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.


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