Biometric security systems and applications

Biometric Security in Both The Public Agency and Private Firm

Biometric Security carries highly technological implications. And to an extent, these implications are valid as expanding capabilities in computing and software design enable yet more complex human identifiers to be observed and compiled. However, research denotes that biometric observation for purposes of civil control and public security has been commonplace in law enforcement and within the intelligence community for many decades. Technovelgy (2010) provides a useful introductory assessment of biometric technology, indicating that this is a practice which begins with the basic data-basing of physical features and identifying characteristics of members of a population. To this extent, we may take for granted that a highly commonplace item is a central tool in law enforcement. Technovelgy notes that "your driver's license contains biometric information about you. Your height, weight, hair color and eye color are all physical characteristics that can easily be checked. However, your height changes with age (16-year-old drivers get taller, senior citizens get shorter). Your hair color changes naturally (and on purpose)." (Technovelgy, 1)

This helps to provide us with a clear impetus for the attention which has been dedicated by the research & development teams at private firms, think tanks and government agencies alike to achieving a higher level of security capability using biometric clues. Particularly today, the various threats to public security related to biometric identity have been multiplied by the vulnerability produced through the web; by the atmosphere of security paranoia precipitated by the threat of modern terrorism and cyber-terrorism; and by the omnipresent danger of identity theft which now roams freely through the information superhighway. It is for this reason that many public agencies -- even those which are not inherently prone to security threats -- have begun to adopt technologies which are driven by biometric data. An example is presented to us in the article by Roberts (2010) which reports on the Ventura, California Fire Department's recent adoption of such technology. The department commissioned the outside it agency called DigitalPersona Pro-to update its computer and security systems together. According to the article by Roberts, "DigitalPersona Pro-now enables the department to tie a user session on the computer with the specific user's online profile through biometric fingerprint login, said Pablo Parades, the department's it account manager." (Roberts, 1)

This is an example of the opportunity to streamline business accountability and procedural monitoring in order to prevent unwanted system invasion, to decrease the opportunity for fraud, to reduce the system's susceptibility to tampering and to create a usable database of biometric identifiers for all personnel. In addition to public agency and private business use, many technology firms are on the cusp of offering widespread biometric security options for certain communication devices. This is a compelling opportunity in the consumer market because communication devices such as cellular phones, personal computer and wireless networks are used to exchange information that is sensitive in both the personal and professional realms. Accordingly, a recent press release indicates that the Android phone designed by Motorola and carried most significantly by the Verizon Wireless Network, will begin to standardize certain biometric security features in forthcoming versions of the smart phone and wireless communication device.

The featured technology, called BioLock, "operates via face recognition, iris recognition or password input to secure one's phone or specific apps or functions on the phone. Additionally, the face recognition feature utilizes blink and pupil dilatation detection to prohibit someone from using a picture of the phone's owner to gain access to sensitive areas." (ThirdFactor, 1) This is an example of the manner in which the applications can be used to reduce, deter and track down theft of devices containing sensitive information. It also helps to reduce the threat of identity theft as this is frequently initiated through the hacking of such highly vulnerable wireless communication devices. According to ThirdFactor, the same BioLock technology is currently being adapted to meet the needs of the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS packages on the market's near horizon. This suggests that the pacesetting consumer brands in the technology, software, cell phone and computing industries all view biometric security as one of the paths for innovation. This is underscored by a view both governmentally and commercially that online and cyber-security need to be major concerns for business, agencies and private citizens alike.

That said, many of the cutting edge biometric technologies are still not impervious to the ingenuity of hackers and identity thieves. According to Rick Smith, a private researcher who has worked with the National Security Agency in testing its it vulnerabilities, hackers remain always one step ahead of commercial technology designers. Brandt (2002) states that every method of biometric security which is in circulation is susceptible to highly sophisticated forms of identity fraud. Here, Brandt reports, "Smith described several ways the most common types of biometric identification devices -- iris scanners, face and voice recognition systems, and thumbprint readers -- could be fooled. Biometrics, the science of identifying a person by reading their unique body features, have been much touted as a way to strengthen domestic security at places ranging from supermarkets to nuclear power stations. 'Biometrics aren't secrets, they're properties of your body that you slough off all day long, when you're eating lunch, or driving your car, or opening the door,' Smith said. As a result, each of us leaves a trail of biometric signatures everywhere we go, creating many chances for theft of biometric information." (Brandt, p. 1)