Biometric Security in Public Agencies and Private Firms

Introduction to Biometric Security

Biometric security carries highly technological implications, and to a significant extent those implications are valid. Expanding capabilities in computing and software design enable ever more complex human identifiers to be observed and compiled. However, research indicates 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. Biometric technology begins with the basic databasing of physical features and identifying characteristics of members of a population — a practice so routine that we may already take for granted one of its most familiar tools.

Technovelgy (2010) provides a useful introductory assessment, noting 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, p. 1)

This observation provides a clear impetus for the attention that research and development teams at private firms, think tanks, and government agencies alike have dedicated to achieving higher levels of security capability using biometric clues. Today, threats to public security related to biometric identity have been multiplied by the vulnerabilities produced through the web, by the atmosphere of security concern precipitated by modern terrorism and cyber-terrorism, and by the omnipresent danger of identity theft that now roams freely through the information superhighway.

Biometric Adoption in Public Agencies

It is for these reasons that many public agencies — even those not inherently prone to security threats — have begun to adopt technologies driven by biometric data. A clear example is presented by Roberts (2010), who reports on the Ventura County, California Fire Department's recent adoption of such technology. The department commissioned an outside IT agency called DigitalPersona Pro to update its computer and security systems. According to 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, p. 1)

This case illustrates the opportunity to streamline business accountability and procedural monitoring in order to prevent unwanted system intrusion, decrease the opportunity for fraud, reduce the system's susceptibility to tampering, and create a usable database of biometric identifiers for all personnel. Such applications demonstrate that biometric security is no longer confined to intelligence agencies or high-security government facilities — it is increasingly a practical tool for everyday public-sector operations.

Biometric Security in Consumer Technology

In addition to public agency and private business use, many technology firms are on the cusp of offering widespread biometric security options for consumer communication devices. This represents a compelling opportunity in the consumer market because devices such as cellular phones, personal computers, and wireless networks are used to exchange information that is sensitive in both personal and professional contexts. A recent press release indicated that the Android phone designed by Motorola and carried most significantly by the Verizon Wireless Network would begin to standardize certain biometric security features in forthcoming versions of the smartphone.

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 dilation detection to prohibit someone from using a picture of the phone's owner to gain access to sensitive areas." (ThirdFactor, p. 1) This exemplifies how such applications can be used to reduce, deter, and track theft of devices containing sensitive information. It also helps reduce the threat of identity theft, which is frequently initiated through the hacking of vulnerable wireless communication devices.

According to ThirdFactor, the same BioLock technology was being adapted at that time to meet the needs of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS platforms in the near future. This suggests that pacesetting consumer brands in the technology, software, cell phone, and computing industries all view biometric security as a key path for innovation — a view reinforced both governmentally and commercially by the understanding that online and cyber-security must be major concerns for businesses, agencies, and private citizens alike.

Works Cited

Brandt, A. (2002). Biometric security barely skin-deep. PC World.

Roberts, M. R. (2010). Ventura County adopts biometric-based PC security system. FireChief.com.

Silverman, M. & Liu, S. (2001). A practical guide to biometric security technology. IEEExplore, 3(1), 27–32.

Technovelgy. (2010). Biometric security overview. Technovelgy.com.

ThirdFactor. (2010). Biometric security coming to Android. ThirdFactor.com.