Biometric Myths

Biometric Myths: Six Of The Best
by Russ Davis

CEO of ISL Biometrics - Tuesday, 13 July 2004.
It is probably the hottest sector in the security field today. Yet the biometrics industry, which produces human-based identification systems, is weighed down with claims and counterclaims, fallacies and myths. While some of the myths are no doubt based on an element of historical or scientific truth, some are now so out of date or inaccurate that they are almost laughable...

The BITE project

BITE aims to prompt research and to launch a public debate on bioethics of biometric technology. The number of biometric devices in use in Europe has jumped from 8,550 in 1996 to more than to 150,000 in 2004 and biometric industries revenues are expected to more than triple in the next two years. “Biometrics seem headed for dramatic growth in the next few years. But calm, public discussion of their benefits and drawbacks has been lamentably lacking” (The Economist, Prepare to be scanned, Monday December 8th 2003). The BITE project aims to launch such a discussion. The BITE project offers a unique combination of academic centres, industries and international organisations with the aim to help industry and researchers to confront ethical issues that arise in biometrics. The project is coordinated by Prof. Emilio Mordini, director of the Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship (Rome).

BANKS TO ESTABLISH ...

In an attempt to offer convenience--and protection--to bank customers, the Japanese Bankers Association will establish a standardized biometrics reading system to identify card holders, association officials said.
http://www.thebiometrix.com/viewtopic.php?t=377

BIOMETRICS E-SYMPOSIUM 2005

The International Biometric Industry Association, the International Association for Biometrics, the European Biometrics Forum and the Biometrics Institute are to host the 1st International Web Conference on Biometrics, the Biometrics E-Symposium (BioMex 2005). The E-Symposium will be broadcast live on the 28 September 2005 and also made available via the presentation archive 24 hours after the live event. The program features some exciting presentations and round table debates by the world's leading biometrics experts, all of which can be accessed from the convenience of our own workplace (as it's online). Registration is free of charge, http://www.biometrics.e-symposium.com

Val-Pierre Genton
Biometrics E-Symposium
Chair vpg@e-symposium.com
T. +44 (0)20 7613 0800

EARS RECOMMENDED FOR BIOMETRICS

A scientist in the UK has proposed that the unique pattern inside each individual's ear could be used as a biometric identifier, in the same way fingerprints are used. Professor Mark Nixon of University of Southampton told BBC World Service's Outlook programme that ears do not change much as we get older, unlike other body parts.
http://www.thebiometrix.com/viewtopic.php?t=368

Universal Biometric ID (UBID) system

In Henry J. Boitel's last Biometric Bits - The Key to Identity Management, he mentioned the proposal for a Universal Biometric ID (UBID) system, saying that A UBID is indispensable to filtering illegals from the population and would also make their movements and other activities more cumbersome. How about the cost and the performance of such system?
http://www.thebiometrix.com/viewtopic.php?t=326

LONDON'S HOUR OF HELL 7 7 2005

I was travelling into work this morning, and I normally travel on the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road and then walk to New Cavendish street, 10 minutes later, at 09:35am, on the way to work I found out what had happened and I couldn't believe I had just missed it and I am still in shock. I just thank God Almighty that I left late...
The media coverage today was appalling, only late in the day was there any helpful advice for people trapped in the zone.

My thoughts are with those who were actually caught up in it all. I can only offer my prayers for the people of Great Britain right now, and most especially for the victims and their families. I am a Londoner and if there is a city who can withstand this senseless and futile form of terror, it is London and its residents. Today is a sad day in London and the world at large, the future is bright. Londoners, irrespective of faith, must continue as far as is possible with their every day lives. May God help those who have been affected by the attacks and guide us all towards creating a more peaceful world.

VEIN SCAN BIOMETRIC

At the ISC show, there were several companies trying to publicize their interests on vein recognition. I think it's still very premature. I think the closest thing to its position is the iris technology. But we also see it in some places where companies use vein recognition in fingerprints to verify the fingerprint is from a living person, mainly to ensure against the spoofers and prostheses. There are also no databases for vein recognition at the moment. I don't think of this as one of the core biometrics. By those I mean fingerprint, palm, facial recognition, retina and iris.

GENERAL DISCUSSION ON THE UK ID CARDS

GENERAL DISCUSSION ON THE UK ID CARDS
Leading politicians, academics and IT experts warn that this project could turn into the biggest-ever government IT disaster. Are you for or against the ID card?

More articles and discussions in this forum: http://www.thebiometrix.com/viewforum.php?f=28

63% of consumers ...

63% of consumers would pay for biometrics if it provided additional security by ZDNet's ZDNet -- A survey of more than 2,000 adults, sponsored by AuthenTec, shows that 63% of consumers would pay extra to add fingerprint biometrics to their PC and notebook computers, while 71% would pay more for this feature in their cellular phones. Most consumers said they would use the technology to replace their PC and Internet passwords, [...]

Thebiometrix.com Discussion Forum

Welcome everybody,
http://www.thebiometrix.com

For a long time we have sensed an ever growing active community in the field of Biometric technologies, and here's a chance to engage in discussions generated from material on the forum. We are confident that vibrant discussions WILL take place and we hope that vitality WILL thrive here as well.

TheBIOMETRIX.COM was founded in mid January 2005 by a group of enthusiastic researchers & web developers from the UK, USA, Romania, Greece & Morocco.

