IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The term biometrics comes from the ancient Greek bios = 'life' and metron = 'measure'. Biometrics refers to the identification of an individual based on his/her physiological or behavioural characteristics, relies on "something which you are or you do" to make personal identification and therefore offers a better solution for identification. As the level of security breaches and transaction fraud increases, the need for highly secure identification and personal verification technologies is becoming apparent. Fraudsters have had decades to master old methods of identification.

Biometric-based solutions are able to provide for confidential financial transactions and personal data privacy. The need for biometrics can be found in federal, state and local governments, in the military, and in commercial applications. Enterprise-wide network security infrastructures, government IDs, secure electronic banking, investing and other financial transactions, retail sales, law enforcement, and health and social services are already benefiting from these technologies.

Utilised alone or integrated with other technologies such as smart cards, encryption keys and digital signatures, biometrics is set to pervade nearly all aspects of the economy and our daily lives. Utilising biometrics for personal authentication is becoming convenient and considerably more accurate than current methods (such as the utilisation of passwords or PINs).

This is because biometrics links the event to a particular individual (a password or token may be used by someone other than the authorised user), is convenient (nothing to carry or remember), accurate (it provides for positive authentication), can provide an audit trail and is becoming socially acceptable and cost effective.

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Autor(en)/Author(s): Dr Risco Mutelo

Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 05.03.2014

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