Skip to main content

The Future with Biometrics Technology – Faster, Easier and more Secure


Think of the number of things in use today for controlling access to anything; keys, cards, passwords, PINs, and the list goes on. Biometrics is the key to a key-free world, where you don’t need to memorize anything or carry multiple access devices, since the access device is you.
With biometric technologies like fingerprint scanning, facial and voice recognition, and even iris recognition becoming popular in smartphones, authentication can be made more secure and convenient. In fact, many smartphone apps already use biometric authentication for authorizing payments.
As with any emerging technology, there is a world of possibilities as well as a few concerns:
Social Impact – Biometric technologies scan biological patterns which are unique to an individual to identify them. They are so accurate and individual that law enforcement agencies and judicial systems around the world have used them for over a century.
This makes many people skeptical, since collecting and processing biological patterns like fingerprints have been almost exclusively associated with criminal investigation. Many privacy advocates also feel that making certain biometric technology mandatory is a violation of civil liberties and constitutional rights.
Emerging Trends – Biometric technology is already extremely close to what we’ve seen in sci-fi movies. A computer that can recognize your voice, understand your commands and execute them – sound familiar? In the near future, we can expect to see a higher adoption rate and better technology for facial recognition, not just for access to personal devices but also for authentication and personalization.
Behavioral patterns have already been integrated with biometrics to provide personalized recommendations and even show relevant advertisements. Soon, these may be linked with authentication methods, and e-signatures might replace digital ones. Doctors will be able to easily access your health records to provide better diagnoses, while airports are already using single-token biometric passports to replace multiple checkpoints.
Providing Security with Comfort – There are multiple techniques used for biometric identification, so they can be used in diverse applications like access control and authentication, identity management and forensic identification. Apart from being extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replicate or forge as of now, they are extremely accurate and convenient for both the individual and from a technology implementation standpoint.
Cloud-Based Biometric Technology – Cloud-based biometric technology is the latest innovation for secure authentication which offer all the advantages of biometric technology while increasing security and addressing identity theft. The biometric information is not transmitted or stored in a centralized server. They are stored on a cloud which authenticates the credentials and then shares only the authentication status with a device.
While biometric technology has boomed in some areas, like smartphones, its wide-scale adoption still faces resistance, both social and personal. Recent exposes of biometrics being used for surveillance have only added fuel to the fire. Security is also a concern, but constant advancements in technologies and systems are slowly making it an inseparable part of our lives!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finger Vein Biometrics Identification for Membership Management Software

An article published today in the University of Vermont’s campus newspaper The Vermont Cynic reported that the campus recreation center has adopted M2SYS finger vein technology for student member identification. Tim Lewis, associate director for campus recreation made the decision to use finger vein biometrics for member identification after brainstorming ideas on how to eliminate students carrying ID cards. Happy to see our finger vein biometric identification system used at the University of Vermont through a partnership we have with Vermont Systems, a recreation and parks software provider based in Essex Junction, VT. Modern-day membership management software is designed to help create efficiencies that antiquated methods simply can’t provide. In an effort to eliminate ID cards, prevent identity fraud, and create a more convenient user experience, many membership management facilities are evaluating vascular biometrics (finger vein) for identification because of the distinct ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Iris Recognition vs. Retina Scanning – What are the Differences?

In biometrics, iris and retinal scanning are known as “ocular-based” identification technologies, meaning they rely on unique physiological characteristics of the eye to identify an individual. Even though they both share part of the eye for identification purposes, these biometric modalities are quite different in how they work. Let’s take a closer look at both and then explain the similarities and differences in detail: Retinal Scanning:  The human retina is a thin tissue composed of neural cells that are located in the posterior portion of the eye. Because of the complex structure of the capillaries that supply the retina with blood, each person’s retina is unique. The network of blood vessels in the retina is so complex that even identical twins do not share a similar pattern. Although retinal patterns may be altered in cases of diabetes, glaucoma or retinal degenerative disorders, the retina typically remains unchanged from birth until death. (Source: Wikipedia) ...
1 comment
Read more

False Rejection Rate – What Does It Mean And Why Should I Care?

False reject rate   is a statistic used to measure biometric performance when operating in the verification task and it usually calculated as the percentage of times the system produces a false reject.  A false reject occurs when an individual is not matched to their own existing biometric template.  For example: John claims to be John, but the system incorrectly denies the verification.  This can be particularly frustrating for an end user who knows that they are enrolled in the system and should be recognized and verified, but for some reason the system is incorrectly rejecting their scan.  This can cause unnecessary logjams, affect service, frustrate staff and negatively impact productivity.
Post a Comment
Read more