TheBIOMETRIX.com welcomes your participation in our Discussion Forums. These forums offer you the chance to interact with researchers, experts, developers, analysts, consultants, students, vendors, the general public and with any other users.

We ask that you Post with respect for all fellow forum participants. This is a community, so when you post, we encourage you to tell your fellow community members a little about who you are - not just an e-mail address, but a bit of a bio. It enriches the discussion to know who's "behind the post."

Join http://theBIOMETRIX.COM discussion forum for free.
The forum is easy to use and has numerous helpful features, once you have registered you can check the FAQ section, where you can find answers for your questions and how theBIOMETRIX.com forum functions.

A special thank you to: Henry J. Boitel, Cristian Donciulescu, Yona Flink, Michael Cherry, Nikolaos Papamichael, Rachid Bencheikh, Bradley Malin, Bill Rogers for their valuable feedback and encouragements.

Many thanks
© Copyright 2005 TheBIOMETRIX.com

Your fingerprints are everywhere

Scott Granneman, 2005-06-15

How much do you trust your government? That's a question that all of us have to ask, perhaps the more often the better. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the United States and its third President, wrote to Abigail Adams in 1787 sentences that may seem incredible to many people today:

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere."

One way to define a government is by whom it controls; in other words, governments serve to provide necessary services to their citizens, like roads and armies, but governments can also legally restrict your physical movements, your property, and your rights. That's why someone can sue you in civil court for money, but losing a civil suit cannot lead to your imprisonment or the loss of your civil rights. If you have the misfortune of being tried in criminal court, however, the state is your opponent, not an individual, and losing that trial can result in the loss of your freedoms of movement, property ownership, and civil rights...

http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/333

links:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0602/p01s04-ussc.html
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/04/28/thumbprinting_visito.html
http://www.naperville-lib.org/PDFfiles/Biometrics.pdf
http://www.ccc.de/biometrie/fingerabdruck_kopieren.xml?language=en
http://www.puttyworld.com/thinputdeffi.html
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120112,00.asp
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/20/us_passports/

IS BIOMETRICS ...?

IS BIOMETRICS THE BEST SOLUTION TO REPLACE PASSWORD AUTHENTICATION?
By Dave Kearns
Network World Identity Management Newsletter, 01/26/05

http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/dir/2005/0124id2.html

DIGITAL IDENTITY

Here are some thoughts and definitions that I came across on a blog that is devoted to Digital Identity.
http://blog.onghome.com/2005/04/identity-ontology-taxonomy.html

A good contribution to existing concepts relating to identity management.

Touchless Sensor

MITSUBISHI INTRODUCES ...

MITSUBISHI INTRODUCES WORLDS FIRST TOUCHLESS FINGERPRINT SENSOR

New fingerprint reader scans prints without touching skin. The world's first scanning device that reads fingerprints without touching the skin will hit the market this autumn, Mitsubishi Electric said.

The device could be used to enhance security measures at financial institutions and airports.

The new scanner uses light from a red light-emitting diode (LED) to read fingerprint patterns under the surface of the skin. Red LEDs are typically used in a wide variety of industrial uses, such as in automotive electronics or medical instruments.

Ordinary fingerprint sensors take prints using physical contact between the finger and a glass plate.

In some cases, however, such physical fingerprint readers are unable to take an accurate print when the subject's skin is rough, wrinkled or covered in perspiration.

In the new LED device, the user places a finger in the reader with the nail facing up. A light scans through the finger and analyzes the convex and concave patterns of the skin layer below the surface.

Financial institutions, eager to find ways to circumvent thefts of personal data and cash, are anxious to find devices like the Mitsubishi Electric reader to provide better identification at ATMs.

During IWWST Presentation

IWWST 2005 LONDON UK

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN WIRELESS SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES 2005, LONDON UK

The 3rd International Workshop in Wireless Security Technologies aimed at bringing together academics and industry in an effort to further and enhance the interactions between researchers and promoters of wireless technology.

IWWST 2005 is organised by the Wireless Information Technology Research Center (WITRC), Cavendish School of Computing Science, University of Westminster, in collaboration with the British Computer Society - Wireless Information Technology Specialist Group. Keynote speakers were from HP Research Labs, Monmouth University (USA),Microsoft Research Cambridge (UK)

I presented a paper titled: "Hybrid Authentication Systems: Towards Robust User Authentication On Wireless and mobile Devices Using Biometric Technologies".

http://www.iwwst.org.uk

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

• AVBPA 2005, July 20-July 22, 2005, Rye Brook, New York.
http://biometrics.cse.msu.edu/avbpa2005.html
• National Academies "Whither Biometrics?" Workshop, March 15-16, 2005, Washington, D.C.
http://biometrics.cse.msu.edu/whitherbiometrics_workshop.htm
• Biometric Technology for Human Identification (OR31), March 28-April 1, 2005, Orlando, Florida.
http://biometrics.cse.msu.edu/spie-or31.pdf• SCIA 2005, June 19-June 22, Joensuu, Finland. http://www.cs.joensuu.fi/scia05/
• ICIAP 2005, September 6-8, 2005, Cagliari, Italy.
http://www.iciap2005.it/
• Biometrics Symposium 2005, September 19-21, 2005, Crystal City, VA.
http://www.citer.wvu.edu/bsym2005/
• ICBA 2006, Jan 5-Jan 7 2006, Hong Kong. http://www4.comp.polyu.edu.hk/~icba/