Unlocking Identity: The Timeless Journey of Biometrics
Biometrics as a term is derived from the Greek words’ “bio” meaning life and “metrics” meaning to measure. It enables identification and authentication of humans using the distinct and verifiable characteristics unique to each one. Biometrics tackles an age-old challenge of identity verification by utilizing unique individual characteristics. It picked up and established itself as one of the most pertinent means of identifying and authenticating humans in a reliable way through using unique biological characteristics. Fingerprint mapping, retina scans, facial recognition are all forms of biometric examples.
Ancient Texts to Modern Security: Historical Journey of Biometrics
Biometric isn’t a new technology, it has a rich history that spans thousands of years. It has evolved from basic identification to modern security in today’s day. The early mentions of thumbprints are traced back to ancient India, where sage Agastya believed that they could reveal an individual’s life journey through it. Further on, the Babylonians used fingerprints for business transactions while ancient China utilised fingerprint authentication as early as the second century BC under their then emperor Qin Shi Huang.
In the 1600s the scientific studies on fingerprints began with scholars like Dr.Nehemiah Grew and Marcello Malpighi. Towards in 1788, Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer asserted the uniqueness of fingerprints. While we were evolving in the field of identification, there was one more development, an anthropometric measurement system by Alphonse Bertillon in the 1870. It was further then replaced by fingerprint identification thanks to the work of Henry Faultys, Francis Galton and Juan Vaucetich. Henry Classification System was established in the 1897, which led to the first fingerprint bureau and the widespread use of fingerprints especially in the criminal investigations and personal identification. Furthermore, the 19th century saw the significant advancements. Sir William Herschel’s use of handprints in legal documents and Paul-Jean Coulier’s discovering the revealing latent prints with iodine fumes stood out as the noteworthy advancements.
The study didn’t stop and the research kept dwelling into the field of identification and authentication. Moving to the 21st century, biometrics as a field expanded far beyond fingerprints. Facial recognition, iris scanning, voice authentication as well as behavioural biometrics were now included in the technological advancements of biometrics. In today’s time, these technologies are increasingly integrated with consumer devices like smartphones and smart home securities. For instance, Apple’s Touch ID and Face ID. Companies as well as countries today are adopting biometrics for security. One of the largest biometric project in the world is India’s Aadhar program, holding biometric data of over 1.2 billion citizens. [1] Massive databases like such include fingerprints, iris patterns and facial geometry are used to streamline government benefits and services.
Revolutionising security across sectors
Today, biometric security is used widely in every sector. In public sector, biometric is essential for criminal identification. FBI’s, IAFIS uses databases of fingers and facial recognition for suspect identification. DNA profiling is also used as a key role for solving crimes. Biometrics has extended until border security as well by having automates systems like gates at the airport use facial recognition and iris scanning to verify travellers identity. Visa systems have enabled fingerprints to prevent fraud. In countries like India, Aadhaar use biometric data (fingerprints, iris scans) to deliver government services securely and prevent identity fraud. In 2023, 46% of passengers used biometrics at airports, a jump from 34% in 2022. More than 176M Americans use facial recognition technology. [2]
As much as biometric is used in public sector, its usage is spreading in the private sector as well. It enhances security through facial recognition and finger-print for online banking, payment systems which further help in reducing fraud and simplifying transactions as well. Technology has picked up and adapted to the use of biometrics to unlock device, secure apps and enable multi-factor authentication for added protection. As of 2022, biometrics are enabled on 81% of smartphones [2]. In the current times even workplaces have adopted biometrics for timekeeping and access to control systems in order to prevent fraud and restrict entry to sensitive areas. Biometric door locks and voice recognition are used for home security system as well. Biometrics streamlines identification and access across sectors, offering enhanced security while raising important privacy and ethical considerations. By 2025, the global biometric system market is expected to hit nearly $68.6B. [2]
Communication channels play a crucial role in spreading awareness and driving adoption of biometric technology. Governments, tech companies, and security agencies used various communication channels to normalize and promote biometrics. For example, marketing campaigns by Apple for Touch ID and Face ID popularized biometric security among the general public, making it seem more reliable and futuristic compared to passwords. Public awareness campaigns by governments regarding the safety and utility of biometric data, such as India’s Aadhaar, played a vital role in making people comfortable with sharing their biometric information. These communications typically emphasize safety, convenience, and the benefits of streamlining services like government benefits and banking.
Seamless Security: The power of biometrics
Biometrics has evolved years and been one of the dominant ways to ensure security. It offers a lot of benefits, enhances user experience and it’s seamless experience makes it convenient for individuals to use it across various services and applications. The first thing that crosses one’s mind to protect information is to password protect it, biometric has changed that thinking process. Due to its secure storage of biometric data which is encrypted and less suspectable to unauthorized access it’s much more trusted than traditional passwords. What assures a human about biometrics is the non-transferability of the data adding another layer of security to it. Besides, biometric systems are scalable making it easy to accommodate growing numbers of either the users or devices. Altogether the convenience of security offered by the biometric technology enhances the user satisfaction making it a favoured solution for security today across various sectors.
Beyond the hype: The risks involved in biometrics
Biometric security is convenient and secure but it does come with its own risks and limitations. What can be beneficial for an individual can equally be harmful if not managed carefully. In current times with the increasing spread of technology privacy is a major concern. Collection and storing data especially biometric without consent can violate an individual’s privacy and would diffuse the purpose of security. Another alarming concern is hacking, biometric systems can be hacked by using spoofing techniques questioning the integrity of the system. Issues like content breach can be prominent especially when biometric data is stored in centralized databases leading to identify theft. Errors in recognition can result in granting access to unauthorized individuals. Ethical dilemmas also arise regarding consent, data ownership and potential discrimination [5].
Biometrics has gained surety among individuals about its system but it’s essential to continuously be vigilant regarding the risks and the ethical implications to ensure that the security, convenience and benefits that biometric as a technology offers do not come at the cost of individual privacy and safety.
Your data, your privacy: Ethical Biometrics
Ethical concerns prevail as risks in the field of biometrics. The key concerns include privacy violation as the biometric data is unique and once compromised it would be very difficult to change it. Informed consent being the next concern, with many system collecting user data without their awareness especially In the public settings [6].
Biometrics emerging as the most reliable tool for security is highly used for surveillance, raising questions on how security and individual freedom are balanced. With the growing potential of discrimination, the concern of some biometric systems particularly for facial recognition may be biased against certain racial or ethnic groups would lead to inaccuracies and unfair outcomes [7].
A bright future, if done right!
The future of biometrics is set to focus on continuous authentication and the integration of these systems into everyday devices. With advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, biometric technologies are becoming more sophisticated, enabling behavioural analysis for enhanced security. Additionally, emerging technologies like brainwave and heart signal biometrics may offer higher accuracy and security levels. However, the evolution of these technologies necessitates the establishment of ethical frameworks and international standards to safeguard individuals’ biometric data and uphold privacy rights.
In conclusion, while biometrics presents significant security benefits and has the potential to transform identity verification, it also raises ethical concerns regarding privacy, consent, and misuse. As these systems develop, balancing innovation with ethical considerations will be essential to ensuring that biometric technologies serve society positively without compromising individual rights.
