Biometrics

2008 Words5 Pages

Biometrics is, “the automated use of physiological or behavioral characteristics to determine or verify identity (biometricgroup.com, 2014).”16 The purpose of the paper is to provide information about different forms of Biometrics. With the ever increasing threat of terrorism at home and abroad, biometrics is emerging as a way to increase security across the world. It is important to point out current issues dealing with Biometrics and how they relate to people that may one day have to use them.

Biometrics creates a barrier between a person’s personal data and unauthorized use of that data. A biometric device creates a digital template that is compared to a database of already existing templates.18 This comparison does not have to be 100 percent to be considered a match.

Types of Biometrics:

There are two main types of biometrics. First is physiological biometrics. Which are based on measurements and data derived from direct measurements of a part of the human body.16 Examples of these include fingerprints, iris recognition, hand geometry, and facial recognition. The second type is behavioral biometrics, which are based on an action taken by a person. These actions are based on measurements and data derived from an action and indirectly measures characteristics of the human body.16 Some technologies include voice verification, keystroke dynamics, and signature verification.

Government Uses:

The U.S. is the frontrunner to integrate biometrics into several aspects of security and, eventually, into everyday life for citizens. As of January 5, 2004, America has been using biometrics at its airports and seaports. All foreigners entering on visas will have their hands and faces digitally scanned.10 This will not affect American citizens but it may cause a problem for foreigners. By October 26th 2004, “all countries whose nationals can enter America without a visa—including western European countries, Japan and Australia—must begin issuing passports that contain biometric data too.”10 There are ongoing discussions in Europe to create a standard for passports that has many countries following suit.

The costs of implementing biometrics into security, specifically passports, are enormous. In many instances, cost is much higher than traditional forms of security such as passwords and personal identification numbers.10 Biometrics also puts users...

... middle of paper ...

...th Putting in Passports. European Report. p402. March 2014.

9. Katvan, Moshe. Too flaky to Trust. The Economist. p10. Vol369. Dec, 2013.

10. Prepare to be scanned; Biometrics. The Economist. p20. Vol369. Dec, 2013.

11. Verton, Dan. Feds plan biometrics for border control: technology details not finalized, but $400m system is due for use next year. Computer World. p12. Vol37. May, 2013.

12. Walsh, Trudy. Now it’s easier to ID the crooks. Government Computer News. p13. Vol23. Feb, 2014.

13. Walters, Sheldon. Biometrics: the answer. Australian Banking & Finance. p13. Vol13 Feb, 2014.

14. www.biometricgroup.com/reports/public/reports/biometric_failure.html

15. www.biometricgroup.com/reports/public/reports/biometric_match.html

16. www.biometricgroup.com/reports/public/reports/identification_verification.html

17. www.biometricgroup.com/reports/public/reports/privacy_continuum.html

18. www.ibia.org/understa.htm

19. Yoshida, Junko. Electronic passports prep for check-in-Led by U.S., countries set aggressive schedules for embedding biometrics in travel documents-but tech questions, privacy concerns dog plans. Electronic Engineering Times. p18. June, 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Alan Dershowitz 'And' Why Fear National ID Cards?

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Next on, the author presents the idea that national ID cards would not prevent all threats of terrorism, but they will for sure stop them from coming out in the open. Furthermore, the author says that National ID cards would reduce racial and ethnic segregation. Because someone’s information can be accessed online anytime it can be seen that that person is not a criminal. Summing up his thoughts, Dershowitz suggests that a national ID card would be effective in preventing terrorism and that he believes to follow a system that takes a bit of freedom for

    Read More

  • Transportation Security Administration

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Goodwin, Chuck. "Airport Security & Body Scanners: An Overview." (n.d.): N. Pag. Rpt. In Points of View Reference Center. N.p.: N.p., 2013. Web.

    Read More

  • Biometric Essay

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    By the 19th century, the criminology research scholars have had a keen interest in biometric identification, they hope to combine physical characteristics with criminal tendencies, which resulting in a series of measuring devices, and also collected a large amount of data. Since then, the concept of measuring a person's physical characteristics are finalized, fingerprints also become the identification of international methodological standards for public security agencies. People often debate whether fingerprints have absolutely unique, and also thought that the different countries have the different standard for identifying fingerprints. So far, it is still the most widely methods of public security organs, and the process is also automated.

