Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Security :: Biometrics
Biometrics Revisited
1/1/2008
The NIST studies illustrate some of the difficulties in making apples-to-apples comparisons: The accuracy of results varied widely among vendors, with some vendors consistently scoring better than others. Note, for example, the wide range of FRR results for fingerprint systems: 2 to 20 percent. Results also varied depending on test conditions such as the number of fingers scanned, the subject's age, or the lighting conditions when taking facial images. And while the FRR of face recognition under controlled lighting appears to be similar to that of fingerprints, the fingerprint data is reported at a far more stringent FAR.
Biometric Ticket to Ride
FOR MANY YEARS, DISNEY'S four Orlando theme parks have used biometrics to prevent sharing or resale of multi-day tickets, as an alternative to time-consuming photo identification checks. This was done by recording the geometry and shape of a person's fingers on a ticket. In the fall of 2006, Disney upgraded the technology to fingerprint scans. From an image of a person's fingerprint, the system generates a unique number based on the fingerprint's characteristics. While Disney has been pleased with the results, privacy advocates have complained that Disney has used an invasive high-tech security technology to control admissions to the theme park.
Trends in Biometric Identification
Anil Jain, distinguished professor at Michigan State University and considered one of the nation's leading researchers in pattern recognition, sees four biometric identification trends: 1) continuing improvement in sensor technology; 2) continuing improvements in the algorithms used to parameterize the sensor data; 3) continuing decreases in the costs associated with biometric identification; and 4) growing user acceptance. Jain also believes that widespread adoption will depend on return on investment (ROI) and user convenience. Companies such as AuthenTec represent a good example of the first trend. AuthenTec's fingerprint sensors use radio frequencies to scan a fingertip below the surface of the skin, to avoid some of the problems associated with surface contamination and wear.
As evidence of the second trend, Jain cites improvement in face recognition algorithms, particularly in controlled lighting situations. (See "The Algorithm Is Mightier Than the Chip") Unfortunately, he notes that face recognition technologies lack permanence as people's features change with age, so the template on file may need to be updated on a regular basis.
As to cost trends, we've come to expect the cost of solid-state devices to fall, and sensors are no exception: The cost of a fingerprint sensor on a laptop has fallen from around $20 dollars four years ago, to under $5 in 2007. Are improvements and lower cost helping user acceptance? Clearly; AuthenTec shipped its 10 millionth fingerprint sensor last year, and in the US, laptops are driving the market as well, with 10 percent of new laptops shipping with fingerprint readers. (In other parts of the world, mobile phones represent the greatest use.)
Recommended Reading
- Get Users on Board
- Greening IT
- It's a Zinch
- Meeting up Virtually
- Online Tutorials to the Rescue
Now's the time to use online tutorials to streamline professional development and help desk management.
- Retention Rx
