Fwd: Bio-Identity

["Jean-Francois Avon" <jf_avon@citenet.net>]

This is likely to be BS.  Biometrics can be faked too, it is only that up to 
now, nobody ever got into the business since virtually nobody uses it.

They mention Internet business.  Somebody at home could take a lot of time, 
sipping coffee, comfortably, to devise a way to forge identities.  
Fingerprints aren't that difficult to obtain, retina scans can be done 
remotely in a number of way, etc.  And this would not prevent any crimes that 
are commited from within any organization...

But what this post accomplish is to foster public acceptance that biometrics 
could become a cure to some mediatized problems.  The potential for evil abuse 
by governments and the business elite who run them is very significant 
though...

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>From: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
>Subject: Bio-Identity
>To: cypherpunks@toad.com

<http://www.zdnet.com/computershopper/edit/cshopper/content/9903/387611.html>

Bio-Identity

Everybody is different. In addition to making for interesting times, this 
abundance of biodiversity is also helping businesses and individuals secure 
access to their sensitive files and precious network resources

by Jon Halpin Originally published in the March 1999 issue

It would seem that we are living in times of great suspicion. With corporate 
IT managers setting up remote accounts and home users ordering sweaters from 
jcrew.com, everyone is voicing concerns about security. Consumers are worried 
about their "identity" being stolen or even sold through the use of passwords, 
codes, credit card fraud, or even agent technology. Corporations are concerned 
about unauthorized access to private company data stored on the network or 
notebooks being stolen from mobile employees.

The demand for more effective security, however, has created a tremendous 
market for companies that can create more innovative solutions, particularly 
in the field of biometrics--verifying an individual's identity through unique 
physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, voice recognition, iris and 
retina scans, facial scans, handwriting verification, or hand geometry.

"Biometric technology makes the task of stealing identity much harder," 
according to Clint Fuller, CEO of the biometric vendor SAFLink, "Passwords and 
codes can be guessed, replicated, or passed along, but due to the unique 
qualities of biometrics, it is a much better way of ensuring positive 
identity. You cannot easily copy a fingerprint or retinal scan, but you can 
crack passwords."

Biometrics is not a new industry. It's been used for decades by the government 
and law-enforcement agencies, but has been too expensive to manufacture and 
sell commercially--until recently. At the 1998 International Security 
Conference, Barry Wendt, CEO of SAC Technologies, said, "The growing market is 
a direct result of today's advanced computer hardware. The faster, cheaper PCs 
on the market can handle the data-processing needed to verify an identify from 
a fingerprint, a voice, or a face--all in the time it would take to swipe a 
card or type in a password."

Biometric verification systems are essentially data-acquisition devices and 
software that read data (fingerprints, voice, and so on) using sensor inputs. 
They convert analog data to digital data, then compare the data with reference 
data already stored in a software database to verify identity.

System manufacturers, banks, and online merchants are all beginning to 
recognize the advantages of biometric technology and are implementing 
verification systems that are more secure. SAFLink's Fuller says, "One of the 
most promising areas for biometrics is the Internet--mainly for electronic 
transactions. There is a big issue in security over the Internet, and 
biometric technology can really shine there. The medical and health industry 
is another big area. Legislation dictates that health care must use more 
secure measures and regulate who is seeing what confidential information, for 
example."

If COMDEX/Fall '98 is any indication, biometrics may be evolving faster than 
anticipated. Many companies announced plans to include some form of biometric 
security in their product lines in the coming year, and many others showcased 
new verification systems. Fingerprint authentication was the most popular and 
most evolved system, but there were also prototypes of smart cards with voice-
recognition features and iris and facial scanners.



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