Biometrics identifies its
niche By Fred Stakelbeck
Asia is expected within the next decade to
lead the world in the use of biometrics, with
countries such as Cambodia, China, Vietnam and
Japan already in various stages of planning,
development and deployment.
Simply
defined, biometrics are automated methods of
identifying a person or verifying the identity of
a person using a defined physiological or
behavioral characteristic. Physiological
characteristics are based upon data resulting from
the direct measurement of a part of the human
body, such as the shape of a hand or finger, face
and retina. Alternatively, behavioral traits, such
as signature and gait patterns, are learned or
acquired.
Generally viewed by the public
as a highly expensive and somewhat puzzling
application, steady improvements in cost and
performance over the past two
decades have propelled biometrics forward.
According to the International Biometric Group,
annual biometric industry revenues are expected to
reach US$5.7 billion by 2010, up from $1.5 billion
in 2005. IBG predicts in 2006 fingerprint scanning
will comprise 43.6% of the biometrics market,
followed by facial recognition at 19%, middleware
at 11.5% and hand geometry at 8.8%.
Biometrics are used for two purposes -
identification and verification. In an
identification mode, or "one-to-many matching"
scenario, an individual submits a "live" sample to
a system that performs a check against an enrolled
population by searching a database for a match
based on the submitted biometric. This reduces the
probability that more than one individual will use
an identity.
In a verification mode, also
called "one-on-one matching", a person's claimed
identity is authenticated from their previously
enrolled pattern. The system checks a database to
confirm that the individual is not on a "watch
list" of individuals. This mode is most often used
in computer or network access environments.
Biometric-based authentication
applications have been proposed as a practical
solution for the financial services, healthcare,
immigration, IT security and law enforcement
sectors. The limitations of traditional security
approaches such as tokens, smart cards, photo IDs,
physical keys, personal identification numbers and
passwords have made biometrics an increasingly
attractive alternative for businesses, customers
and government entities.
Biometric
solutions such as fingerprinting, voice
recognition, signature verification, iris/retina
scanning, facial recognition and hand geometry
provide advantages over traditional security
approaches, due to their anti-counterfeiting
attributes and the fact biometric identifiers are
less likely to be lost, stolen or forgotten. In a
password-dominated world where security is an
overriding concern, biometrics offer businesses,
customers and government entities a viable
security alternative.
This month, Nobuaki
Furuse, general manager with electronics giant
Hitachi Asia Ltd, noted that Japan had the largest
deployment of biometric solutions in the world,
primarily for customer access to ATM machines.
Taiwan and Singapore also lead Asia in the use of
biometrics, with installation in condominiums and
railway stations. Furuse also noted the strengths
of biometrics lie in the technology's
acceptability, reliability, integration aspects
and non-transferability.
Looking ahead,
the main driver for the adoption of biometric
solutions in Asia will continue to be the
government sector, specifically in the areas of
immigration and security.
"Now that the
concept has been proven in the public context,
this will pave the way for the adoption of
biometrics," noted Terry Hartmann, director of
secure identification and biometrics at Unisys
Corporation. "Government departments that need to
verify identify will consider the technology
initially, after which the private sector will be
prompted to investigate how it can solve existing
problems, such as building access control."
Starting next month, all passport holders
in Singapore will be able to apply for new travel
documents with additional security features
designed in accordance with international
standards. BioPass is a tamper-resistant biometric
passport with an embedded Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) chip, carrying the passport
holder's facial and fingerprint biometric
identifiers.
However, added security and
peace of mind come at a cost, with new passports
costing about 20-30% more than traditional
passports. In addition, equipping a customs booth
could run between US$15,000 and $20,000. Many
Asian countries have considered passing the cost
incurred for the new biometric equipment to
passport holders through a variety of tax
increases.
Biometric passports for Hong
Kong residents will be made available in early
2007. Like Singapore, Hong Kong's new passport
will be embedded with an RFID chip containing the
image and biographical information of the passport
holder.
An added feature will allow for
the storage of fingerprint images and changes to
international standards. According to a February
statement issued by Unisys Corporation, "Traveler
security is driving the adoption of biometrics
much faster than commercial pressures would have."
According to results of a survey released
by Unisys Corporation in April, global consumers
may be warming to the idea of biometrics. The
survey showed that nearly 70% of global consumers
support the use of biometrics to verify an
individual's identity, but only if the biometric
is administered by a trusted organization such as
a bank, government entity or healthcare provider.
"This research is revealing since many
headlines today seem to question biometric
adoption because of legitimate privacy concerns,"
said Mark Cohn, vice president of homeland
security solutions for Unisys Corporation.
In the survey, convenience was noted as
the top reason to support biometric technologies,
with respondents noting a clear benefit of not
having to remember passwords or login data. Voice
recognition was noted as the most favored
authentication method, cited by 32% of
respondents.
But biometric technologies
are not without problems. Financial Insights, a
subsidiary of US-based research company IDC, noted
in a June report, "The lack of standardization
between devices, a lack of regulatory guidance and
cost concerns show that the practical
implementation of biometric authentication on a
customer level is still several years away."
Moreover, legal, cultural and political concerns,
as well as accuracy, compatibility, connectivity
and comparability issues, remain largely
unanswered. Above all, ongoing cost and
privacy concerns present the most serious barriers
to widespread adoption of biometrics. Although the
benefits of introducing biometric technologies are
very clear in many cases, some Asian business and
government leaders worry that the cost of
deployment, the demands of database management,
staff training and the lack of standardization
make biometrics a risky and unpredictable business
endeavor. International privacy advocates worry
that the information collected could be used to
severely diminish civil liberties and freedoms.
Beyond the issues of cost and privacy,
other concerns related to the use of biometrics
include: time constraints associated with the
development of a realistic threat model; the
quality of risk data used; the reliability of
information collected through the initial
enrollment process and the possible discriminatory
and the dehumanizing aspects of collecting,
storing and using biometric information.
Utilized alone or integrated with other
technologies such as smart cards, encryption keys
and digital signatures in a two-factor
authentication environment, biometrics have become
an increasingly accurate, user-friendly and
affordable security solution. However, before
widespread adoption can become a reality, several
important questions regarding privacy, cost and
standardization must be resolved. Biometrics do
not provide a perfect solution for Asia's security
needs, but the technology will certainly merit
close attention in the next decade.
Fred Stakelbeck is a senior Asia
fellow with Washington-based Center for Security
Policy. He is an expert on the economic and
national security implications for the US of
China's emerging regional and global strategic
influence. Comments can be forwarded to
Frederick.Stakelbeck@verizon.net
(Copyright 2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All
rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing
.)
