Biometrics

Biometrics

Biometrics is the name given to the branch of information technology that deals with measuring and analyzing body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eyes, voices, facial patterns and hand measurements to use as means of identification. This is the technology used in scanners that require a person to place their hand on a pad or look into a camera instead of using a password.

In biometrics, a scanning device converts the scanned information into digital form that is then analyzed and compared with the information stored in a database. Specific points of the data, called match points, are used to make the comparison and confirm that the actual person is the one using the device to gain entry into some area or program.

Biometrics is used in two ways – identification and verification. For identification purposes, it is used to determine who a person actually is. It does this by taking a specific

characteristic and comparing it to the thousands of characteristics stored in a database and coming up with a name. An example of such a database is the one kept by the FBI of all the fingerprints of criminals. When a crime is committed the fingerprints from the crime scene are entered into the database and the police can find out if someone that was previously convicted of a crime committed the crime. A large amount of processing power is required to maintain such a large database.

Verification is used in biometrics to verify that a person is who he/she says they are. It involves taking certain characteristics, such as handprint, voice, retina image, fingerprint, and comparing it with information stored about the person. It does not require as much processing power because the database is usually small and confined to a particular organization or business, especially those that deal with confidential information or dangerous materials.

There are two types of biometrics – behavioural and physical. Examples of behavioural biometrics include:

• Voice recognition – this is done by special speech patterns and the sound of the voice
• Signature recognition – specific handwriting patterns
• Keystroke recognition – typing patterns measuring the times spacing of types words

Examples of physical biometrics include:

• Fingerprint – analyzing the print made by the tips of the fingers
• Facial recognition – measuring certain features of the face
• Handprint – measuring the size and shape of the hand
• Iris Scan – measuring the color of the iris of the eye
• Retina Scan – analyzes the blood vessels in the eye
• Vascular Patterns – analyzing the pattern of a person’s veins
• DNA- analyzing genetic makeup

DNA has become a very common use of biometrics in the legal system and has resulted in many people being found innocent of crimes for which they had previously been convicted. The use of this technology analyzes the genes found in the smallest blood sample or even a hair sample. It is very specialized and the technicians have to be highly trained. It is not something that is done in every city, but the samples have to be sent to a central location for analysis. It takes a long time to do the analysis, so results cannot be expected overnight.

Paternity is also determined by biometric technology, even though blood tests can also do the same thing. Using biometrics to determine paternity is more reliable because it analyzes the total genetic makeup of a person and compares it with the father’s DNA. There will undoubtedly be more advances made in this field in the future, but one has to be careful that it does not result in invasion of privacy so that all the private information we carry about on our body does not become public information.