-Caveat Lector- Iris Scans Replacing ATM Cards? Public Test Termed 'Overwhelming' Success http://www.foxnews.com/vtech/122199/biometrics.sml 12-23-99 Let's See Some ID Big Brother concerns still stigmatize biometrics, but as consumers discover that biometrics protects privacy, acceptance is on the rise 7.00 a.m. ET (1300 GMT) December 21, 1999 By Stephanie Izarek NEW YORK ó If your bank offered a secure service that let you take money from a cash machine just by looking into a camera, would you throw away your ATM card? Bank United customers in the Texas-based Kroger grocery store chain did exactly that as part of a biometrics pilot program using Sensar's IrisScan technology. And their reaction: Overwhelmingly positive, according to Ron Coben, Executive Vice President of Bank United. Biometrics, technology that uses people's own physiological characteristics to verify their identity in place of passwords or PIN numbers, has been used by the government, military and law enforcement agencies for more than 25 years. Now biometrics is making its way into mainstream technology. But are consumers ready to embrace this futuristic solution? Michael Thieme, a consultant with the International Biometric Group and the BiometricStore, says yes, once people understand how the technology works and how it protects, rather than abuses, personal information. "Biometrics still suffers from a sci-fi, Big Brother stigma. People don't like the idea that an image of their iris or a facial geometry scan is stored in some huge database," said Thieme. "But once they understand that the image is converted into a unique numerical code, which is no different than having a PIN correspond to their name, they feel more comfortable." Biometrics also offers an alternative to toting around the typical trail of cards, keys, passwords and PINs, which can all be quite easily stolen. In a report on consumer response from Bank United's IrisScan pilot test, 98 percent of the users described their first experiences as easy, exciting, fast, and convenient. Thirty-eight percent cited the new IrisScan ATM as a reason for moving their account to Bank United; and 98 percent want to see more iris recognition ATMs installed throughout Texas. In fact, IBG says the world market for biometrics access-control devices and systems is expected to reach $100 million by the end 1999, with the U.S. providing 76 percent of the total demand. By 2001, European demand for biometrics will exceed $133 million by the year 2001, with the highest concentration of devices in France and the U.K. The use of biometrics is expanding into other security and non-security related applications, due in part to the lower cost of technologies and the speed of completing a biometric transaction. Currently, 15 banks, including Citibank, are piloting Sensar's IriScan at ATMs and teller stations to authenticate users in nine different countries. People who depend on check-cashing services and live in the Southwest can soon look forward to new check-cashing machines that will use facial geometry scans for authentication, just as 600,000 senior citizens in South Africa have verified their identity using fingerprints to receive pension payments for several years. Even more interesting is MP3.com's recent announcement that it, too, will use an iris scan authentication system, using a Web cam and special software, to speed transactions and downloads of MP3 audio files. But as with any technology, there are imperfections and obstacles. Biometrics are not 100 percent accurate; in fact, 100 percent correct matches often indicate fraud. However, the different types of biometrics technology can offer significantly better results depending on the type of application, the environment, and the consumers. Is That Really You? Before verification can occur, a person must have their fingerprints, irises, retinas or faces scanned. The key features are converted to encrypted numerical data. Very often this process requires a person to submit a biometric sample several times, particularly for more detailed images, like a retina. There are benefits and drawbacks to each biometric technology. After signature verification, which you find in many department stores, fingerprint readers are the most popular. "We will see them in the home market first," says Theime, "and they'll be used to gain access to a PC, the Internet, and for e-commerce transactions. Then we'll see it for things like ATM transactions and welfare registration." Increasingly, readers are being built directly into a mouse, as is the case with CompuLink's Biolink U-Match mouse. But for some people ó the elderly, construction workers and Asians ó fingerprints are difficult to read, which cuts down on effectiveness. Cut, bandaged or callused fingers are also difficult to identify using a biometric reader. The use of hand geometry readers, which use a digital camera and infrared light to measure the length, width and height of a person's hand in a 3-D image, offers a reasonable level of accuracy. But high false- acceptance rates can occur in the case of identical twins or other family members using the same reader, and the large size of these devices can be prohibitive for some situations. Iris scanning, the newest form of biometric technology, is gaining wide-spread acceptance. Each iris (the colored ring around the pupil) has 200 distinct features, even among identical twins, so it is an excellent unique identifier. Iris scanners detect rings, pits, striations, freckles, furrows, coronas, fibers and filaments. The image of an iris is captured by a standard black-and-white camera from about 10-12 inches away, digitized as a 512-byte template, and stored in a database. For verification, a user simply looks into a reader. Due to higher cost and difficult sample collections, retina scans are still relegated to government use and the highest security situations. A retina scan requires incandescent light to be shown into a person's eyes at close range. Once the eyes are illuminated, a scan captures up to 192 data points in the retina. Because retina scan systems have been traditionally used to identify criminals before they are released from prison, the concept has also suffered from invasion of privacy issues. Likewise, facial geometry systems which measure the distance between temples or chin and hair line using a computer and CCTV camera equipment, have come under attack by privacy groups. Combating false accepts and rejects has been a focal point in biometrics product development. "False rejects have actually been more of a problem, in that it rejects people who should be accepted," says Thieme. "That can be incredibly frustrating. It may happen because the user did not correctly use the device, placing only the tip of a finger on the reader, as opposed to the whole finger. The good news is that there has been a huge decline in false rejections across the board." Most often, concerns about biometrics relate to privacy issues. In response, the International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) announced its Privacy Principles, which encourage biometrics manufacturers, integrators and end-users to adopt standards and procedures that will help ensure the protection of personal data. According to the IBIA, biometric data is distinct from personal information and provides an effective barrier against unauthorized access to personal information. "In the public sector, IBIA believes that clear legal standards should be developed to carefully define and limit the conditions under which agencies of national security and law enforcement may acquire, access, store, and use biometric data," says Kelly Gates, a spokesperson. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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