WHY
USE
BIOMETRICS?
Some
areas
of
the
organization
require
high
security
and
several
applications
like
usage
of
computers
require
the
need
to
know
who
the
person
is.
Identity
theft
using
stolen
credit
cards,
phony
checks,
benefits
fraud,
network
hacking,
and
other
impostor
scams
to
defraud
businesses,
government
agencies
and
consumers
costs
billions
of
dollars
per
year.
It
is
a
problem
that
complicates
routine
transactions
and
puts
a
major
strain
on
law
enforcement
resources.
Until
recently,
the
only
way
to
way
to
attack
the
problem
has
been
to
add
expensive
screening
and
administration
procedures;
however,
steps
such
as
hiring
security
guards,
maintaining
accurate
databases,
reviewing
identity
documents,
administering
password
systems
and
asking
personal
questions
have
proven
to
be
costly
stopgap
measures.
Biometric
technology
holds
limitless
promise
in
the
fields
of
personal
identification
and
security.
ADVANTAGES
Biometrics
is
preferred
over
traditional
methods
of
identification
(Passwords/PINs)
because
it
requires
that
a
person
actually
be
present
at
the
point
of
identification
and
these
features
cannot
be
stolen
or
forged.
It
can
be
used
to
prevent
unauthorized
access
to
ATM's,
cell
phones,
home
and
office
computers,
automobiles
and
secure
areas.
It
can
also
be
used
during
electronic
transactions
over
the
internet
or
telephone.
Biometrics
uses
two
distinct
characteristics
for
identification
and
verification
purposes.
i)
Physical
and
ii)
Personal
characteristics.
Physical
characteristics
include
- Chemical
composition
of
body
odor
- Facial
features
- Features
of
the
eye
(Retina
or
iris)
- Fingerprints
- Hand
Geometry
- Skin
pores
-
Wrist/hand
veins
Examples
of
personal
traits
used
in
biometrics
include:
- Handwritten
signature
- Keystrokes/typing
patterns
- Voiceprint
Governments
and
corporations
maintain
the
majority
of
secure
networks
worldwide.
Traditionally,
access
to
these
networks
involves
the
use
of
a
network
login
id
associated
with
a
password
or
personal
identification
number
(PIN).
Biometrics
will
change
all
of
this.
Today
there
are
commercial
applications
for
computer
access
control,
access
to
web
site
servers,
access
through
firewall's,
and
physical
access
control
to
protect
sensitive
information.
Governments
are
using
biometrics
technology
to
provide
robust
authentication
for
access
to
computer
systems
containing
sensitive
information
used
by
the
military
services,
intelligence
agencies,
and
other
security-critical
organizations.
As
the
technology
advances
and
becomes
more
cost-effective,
biometrics
will
eventually
control
identification
and
authentication
for
all
internal
networks.
There
are
also
significant
applications
for
biometrics
in
other
commercial
networks
accessed
by
the
general
public.
Some
of
the
biggest
potential
applications
include
the
use
of
biometrics
for
access
to
Automated
Teller
Machines
(ATM's)
or
for
use
with
credit
or
debit
cards.
Many
types
of
financial
transactions
are
also
potential
applications;
e.g.,
banking
by
phone,
banking
by
Internet,
and
buying
and
selling
securities
by
telephone
or
by
Internet.
Fraud
on
cellular
telephone
systems
has
increased
dramatically
and
is
estimated
by
some
sources
at
over
$1
billion
per
year.
Biometrics
is
being
considered
to
reduce
this
fraud.
Telephone
credit
card
fraud
is
also
a
significant
problem
that
may
benefit
from
the
use
of
biometrics.
FACE
RECOGNITION
TECHNOLOGY
Face
recognition
is
a
sub
set
of
biometrics
and
is
a
noninvasive
process
where
a
portion
of
the
subject's
face
is
photographed
and
the
resulting
image
is
reduced
to
a
digital
code.
Just
as
with
fingerprint
and
voice
scan
biometrics,
there
are
various
methods
by
which
facial
recognition
technology
recognizes
people.
All
share
certain
commonalities,
such
as
emphasizing
those
sections
of
the
face
which
are
less
susceptible
to
alteration,
including
the
upper
outlines
of
the
eye
sockets,
the
areas
surrounding
one's
cheekbones,
and
the
sides
of
the
mouth.
Generally
speaking
face
recognition
works
by
first
obtaining
an
image
of
a
person.
This
process
is
usually
accomplished
by
a
video
camera
with
a
high
resolution
at
3-5
frames
per
second.
The
higher
the
quality
of
the
camera
the
more
accurate
the
results.
Second,
the
computer
software
analyzes
certain
features
of
that
image
through
different
techniques,
or
a
combination
of
techniques.
Finally,
verifying
that
person's
identity
is
accomplished
by
matching
those
features
to
other
images
stored
in
a
database.
KEY
BENEFITS
Reduction
in
officer
time
spent
reviewing
video
recordings.
Easier
searching
and
information
recovery
from
video
recordings.
Increased
rate
of
identification
of
persons
in
video
recordings.
The
national
security
community
believes
that
facial
recognition
can
also
help
it
in
identifying
and
protecting
against
threats
to
U.S.
forces
and
embassies
abroad.
Facial
recognition
is
believed
to
help
in
identifying
and
protecting
against
terrorists
attacks.
If
a
known
terrorist
can
be
identified
before
he
closes
in
on
his
target,
lives
can
be
saved.
Facial
recognition
also
has
beneficial
uses
closer
to
home.
For
example,
many
parents
would
likely
feel
safer
knowing
their
children's
elementary
school
had
a
facial
recognition
system
to
ensure
that
convicted
child
molesters
were
not
granted
access
to
school
grounds.
On
the
whole,
however,
biometric
facial
recognition
systems
offer
advantages
over
other
security
measures.
They
are
not
invasive
or
even
inconvenient.
They
help
protect
the
privacy
of
individuals,
who
otherwise
might
have
had
to
endure
more
individualized
police
attention.
POPULAR
APPLICATIONS
Government
surveillance:
Over
the
coming
years,
governments
around
the
world
will
employ
more
facial
recognition
technology
to
watch
their
citizens
and
to
look
for
outsiders.
This
will
make
these
countries
safer
places
to
live
but
will
also
hinder
personal
liberties
and
privacy.
Citizens,
on
the
whole
will
reluctantly
accept
the
need
for
these
technologies
as
the
new
reality.
Identity
verification:
Facial
recognition
technology
will
be
used
more
and
more
to
verify
the
identity
of
people.
Whether
it
is
to
gain
access
to
an
office
building,
to
log
into
a
computer,
or
to
register
to
vote,
facial
recognition
technology
will
allow
those
using
the
technology
to
be
more
assured
of
whom
they
are
working
with.
While
the
direct
effects
of
these
uses
are
no
doubt
positive,
the
secondary
effect
is
that
those
using
the
technology
will
have
increased
information
about
where
people
are
and
about
their
habits.
It
seems
inevitable
that
facial
recognition
technology
will
be
developed
to
the
point
where
it
is
significantly
successful.
It
is
also
quite
likely
that
facial
recognition
will
become
the
biometrics
technology
of
choice
as
software
and
hardware
gets
better.
Currently,
other
processes,
such
as
retinal
scans
are
commonly
used,
but
the
advantages
of
facial
recognition,
such
as
the
ability
to
scan
from
a
distance,
will
cause
more
people
to
adopt
it
in
the
future.
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Feb 28