Biometrics

Biometrics

Biometrics is described as the use of human physical features to verify identity and has been in use since the beginning of recorded history. Only recently, biometrics has been used in today’s high-tech society for the prevention of identity theft. In this paper, we will be understanding biometrics, exploring the history of biometrics, examples of today’s current technology and where biometrics are expected to go in the future.

By definition, “biometrics” (Woodward, Orlans, and Higgins, 2003) is the science of using biological properties to identify individuals; for example, fingerprints, retina scans, and voice recognition. We’ve all seen in the movies, how the heroes and the villains have used other’s fingerprints and voice patterns to get into the super, secret vault. While these ideas were fantasy many years ago, today biometrics are being used and you may not even know it.

By combining the Greek words “bio”, which stands for “life”, and “metrics”, which stands for “measure”, you produce the term “biometrics” or “life measurements”. To understand biometrics at the most basic level, all one has to do is to picture a loved one in their mind. A human can specifically recognize another human by remembering an eye color, a hair color, a nose shape, a wart, or any combination of facial features. While the human mind is capable of remembering the physical characteristics of several humans, it is impossible to retain, reference, and sort thousands of biometric data which may contain details down to the molecular level. Today, this has been made easier by computer technology.

The first recorded use of biometrics dates back to the 14th century when the Spanish explorer Joao de Barros witnessed Chinese parents pressing their children’s inked fingers and feet onto paper allowing them to differentiate one child from another. Through Barros’ travels, he noted that Chinese businessmen also closed various financial and business transactions with fingerprints. There are other pieces of historical evidence indicating the use of biometrics for various purposes prior to Barros’ records. However, none were successfully documented.

Vacca (2007) found the use of biometrics would slip into the darkness until the mid to late 1800s when it would reemerge to be known as “anthropometrics” and address the identification crisis facing the world resulting from a population explosion, human mobility, and a need to positively identify individuals. In 1858, Sir William Herschel stamped the handprint of employees to determine whether the person in line to receive a paycheck was an employee or an imposter. In 1870, Alphonse Bertillon developed “Bertillonage” known as a process for collecting and documenting multiple physical measurements to identify convicts who had been released back into the general populous. While Bertillonage was popular with law enforcement, it was quickly determined that two people could potentially share the exact same measurements and could not be used reliably.

The following is a biometric development timeline:

1903 вЂ" New York State Prisons begin using fingerprints to identify criminals.

1936 вЂ" Ophthalmologist Frank Burch proposes retinal identification.

1960s вЂ" Face recognition and fingerprint identification become automated. Speech

patterns recognized as a potential for identification. Signature research begins.

1970s вЂ" Hand geometry and signature recognition systems become available. Speech

recognition systems are prototyped.

1980s вЂ" Patents for hand and iris identification are awarded. Fingerprint records are

made available to a greater number of law enforcement agencies.

1990s вЂ" Real-time facial recognition is developed. The Biometric Consortium is

established. Hand geometry is used for security at the 1996 Olympics with an

enrollment of 65,000 records and 1 million transactions over 28 days. CODIS

(Combined DNA Index System) is launched by the FBI.

2000+ Vascular patterns are suggested as another method of identification. West

Virginia University develops the first biometrics degree program. European

Biometrics Forum is established. US patent for iris recognition expires.

Biometrics began with the inking of the fingers and feet and pressing those inked parts onto paper. Today, law enforcement agencies are able to utilize biometric tools on the molecular level to pinpoint criminals when no other evidence exists. In between these two extremes fall a whole range of techniques used for identification.

The most basic of the techniques is the fingerprint and palm recognition. These methods, while strong, still have their weaknesses. This led to looking for next level of identification just under the skin by mapping the vascular structure of a person’s hand. Each person has a unique, intricate pattern of blood vessels that is virtually impossible to replicate since blood vessels have to be grown and cannot constructed.

Another method of biometric identification is through dental records. Dental records are commonly used to identify a human by comparing the dental features (i.e., tooth size and placement, dental work, oral injuries, etc.) and whose identity cannot