    Read More

  • The Anonymity Experiment by Catherine Price

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The rapid growth in technology has been impressive over the past 20 years from television graphics and multi-purpose phones to world-wide connections. Unfortunately, the government is having trouble with this growth to protect the people from having their privacy violated due to the information being stored electronically. In “The Anonymity Experiment”, by Catherine Price, states how easily a person can be track and how personal can be lost. Also, in “Social Security and ID theft”, by Felipe Sorrells, states how social security numbers and personal identities can be stolen and how the government is trying to stop that theft. They both intertwine with technology and privacy though Price's article has a broad overview of that, while Sorrells's focus is mainly on social security number and identity thief part. Price and Sorrells shows that companies are taking too much advantage from the customer, the government, even though their trying, needs to start helping the people protect their privacy, and a balance between the amount of trust people should have giving out their sensitive records to which information is protected.

    Read More

  • American Security

    2451 Words  | 5 Pages

    Law enforcement uses several methods to solve all types of crimes. Having a variety of ways to help solve an investigation gives officials an advantage. If one method fails or isn’t helpful, there are several others they can rely on. For instance, if there are no physical witnesses to a crime, the criminal may have left a fingerprint at the crime scene. An individual’s fingerprint is unique, “no two persons have exactly the same arrangement of ridge patterns” (“Fingerprint ID”). Fingerprints of criminals and of civilians are collected and stored. Also, “People who apply for government jobs, jobs that handle confidential information, banking jobs, teaching jobs, law enforcement jobs, and any job that involves security issues can be fingerprinted” (“The First ID”). Fingerprints are processed within hours and minutes through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint ID System. This system was developed in 1991, and made it easier for different law enforcement agencies to store and share fingerprints.

    Read More

  • Future of Biometrics

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    By combining the Greek words “bio”, which stands for “life”, and “metrics”, which stands for “measure”, you produce the term “biometrics” or “life measurements”. To understand biometrics at the most basic level, all one has to do is to picture a loved one in their mind. A human can specifically recognize another human by remembering an eye color, a hair color, a nose shape, a wart, or any combination of facial features. While the human mind is capable of remembering the physical characteristics of several humans, it is impossible to retain, reference, and sort thousands of biometric data which may contain details down to the molecular level. Today, this has been made easier by computer technology.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Facial Recognition

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    I’m going to start off by stating that facial recognition has some benefits to offer for both businesses and consumers. Up until the last couple of years, this technology has been generally used by law enforcement to stop known criminals and for border control, but since then companies have shown more interest in using it for commercial uses. Companies

    Read More

  • Human-implanted Chips

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the idea of human tracking has its share of benefits, there certainly are numerous pitfalls that also exist. While the ability to identify someone with an ID tag may have practical uses, the security and privacy issues could seem potentially alarming to some. Not only that, a closer look may show that the technology doesn’t necessarily offer very many advantages when considering the costs of nation-wide adoption of the technology. This paper will try to investigate into these issues, whilst attempt to come up with some solutions.

    Read More

  • Propaganda from the Beauty Industry

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are so many forms of propaganda that surround our lives on a every day basis, and these negative messages persuade and shape our thoughts of perfection, of who we are, and who we ought to be. The beauty industry and its’ advertisements is one type of propaganda that ultimately characterizes the way we think of ourselves. The media is relentless in reminding us every chance they get why women need to be perfect and what we need to achieve that. There is endless pressure as women to have a perfect body and appearance. The beauty industry’s aim through advertisement is to make women feel as if we need to buy the beauty products in order to look and feel like the models on television, magazines, and in commercials. The beauty industry is very successful because as women, we often feel compelled to buy whatever is necessary to look “perfect.” In years past the beauty industry has been solely focused on the obvious beauty tools such as makeup, hair accessories, lotion, etc. However, we have become more intrigued by even more aspects of the beauty world such as undergarments and everywhere in between. In other words, media propaganda is more interested in the “selling of sex” now than ever before. An unfortunate yet accurate depiction by actress Helen Mirren reads, “Flesh sells. People don’t want to see pictures of churches, they want to see naked bodies.” Just as Mirren knows this to be true, so does the beauty industry and they have taken it and ran with it.

