Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Biometrics: The Actual and Potential Disadvantages

Although there are many advantages to using biometric devices within organizations, there are actual and potential disadvantages which must be kept in mind. This section focuses on the disadvantages associated with Biometric Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Scanning.

The following lists general examples of Iris Recognition related issues:

• The iris is a small target; 1cm in diameter and acquired from a distance of 1 meter
• It is a moving target, located within another moving target (the body)
• It is located behind a curved, wet, reflecting surface
• Obscured by eyelashes, lenses, reflections
• It is partially hidden by eyelids, often those of which are drooping
• The pupil changes size
• When being scanned, lighting should not be visible or bright
(University of Cambridge)

Most organizations in various industries attempt to obtain the least expensive security devices with high accuracy. Although Biometric Iris Recognition is considered most accurate within today’s market, it also is the most costly to implement. Some organizations choose against using this device simply because they lack sufficient funds to support the system (How Stuff Works).

The option of implementing Iris Recognition technology may be limited to larger organizations as they have enough funds to do so. Nevertheless, they must weigh the benefits versus the costs seeing as implementing this technology for security purposes can be very expensive. For example, in the banking industry, banks deal with very sensitive information, however, the cost for implementing iris recognition at every ATM machine across all branches would be greatly expensive. Same thing applies for organizations that have the option of applying this technology at every user’s computers allowing only the user to access their own computer. Thus, for one unit, this technology is not drastically expensive, however, when applying it to hundreds, if not thousands of units, it can be very costly (Reading Room Sans).

The following lists general examples of Fingerprint Scanning related issues:

• As a person ages, their skin tends to become drier and becomes difficult to validate
• It can also be effected by dirt, creams, oils and scarring
• It is rated more invasive than Iris Scanning as it requires one to make contact with the device
• There are hygiene concerns related to many people using the device daily
• Fingerprint scanners can be tricked if they do not have added detections such as heat sensors
(Reading Room Sans)

Within the education industry, Fingerprint Scanning is an evident issue due to several reasons. According to the Action on Rights for Children (ARCH), the implementation of this biometric device within schools is violating children’s rights and may have negative consequences. Moreover, this group argues that fingerprint information may be used without the consent of students’ legal guardians. Without proper reassurance of guaranteed security on behalf of the students, this will not become a growing industry which uses Fingerprint Scanning (Softpedia).

To conclude, Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Scanning are affected by external factors which can cause the devices to be unsuccessful. There are ways to prevent these external factors of occuring however, they cannot all be prevented. Biometric devices are continuously being improved and upgraded to maximize potential advantages and to ensure security. Overall, these biometric devices work very well and can be beneficial to organizations if properly implemented.


References:
Figures:
Posted by at No comments:

Biometrics: The Actual and Potential Advantages

When taking a closer look at biometric devices, it is evident there are numerous actual and potential advantages of their use in organizations. This section focuses on the advantages of Biometric Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Scanning.

Given that most organizations deal with the use of personal information either to exchange goods and services or for employee identification, it is essential to place proper security measures to ensure this information is not compromised in any way. Today, iris recognition and fingerprint scanning devices can be found in many large and small organizations because of their ranking of accuracy, efficiency and reliability. In addition, the iris and fingerprint are distinctive to each individual and cannot be forged.

Within the transportation industry biometric devices are a current requirement in airport security. Iris Recognition is becoming prominent in airport security. This gives access to passengers and airport personnel to restricted areas. Shiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Frankfurt Airport in Germany and Charlotte/Douglass Airport in Charlotte are among a number of airports which has implemented Iris recognition technology. The iris recognition error rate is 1:131,000 and has a very low false acceptance rate (Reading Room Sans).

Within the banking industry Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) have began implementing Iris Recognition to replace PIN numbers. A PIN can be guessed and forged whereas, an iris cannot. The Bank United Corporation in Houston, Texas was among the first to implement this method in supermarkets in 1999 (Reading Room Sans).

Within the law enforcement industry the use of portable Fingerprint Scanners is visible in the UK. All police forces within this area are provided with these mobile devices so they may perform identity checks on the people. This is intended to aid in future criminal investigations conducted by the police force (guardian.co.uk).

Within the housing industry Fingerprint Scans on door locks and garages are becoming very popular. Keys can be lost or stolen, whereas fingerprint scans are of no use to those who find a lost portable scanners and it can only give access to the registered fingerprints. Furthermore, the costs of installing these scanners are very low in comparison to other security tools (techBiometric).

As you can see, Iris Recognition and Fingerprint Scanning are becoming more and more popular because of their numerous advantages. They are continuously being improved to increase security as more industries begin to implement these technologies.


References:

Figures:
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, March 26, 2010

Biometrics: What It Has The Potential To Replace or Improve

Biometric devices are intended to replace or improve security measures due to their precision and reliability. I will now provide some examples of biometric devices which are currently used and what they each replace or have the potential to improve.

The following illustration depicts how biometric measurements are taken at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida through the use of Fingerprint Scanning. The entrance to this particular amusement park requires that fingerprints are taken from guests to ensure that a person's ticket is not used by another from one day to the next. Once verifying the identity of the ticket holder, he/she is given access to the park (Wikipedia).

This particular device replaces the need of hiring staff to verify customer identity, it reduces line up waiting time because the identities of individuals are confirmed instantly and increases security.


The latest version of facial recognition software is known as 3D Facial Recognition. It argues that it offers further precision than its earlier models. By capturing an image of person’s facial surface in real-time 3D, it uses unique facial features which remain the same throughout the individual’s lifespan to identify the subject such as:
  • Distance between both eyes,
  • Width of the nose,
  • Depth of both eye sockets,
  • The shape of each cheekbone, and,
  • The length of the jaw line

Seeing that this software uses depth and an axis of measurement which lighting has no influence, it can also be used in darkness. It further has the ability of recognizing an individual at different angles of up to 90 degrees. In the verification process, an image is matched to only one image in the database (How Stuff Works).

This device has the potential to improve crime related investigations through its tracking capability. It can also be used as surveillance for organizations which hold sensitive information such as credit bureaus, government run agencies or buildings with valuable items such as museums, casinos and banks.


Another example of a biometric use is Iris Recognition within German airports. Iris recognition testing began in the year 2004 at the Frankfurt Germany airport since it is considered to be the most accurate biometric system. Passengers were required to have images of their iris patterns obtained at the stations illustrated on the right. The images were then matched with their individual passport information. According to CNET this method is intended to replace the standard for checking identity at airport immigration counters (CNET News).


References:


Figures:
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Biometrics: What It Is and What It Does

Biometrics consists of identifying individuals based upon one or many unique physical traits (i.e. fingerprint, face recognition, iris, DNA, and so on) or behavioral traits (voice, typing rhythm, so on). This technology is essentially used to capture information about an individual in order to give them access past a specific point. When the person is identified, their physiological or behavioral traits are scanned, and linked to one’s personal information. If there is a match, the person should be allowed access past this point, if properly used. Registering for such device is quite simple. For example, in order to register, one's iris or fingerprint, or both, are scanned and then linked to a name, age, phone number and any other information necessary (Wise Geek).



Biometric devices are continuously improving their convenience and precision. From a security standpoint, some devices still need improving such as DNA testing however; their overall systems are effective. According to various sources, biometrics will become the standard for safety measures within and outside organizations in the future (eHow).



References:

  • Wise Geek: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-biometric-devices.htm
  • eHow: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5230747_biometric-devices-work.html


Figures:

  • Biometrics: http://www.eyeitonline.us/page5.php


Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)