well.
In addition, unique identification techniques such as facial aging and facial marks assist facial recognition to cover bases that DNA and fingerprint are unable to. The recognition tool can identify people even with facial aging. If a 10-year-old child
You have seen biometric technology in the films Mission: Impossible and Gattaca. The technology has also graced the covers of many weekly news magazines. But many people, even though the technology has been widely talked about for the last half decade, are still surprisingly unaware of what biometrics are and why the technology is so important for computer security and personal identification.
Biometric technologies are getting better and finely tuned. The rate of false readings and errors has sharply fallen. However it still requires careful consideration and planning to implement a biometric identification system. They are most costly and complicated to implement as compared with other authentication systems. A proper evaluation of the system is important before purchasing any biometric system. A thorough risk analysis is necessary. In many cases biometrics may be overkill. Biometrics must be used if there is high level of risk involved. Customer acceptance is also important when logging on to company websites. Home users might not be ready to install biometrics on home computers for online banking.
We live in a world today, in which technology moves at a very rapid pace. Many of these technological advances can be used to make our everyday lives easier and safer. One of these new technologies is Biometrics. Biometrics is the process of measuring a person’s physical properties. This would include measuring things like fingerprints, retinas, odor, vein structure on the back of the hand and many other things. Biometrics is a very important topic because it would create better security precautions for certain places that need to be secure. Biometrics will make our society safer by only allowing authorized people out of secure facilities and by keeping the unauthorized people out. Throughout the rest of this