    Read More

  • Balancing Technology: Innovation and Privacy Concerns

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Maxwell Smart first whipped out his shoe phone in 1965, everyone saw an act of pure movie magic. Back in the mid to late 1900s everybody had the same idea of the future. Everyone pictured the future as talking robots (Siri), computerized pocket-sized dictionaries (smart-phones), hovering devices (drones), and much more. Today, everyone thinks of these technologies as commonalities. Most of these current devices have a valuable impact, while few create debatable issues. The company NGI has a system that will revolutionize the field of biometric facial recognition. In the article titled Embracing Big Brother: How Facial Recognition Could Help Fight Crime, author Jim Stenman says, "The mission is to reduce terrorist and criminal activity by improving and expanding biometric identification as well as criminal history information s...

    Read More

  • Dilbert's Cartoon Strip Analysis

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    FBI. (n.d.). Privacy Impact Assessment Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System National Security Enhancements. Retrieved June 7, 2017, from FBI.gov website: https://www.fbi.gov/services/records-management/foipa/privacy-impact-assessments/iafis

    Read More

  • Privacy Essay

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Biometric technology is used for the ways humans can be identified by unique aspects of their bodies, such as fingerprints, body odor, our voices and many more. If one was to think about privacy rights, he/she would be concerned about the widespread adoption of these systems, since such systems could easily be used to develop a record of known rebellious people and/or dangerous criminals, to be used for social control purposes. Although that may seem pretty good and a positive thing for the society, one should take into account of the defects and errors of technology. Of the many biometrics technologies that are being developed and are already developed, facial recognition is one of the most threatening because it can be deployed secretly; one may not know whether or when they can be caught in a surveillance camera for such facial recognition biometrics. Additionally, tests have found that the miscalculations for facial biometrics technologies are very high. As a result, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, innocent people can be erroneously identified as dangerous criminals and actual dangerous criminals and/or suspected terrorists can fail to be detected overall, allowing for a huge injustice and unfairness. Privacy rights concerned with biometrics have sparked a concern and should be dealt with; otherwise, this is just one of the

    Read More

  • Advanced Imaging Technology is Taking Flight

    2461 Words  | 5 Pages

    Long lines, delays, luggage, metal detectors, people of every culture -- these are all features regularly found at airports around the world, and now a new technology that has the ability to detect objects beneath a passenger’s clothing could become another one of these commonly seen items. These innovative machines were designed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and are called advanced imaging technology or AIT machines. This new type of security method, although steps ahead of previous airport security procedures, has drawn criticism due to concerns with privacy. Eight years ago, the AIT machines that are currently causing opposition were just beginning to be tested by officials at Orlando International Airport (Rosen par. 1). After being tested, the machines began deployment to larger airports across the country in 2007 (“Advanced” par. 1). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides the main funding for the new technology. The funds from the ARRA are enough to manufactur nearly one thousand full-body scanners (“Advanced” par. 3; Walsh par. 10). Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security Secretary, explains that “each and every one of the security measures we implement serves an important goal: providing safe and efficient air travel for the millions of people who rely on our aviation system every day” (qtd. in Sorentrue par. 5). No matter where a plane is departing from or where it is scheduled to fly, the safety of passengers must be the TSA’s number one priority. As security threats become more advanced, so must the screening measures in order prevent them. The TSA should increase the production and use of advanced imaging technology machines in airports across the country.

    Read More

  • The Role of Computers in the Criminal Justice Field

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Computers have also allowed the use of fingerprinting to expand. Agencies can now take someone’s fingerprints and send them through the computer and find out if they are linked to any other cases going on at the time, or any other cases in the past.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Mass Surveillance In The 21st Century

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 21st Century has brought new security challenges where there are a hybrid of threats never seen before. The intersection of threats that are cyber, nuclear, narcotic, and trafficking means that there needs to be a national security infrastructure that can respond to the evolving environment. However, there is a tradeoff to relying on the government to protect and ensure the safety of the public. Mass surveillance is one of the major practices that allow civilian and military institutions to address information that may be deemed a threat. There are a variety of ways the government will track and collect data on individual citizens to monitor citizens.

    Read More

More about Biometrics

Open Document