Use Of Biometric Technologies Research Articles

Privacy campaigners pile pressure on the police

Law enforcement agencies globally are coming under pressure from privacy groups over their use of biometric technology as more polices forces look to the technology.

Experimentation in humanitarian locations: UNHCR and biometric registration of Afghan refugees

Amid good intentions, such as providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, the use of biometric technology in humanitarian refugee management may entail various risks for the implicated refugee populations. Drawing on insights from science and technology studies, this article introduces a distinction between risks stemming from technology failure and risks stemming from successful uses of biometric technology. The article thus departs from the literature in which technology failure has been in focus by showing that analysing the effect of technology success adds an important dimension to our analysis of the range of risks that may emerge in the context of humanitarian technology uses. The usefulness of this distinction is then illustrated through an analysis of the use by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of iris recognition in the repatriation of Afghan refugees; besides risks of failure at the implementation stage, risks also emerged once refugees had successfully registered their biometric data with UNHCR. To recognize how humanitarian refugee biometrics produces digital refugees at risk of exposure to new forms of intrusion and insecurity, we need to appreciate how successful technology can have critical implications arising from how technology is constituted in and constitutive of social phenomena.

Police forces extend use of biometrics across the globe

Police forces across the globe are trialling and extending their use of biometric technology. UK police are using facial recognition to identify suspects and have already reported an arrest following use of the system.

A systematic review on keystroke dynamics

Abstract Computing and communication systems have improved our way of life, but have also contributed to an increased data exposure and, consequently, to identity theft. A possible way to overcome this issue is by the use of biometric technologies for user authentication. Among the possible technologies to be analysed, this work focuses on keystroke dynamics, which attempts to recognize users by their typing rhythm. In order to guide future researches in this area, a systematic review on keystroke dynamics was conducted and presented here. The systematic review method adopts a rigorous procedure with the definition of a formal review protocol. Systematic reviews are not commonly used in artificial intelligence, and this work contributes to its use in the area. This paper discusses the process involved in the review along with the results obtained in order to identify the state of the art of keystroke dynamics. We summarized main classifiers, performance measures, extracted features and benchmark datasets used in the area.

Identification for Development: The Biometrics Revolution

Formal identification is a prerequisite for development in the modern world. The inability to authenticate oneself when interacting with the state — or with private entities such as banks inhibits access to basic rights and services, including education, formal employment, financial services, voting, social transfers, and more. Unfortunately, underdocumentation is pervasive in the developing world. Civil registration systems are often absent or cover only a fraction of the population. In contrast, people in rich countries are almost all well identified from birth. This “identity gap” is increasingly recognized as not only a symptom of underdevelopment but as a factor that makes development more difficult and less inclusive.Many programs now aim to provide individuals in poor countries with more robust official identity, often in the context of the delivery of particular services. Many of these programs use digital biometric identification technology that distinguish physical or behavioral features, such as fingerprints or iris scans, to help “leapfrog” traditional paper-based identity systems. The technology cannot do everything, but recent advances enable it to be used far more accurately than previously, to provide identification (who are you?) and authentication (are you who you claim to be?). Technology costs are falling rapidly, and it is now possible to ensure unique identity in populations of at least several hundred million with little error.This paper surveys 160 cases where biometric identification has been used for economic, political, and social purposes in developing countries. About half of these cases have been supported by donors. Recognizing the need for more rigorous assessments and more open data on performance, the paper draws some conclusions about identification and development and the use of biometric technology. Some cases suggest large returns to its use, with potential gains in inclusion, efficiency, and governance. In others, costly technology has been ineffective or, combined with the formalization of identity, has increased the risk of exclusion.One primary conclusion is that identification should be considered as a component of development policy, rather than being seen as just a cost on a program-by-program basis. Within such a strategic framework, countries and donors can work to close the identification gap, and in the process improve both inclusion and the efficiency of many programs.

Biometric tech assists and IDs drivers

Car makers are increasing the use of biometric technology to both assist and identify drivers and were showing off their inventions at high profile automotive exhibitions in October.

Evaluating biometrics for online banking: The case for usability

Rising cyber-crimes have heightened existing concerns about e-banking security. However currently the use of biometric technology in the banking sector is not prevalent. We developed a biometric system for authenticating e-banking and applied the established System Usability Scale (SUS) to evaluate its effectiveness from the perspective of potential users. The case demonstrates that on the whole users are very favourable towards a biometric banking system and ostensibly found the system developed usable. We found that when evaluating the biometric system, its different components needed to be considered – namely the biometric technology and the institutional process that supports verification and authentication.

