1. Biometrics

2. WHAT IS “Biometrics”?
Biometrics is the technology that uses humans’ unique personal characteristics to identify a person.
Face structure
Fingerprints
Hand geometry
(shape of hand and finger lengths)
Retina and Iris
(Eyes’ blood vessels and coloured ring in our eyes)
Signature
Vein patterns in hands
Voice

3. Some ways in which biometrics is used:
Payment
E.g. ATM Iris recognition – scans a person’s eye to access the ATM account
More secure than using a debit/credit cards.
Credit cards can lost
Measure body size and keep track of their body changes during training process
Passports with computer chips
Impossible for face copies
Fighting crime
Install the biometric program in security cameras to detect theft’s face structure walking on the streets etc, so police can catch them.

4. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BIOMETRICS?
Increase security
Quicker log in to accounts/
checking for matching of fingerprints
No more problems about losing ID cards or forgetting passwords
Replace hard-to-remember passwords which may be shared or observed
Make it possible, automatically, to know WHO did WHAT, WHERE and WHEN!

5. What are the possible drawbacks?
Danger to owners – cutting finger off etc.
If the data of biometrics were hacked from database , we cannot create/change a new ‘password’ – because we cannot change our fingerprints etc.
These systems are not always reliable as human beings change over time if you are ill
If you use biometrics, you are always tracked by database – privacy issues
Expensive security solution
If the system fails, you cannot get through the doors or log in to your account