Biometric Technology: Road to a Secure Future
Introduction:
Technology has given wings to new inventions that affect us all in both a positive and a negative way. One such controversial technology is Biometrics technology. The word biometric comes from Greek words “bio” meaning life and “metric” meaning to measure.1 Biometric technology is an automated system of identifying individuals based on their physiological and behavioral patterns.2 These characteristics include fingerprints, blood vessel pattern in retina, sound sensation in voice, facial features, 3D palm prints, etc. Biometrics is most commonly used for security clearance today because it provides a secure and highly precise recognition of an individual. Commercial use of this technology is most widespread in the Department of Defense, forensic labs, immigration department, etc. However, with a tremendous increase in identity thefts in recent years, its utilization is bound to reach the doorsteps of common people in the next few decades.
Summary of Key Findings: According to the findings of Federal Trade Commission (FTC), every minute 19 people fall victim to identity theft.3 Biometrics has the capability to reduce, and possibly eliminate, such identity thefts. Most identity thefts occur when someone hacks in secure websites (like emails, online banking sites, etc.) and steals usernames and passwords of customers. Since many laptops come with a fingerprint scanner nowadays, fingerprint scanning can be used for authentication instead of usernames and passwords. Thus, fingerprint scanning will prevent unauthorized access to secure accounts because it is unique to each individual. Another widespread crime is the theft of credit cards. In our hectic lives we often lose or misplace credit cards either at home, gas stations, restaurants, stores, etc. When these fall in the hands of the wrong people, we