A method for cryptographic key generation from fingerprints

Combining two known technologies—biometric and cryptographic—is an urgent problem. The main line of research in this direction is the use of biometric technologies for the control of cryptographic keys. In the present work, a method for the compact representation of fingerprints is proposed, and a method for cryptographic key generation on this basis is developed. The results of the experiments are appropriate for practical application. The generated keys can be used in cryptographic systems with secret and public keys.

Cash at Your Fingertips: Biometric Technology for Transfers in Developing Countries*

AbstractIn recent years, interest has soared in the development potential of well‐designed cash transfer programs. One particular application is the use of transfers by resource‐rich countries (as recently initiated by Iran) to distribute rents across their populations. An emerging body of research suggests that the development impact of such programs tends to be positive and that, especially when received by poor individuals or households, they can unlock constraints on economic activities, allowing a further increase in income. This paper considers the use of biometric technology to underpin transfer programs and how new technology is opening up possibilities for effective transfer programs that, up to now, have only been a theoretical option in the institutional conditions that prevail in many developing countries. Once implemented, biometric identification systems can be used to support a wide range of other development initiatives including banking, voting, health care, and general identification systems. The paper reviews some of the programs using these technologies and how it is enabling poor countries to leapfrog rich ones in the area of identity, much as the cellphone revolution did in the area of communications.

Adoption of Biometric Authentication Systems: Implications for Research and Practice in the Deployment of End-User Security Systems

Recent security lapses have demonstrated the importance of augmenting authentication protocols in sensitive areas of the economy, such as financial services and banking. In addition, new legislative requirements for secondary authentication mechanisms have highlighted the use of biometric technology as a reliable, but not required, means of authentication. The focus of this study examines the factors that influence the adoption of biometric authentication in organizations. The research model measures the relative contribution that variables in three categories (External Pressure, Readiness, and Perceived Benefits) have in the intent to adopt biometric authentication in financial services institutions. Managers of these institutions were surveyed, and the resulting model indicates that, as expected, the intent to adopt is driven by competitive factors, an organization's financial resources, and the perceived benefits associated with the technology. An important unanticipated finding from this research is that managerial support was not shown to be significantly related to adoption intent, which may be attributed to the context of biometric systems adoption. This research advances our understanding of the adoption literature by demonstrating how structural factors can influence the decisions made by organizational actors and by applying theories of adoption to a new technology—biometrics.

Biometrics and privacy protection in USA's constitution

This paper seeks to find out to what extent the privacy risks raised by the use of biometric technology could be addressed by the current case law of US Constitution. The paper focuses its discussion on the case law of informational privacy, anonymity issue and the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution.

Delivering biometrics as part of a wider security infrastructure

Organisations have traditionally opted to include biometric technology as a standalone access control solution, citing the perceived cost and complexity of making disparate security systems ‘talk’ to one another as the main decision driver. However, as the lines between security systems blur, organisations are exploring the use of biometric technology to deliver end-to-end capabilities, to include the integration of biometric access control solutions with CCTV and intruder systems.

Resilient face expressional recognitions using geometry and behavioural traits

Tremendous growth in the use of biometric technologies in high-security applications has motivated the requirement for highly dependable face recognition systems with expressional robustness. The previous works try to achieve insensitivity to such variations leads to the motivation in classifying the physiological properties of the facial expressions and mapping it to the behavioural traits underlying the expression. The system developed in this paper describes and evaluates a resilient face expressional recognition system using a geometric structural representation of the various expressions like sad, angry, disguise, happy, etc. and mapping it to the behavioural traits stored in the form of either hidden or exposed property in the genes adopted in genetic algorithm model. The experimental evaluations are conducted with initial taking of ten expression samples of each and every faces of 63 humans (21 men and 42 women). The behaviour pattern mapping of the expressions are associated with the genetic properties. The matching phenomenon is tested with the training template to evaluate the recognition and its rate of matching.

Biometric technology: the future of identity assurance and authentication in the lodging industry

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to provoke thought and perhaps response to a new form of identity assurance and security in the lodging industry. For a fact, biometric technology is quickly becoming a principal method of identification in today's fast‐paced networked and security‐conscious society. Increasingly, more and more organizations are adopting this form of technology to enhance security, improve business processes and increase productivity. The paper highlights the fundamentals of biometric technology, and its application in the lodging industry. The paper also addresses factors that should be considered to ensure successful deployment in the lodging industry.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews the fundamentals of biometric technology at the discursive level and provides insights on its practical applications in the lodging industry.FindingsBiometric technology offers the lodging industry new possibilities in the areas of identity assurance and authentication. These relatively new technologies hold promise for practical implementation for both employee‐ and guest‐related processes. The major advantage to using this form of technology over other forms is that users do not have to carry anything around such as magnetic keycards, which can be lost, compromised or stolen. However, there are several legal, social and cost‐related challenges that must be overcome before the technology can be universally accepted and implemented in the industry.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that the use of biometric technology will continue to increase, and prudent hospitality executives should pay close attention to this trend so that they can adopt the technology into their operations and enjoy the benefits it offers. The paper provides insights about the technology and offers implementation guidelines for lodging technology officers. In addition, it is hoped that this paper will generate future research in the areas of adoption strategies and appropriate types of biometric technologies that are appropriate for lodging operations.Originality/valueBoth practitioners and educators will benefit from the information presented in this paper, as it provides insights about a relatively new form of technology. Further, the paper reviews the fundamentals of biometric technologies at the discursive level with the intent of generating future research on their application in the lodging industry.

