Biometric Security Options - Big Brother is here
Facial and finderprint biometrices will take over as primary public security check
Last week, we traveled out of the country and to our surprise the airlines and Home Land Security used facial recognition as the primary security check - not the passport. Neither the airline (outbound) or passport control (inbound) checked passports, rather they had us lower our masks and look into the camera!
Facial recognition and fingerprints are now the primary biometrics that are used. Over time, passwords will be replaced by biometrics. Currently computers and other devices have cameras, scanning capabilities, and AI capabilities which will make this shift possible.
Biometrics can be easily and accurately tied to a single individual. They do not have to be tied to any specific device. Rather they can be stored on the device itself or on an encrypted server and accessed whenever that individual needs access or use to the device, database, application, or use. There are eight that are or will be in use soon.
Fingerprint recognition – Fingerprints have been in use as an identified for over 100 years. With the onset of low-cost scanners on everyday use devices like SmartPhones, tablets, desktops, and physical access panels, they are currently the most common biometric used. Today fingerprint scanning is used by over 60% of all US and EU-based enterprises and 85% of individuals who have SmartPhones. The fingerprint data can be stored on the device itself or an encrypted server. In the case of the latter, there are security and privacy issues.
Facial recognition - If a device is equipped with a camera, it can easily be used for authentication. Facial recognition is the easiest common approach. However, if a face is partially covered, facial recognition fails. That was the case during the latest pandemic. The solution, in the near term, is to lower the mask to expose the entire face. Or better yet scan the face for the exposed portions including the iris and retina. That later will require a higher resolution camera and faster processor on the device.
Iris recognition – A video camera analyzes the iris characteristics including rings, furrows, freckles that are situated in the colored tissue around the pupil. Typically, this works thru glasses and contact lenses.
Retina recognition – Infrared camera is used to capture the unique patterns of an individual’s retina blood vessels. Retina readers are are more expensive that iris devices and have the issue of virus and germ transmission due to the close contact to the dvice.
Hand geometry recognition – A hand geometry reader measures an individual’s hand in several dimensions. Then, it stores the data for further comparison and measurement.
Voice/speech recognition - Voice-based digital assistants and telephone-based service portals are already using voice recognition to identify users and authenticate customers. According to our study, some companies use voice recognition for authentication within the enterprise.
Signature recognition - Digital signature scanners are already in widespread use at retail checkouts and in banks and are a good choice for situations where users and customers are already expecting to have to sign their names.
DNA recognition - Today, DNA scans are used primarily in law enforcement to identify suspects. In practice, DNA sequencing has been too slow for widespread use. This is starting to change. A $1,000 scanner is now available that can do a DNA match in minutes. Privacy issuses abound with this biometric as the data can be used for identification of ‘near’ genetic matches.