Biometrics is a modern security method which uses highly advanced technology to tell people apart using biological data like iris scans and fingerprints. It's been promoted as the future of offline and online security to prevent identity theft. It's still a technology in its infancy, so it has yet to be rolled out on a wide scale. There are still uses of biometrics today, though.
London Borough Councils
One of the ways biometrics has been used is in CCTV cameras in the London borough of Newham. Newham Borough Council has installed 144 cameras in the area which automatically link up the police force's criminal database. The Mandrake system uses facial recognition to tell people apart.
American Prisons
The US has pioneered much of the technology surrounding biometrics. Americans are notoriously security conscious. It's been rolled out in prisons across the continental US. Anyone visiting the prison is scanned by a biometric scanner. Again, it uses facial recognition to do this.
It makes sure criminals can't swap places with a visitor and just walk out of the prison. It's used in conjunction with checks by guards.
Shop Payments
Some people have suggested introducing fingerprinting in shops to make payments easier. Instead of swiping a card they would swipe their fingers. Advocates say it would reduce the number of thefts in towns and cities. Others have suggested the use of fingerprinting at ATMs to replace the PIN. Again, this would reduce the risk of someone looking over your shoulder and noting down your PIN.
Airport Security
The 9/11 terrorist attacks sparked serious questions about airport security. Airlines have taken security extremely seriously ever since, with more spot checks and baggage searches inflicted upon passengers.
Biometrics has been seen in some suggestions for improving security. In one suggestion, cameras would check everyone on a flight and search for each face in the relevant police force's criminal database to make sure a suspected or known terrorist didn't slip in by mistake. Some airports already use it, and frequent fliers can board quickly through retina scans over passport checks.
Barclays Bank
Barclays Bank has been using fingerprint scans since the middle of the 1990s. Employees must scan their fingers to get access to their offices. Businesses have also been offered similar scanners. The Nationwide Building Society also introduced iris scanners in 1998. 9 out of 10 customers said they preferred it over PINs and signatures.
Whilst these uses have proven the power and the usefulness of introducing biometric security methods, a rollout on a wide scale is still many years away. There are flaws to biometric security systems and it isn't yet perfect. In the meantime, ordinary people will have to stick with anti-virus software and PINs for digital security. Biometrics may be the way of the future but its power and wider application for commercial applications and home computing are yet to be seen.
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