Restoration of motion-blurred iris images on mobile iris recognition devices

With the widespread use of biometric technology in many applications, iris recognition techniques on mobile devices have been more commercialized recently. Some of these techniques include the Pier 2.3 system and the HIIDE Series 4. When working with mobile devices, the shaking movements of a given user's hand can sometimes cause motion-blurred iris images, which can reduce iris recognition accuracy. We propose a new method of restoring these kinds of motion-blurred iris images. We present three improvements over previous works: (1) We estimated the direction and magnitude of motion, based on the corneal specular reflection of the pupil. (2) The point spread function (PSF) was adaptively modeled based on the estimated motion information. (3) The restoration of motion-blurred iris images was performed with the filter parameters that were determined in terms of increasing the accuracy of iris recognition. Experimental results showed that the equal error rate (EER) without the proposed motion-deblurring method was 1.538% and that with the proposed method was 0.962%. Consequently, the EER was reduced as much as 0.576% (=1.538−0.962%), and results showed that the accuracy of iris recognition with the proposed method was superior to results with conventional motion-deblurring methods.

Pathway to maturity

In both the identity management and security arenas, the use of biometric technology is increasing apace. Sebastian Fox looks at how the business application of biometric technology is shaping the reality of our everyday lives more than ever before

Effects of Food Stamp and TANF Policies on Food Stamp Receipt

This article uses data from the period between 1996 and 2003 to measure how the food stamp receipt of a low‐income population is affected by specific Food Stamp Program (FSP) policies, welfare policies, the minimum wage, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. It examines 27 specific program rules that are hypothesized to affect food stamp receipt. The results provide strong evidence that food stamp receipt increases with leniency of vehicle exemption policies, leniency of immigrant eligibility rules, length of recertification periods, and expansion of categorical eligibility. Findings also suggest that food stamp receipt is reduced by the use of biometric technology, which is employed in part to prevent fraud. In addition, the results provide some, but less consistent, evidence that the electronic benefit transfer program and outreach spending increase food stamp receipt.

Realization of a Universal Patient Identifier for Electronic Medical Records Through Biometric Technology

The technology exists for the migration of healthcare data from its archaic paper-based system to an electronic one, and, once in digital form, to be transported anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds. The advent of universally accessible healthcare data has benefited all participants, but one of the outstanding problems that must be addressed is how the creation of a standardized nationwide electronic healthcare record system in the United States would uniquely identify and match a composite of an individual's recorded healthcare information to an identified individual patients out of approximately 300 million people to a 1:1 match. To date, a few solutions to this problem have been proposed that are limited in their effectiveness. We propose the use of biometric technology within our fingerprint, iris, retina scan, and DNA (FIRD) framework, which is a multiphase system whose primary phase is a multilayer consisting of these four types of biometric identifiers: 1) fingerprint; 2) iris; 3) retina scan; and 4) DNA. In addition, it also consists of additional phases of integration, consolidation, and data discrepancy functions to solve the unique association of a patient to their medical data distinctively. This would allow a patient to have real-time access to all of their recorded healthcare information electronically whenever it is necessary, securely with minimal effort, greater effectiveness, and ease.

A question of trust

Plans by the UK Home Office to introduce biometric identification cards have raised important questions about the appropriate use of biometric technology. However, security technologies, such as biometrics and data encryption, when properly applied, hold great promise to protect consumers if their data is lost or stolen.

Innovative methods to enhance transaction security of banking applications

Abstract The increasing number of identity theft incidents such as credit card fraud, card duplication and internet attacks threaten the banking business that is mainly based on customer trust. Information and communication technologies create new business opportunities and innovative applications but do also enable new attack scenarios. Therefore, maintaining security and integrity is essential for the future economic success of banking. Biometric technologies such as fingerprint and facial recognition provide the means to enhance banking security. They are concerned with the measurement and evaluation of human physiological or behavioral data. Although the security‐oriented use of biometric technologies has become the most important field of development, they also enable a variety of convenience‐oriented use cases and applications. The article describes the security issues raised by technology‐based banking applications and outlines the idea of biometric technologies. Eventually, potential security and ...