Using biometric-based identification systems in Brazil: A review on low cost fingerprint techniques on-the-go

Abstract

Automatic authentication has become an essential service in several public areas. However, although the technology related with this kind of service has evolved, the price tag of its use is not affordable for most countries. In the so-called “under developed” counties, such as Brazil, South Africa and India, for example, registration systems are often paper-based and/or cover only a fraction of the population. Thus, the reality is that there is an increasing gap into the usage of such technologies amongst different countries and it can be a factor that makes development more difficult and, therefore, less inclusive. One of the main technologies used for automatic identity prediction is based on biometrics analysis, which can distinguish physical or behavioural features to help overcome the traditional paper-based identity systems. Despite the limitations already mentioned, Brazil is known to have introduced several different uses of biometric-based technologies for authentication. However, the use of these technologies is not always ideal and, since the population size is a key factor, it is essential to select the most affordable option which is not necessarily the most adequate for the country's needs. This paper will focus on establishing what biometric-based solutions exist in Brazil today, highlighting the main challenges, as well as briefly proposing a new prototype for mobile fingerprint acquisition.