Biometrics are the measurable parameters related to human characteristics that make each human being unique. These metrics include finger prints, palm prints, retinal scans, facial recognition and DNA. The analysis and comparison of these metrics are now being used by computer scientists for security purposes. Because biometric identifiers are unique to each individual it tightens security by making identity verification more reliable than a passport or drivers license that can easily be forged. The most common form of Biometric Security that we see today is Apple's use of the fingerprint to unlock the latest models of the iPhone. Each person has a unique fingerprint that they input into the iPhone's memory and when the correct fingerprint is scanned and recognized, the iPhone becomes unlocked. Due to the uniqueness of biometric identifiers they are difficult to forge, but if forged a person's entire identity is compromised.
Woodrow Hartzog, an Associate Professor of Law at Samford University stated, "[Biometrics] can be great because they are really secure. It’s hard to fake someone’s ear, eye, gait, or other things that make an individual uniquely identifiable. But if a biometric is compromised, you’re done. You can’t get another ear.”
Computer science is crucial for the success of biometric identification. "Biometric identification refers to any technology that does one of two things: identifies you or authenticates your identity. For identification, an image is run against a database of images. For authentication, an image has to be accessed from the device to confirm a match. The latter is typically used for unlocking computers, phones, and applications." In this case the data are a human's unique biometric characteristics. While this technology has rapidly expanded since Apple's introduction of the fingerprint scanner in 2013, police have been using fingerprints to identify suspects since the 1980s.
References
- https://www.wired.com/2016/03/biometrics-coming-along-serious-security-concerns/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics
- http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/biometrics.html
- http://www.inquisitr.com/846786/thermal-imaging-next-big-thing-in-biometric-security/
- http://www.sgssystems.com/security-systems-west-midlands/biometric-security-systems/
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