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Socratic Method / Re: Social Security Numbers = De Facto National ID Card
« on: December 26, 2005, 11:02:48 PM »
The eyes have it
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Meanwhile, technology companies continue to invest research dollars in other biometric options. Iris and retina scanning seem to have considerable potential: the patterns in both these parts of the eye are unique to the individual. The retina is the innermost layer of the eyeball 'wall' and is criss-crossed by tiny blood vessels. As these vessels develop in the womb, they form a unique pattern that does not change over the individual's lifetime; retina scanning can map, code and compare these blood vessel patterns. The iris, the coloured part of the eye, contains about 260 unchangeable characteristics compared to less than 40 in fingerprints that can be scanned by video camera, coded by algorithms and, later, compared. The chance of an identical match with a different eye is said to be about 1 in 1078, which is a very small chance indeed. Of the two eye-scanning technologies, iris-scanning is the more likely to gain in popularity. It can be done at a distance of a metre or so in contrast to retina-scanning, which must be done quite close-up and is therefore likely to be more acceptable to the public.
Other biometric tools
----------------------
We all have other unique characteristics that can be measured. Examples of these other biometric options include hand geometry, typing patterns and voice recognition
Hand geometry
--------------
Since the exact shape of the hand and the relative lengths of the fingers and thumb vary between individuals, hand geometry is touted as a potentially useful biometric. The advantage of hand scanning over fingerprinting is that it is less invasive, very user-friendly and requires little computer firepower. The drawback is that hand shapes are not unique, so hand geometry biometric technology is likely to be limited to low-security applications.
Typing patterns
----------------
Another kind of biometric technology looks at behavioural characteristics. Most of us possess certain patterns of behaviour that are unique to us. Keyboard recognition technology assesses the typing style of the user. It determines dwell time (the time that each key is depressed), flight time (the time taken to move between keys), and a host of other characteristics, such as typical typing errors. An algorithm codes these patterns. When the computer is used at a later time, the software compares the user's typing pattern against the template. If the variation is above a threshold, thereby indicating that an imposter is using the computer, the software denies access to restricted material.
Other technologies are under development
-----------------------------------------
Many other biometric technologies for identity verification are under development, including voice recognition, face recognition (systems are now being developed to assist police and security agencies to identify suspects in crowds), vein measurement, chemical odour analysis, signature identification and facial thermography (the measurement of the radiant heat from a person's face). Some could be combined in multi-biometric systems, so that the limitations of any single system can be compensated by the presence of a second or third system.
Face Recognition
Throughout the nation and the world, the debate on the privacy implications of face recognition and other surveillance technologies is heating up. In January 2001, the city of Tampa, Florida used the technology to scan the faces of people in crowds at the Super Bowl, comparing them with images in a database of digital mug shots. Privacy International subsequently gave the 2001 Big Brother Award for "Worst Public Official" to the City of Tampa for spying on Super Bowl attendees. Tampa then installed cameras equipped with face recognition technology in their Ybor City nightlife district, where they have encountered opposition from people wearing masks and making obscene gestures at the cameras. In late August 2001, a member of the Jacksonville, Florida City Council proposed legislation to keep the technology out of Jacksonville.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services gave a $150,000 grant to the city of Virginia Beach in July 2001, to help the city obtain face recognition cameras to look for criminal suspects and missing children. Although officials had initially expressed mixed feelings about the technology, the city council voted on November 13 to install the software at the oceanfront. To fully fund the system, the city must pay an additional $50,000.
In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., privacy advocates, citizen groups, political leaders, and the manufacturers of the technology itself are debating whether these technologies should be more widely used, and if so, how they should be regulated to protect the privacy of the public. Some airports are considering installing face recognition cameras as a security measure. However, T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the first airports to consider it, decided in January 2002 that they would not install it after all, citing the possibility of false matches and other technological shortcomings of facial recognition systems. Read more here,
http://www.howstuffworks.com/facial-recognition.htm/printable
Privacy issues
---------------
Biometrics-based identification and verification systems must deal with a host of privacy issues if they are to gain widespread acceptance. For some, the prospect of submitting body parts for detailed examination is enough to make them break out in a sweat, while amputees or the blind may not find certain biometric systems to be particularly user-friendly. Meanwhile, some people worry that biometric data given for an innocent purpose, such as opening a bank account, will be used for other, more sinister purposes by governments or corporations. Another concern is the potential 'hijacking' of biometric data if transmitted over the internet, for example by criminals who would then use it to defraud individuals and institutions. Such arguments must be weighed against the fact that the aim of most biometric systems is to increase privacy by requiring a more rigorous proof of identity than has been necessary in the past. If the system is robust enough, criminals will find that beating it is a difficult task. Nevertheless, the technologies present civil libertarians with many issues that must eventually be addressed.
-----------------
Meanwhile, technology companies continue to invest research dollars in other biometric options. Iris and retina scanning seem to have considerable potential: the patterns in both these parts of the eye are unique to the individual. The retina is the innermost layer of the eyeball 'wall' and is criss-crossed by tiny blood vessels. As these vessels develop in the womb, they form a unique pattern that does not change over the individual's lifetime; retina scanning can map, code and compare these blood vessel patterns. The iris, the coloured part of the eye, contains about 260 unchangeable characteristics compared to less than 40 in fingerprints that can be scanned by video camera, coded by algorithms and, later, compared. The chance of an identical match with a different eye is said to be about 1 in 1078, which is a very small chance indeed. Of the two eye-scanning technologies, iris-scanning is the more likely to gain in popularity. It can be done at a distance of a metre or so in contrast to retina-scanning, which must be done quite close-up and is therefore likely to be more acceptable to the public.
Other biometric tools
----------------------
We all have other unique characteristics that can be measured. Examples of these other biometric options include hand geometry, typing patterns and voice recognition
Hand geometry
--------------
Since the exact shape of the hand and the relative lengths of the fingers and thumb vary between individuals, hand geometry is touted as a potentially useful biometric. The advantage of hand scanning over fingerprinting is that it is less invasive, very user-friendly and requires little computer firepower. The drawback is that hand shapes are not unique, so hand geometry biometric technology is likely to be limited to low-security applications.
Typing patterns
----------------
Another kind of biometric technology looks at behavioural characteristics. Most of us possess certain patterns of behaviour that are unique to us. Keyboard recognition technology assesses the typing style of the user. It determines dwell time (the time that each key is depressed), flight time (the time taken to move between keys), and a host of other characteristics, such as typical typing errors. An algorithm codes these patterns. When the computer is used at a later time, the software compares the user's typing pattern against the template. If the variation is above a threshold, thereby indicating that an imposter is using the computer, the software denies access to restricted material.
Other technologies are under development
-----------------------------------------
Many other biometric technologies for identity verification are under development, including voice recognition, face recognition (systems are now being developed to assist police and security agencies to identify suspects in crowds), vein measurement, chemical odour analysis, signature identification and facial thermography (the measurement of the radiant heat from a person's face). Some could be combined in multi-biometric systems, so that the limitations of any single system can be compensated by the presence of a second or third system.
Face Recognition
Throughout the nation and the world, the debate on the privacy implications of face recognition and other surveillance technologies is heating up. In January 2001, the city of Tampa, Florida used the technology to scan the faces of people in crowds at the Super Bowl, comparing them with images in a database of digital mug shots. Privacy International subsequently gave the 2001 Big Brother Award for "Worst Public Official" to the City of Tampa for spying on Super Bowl attendees. Tampa then installed cameras equipped with face recognition technology in their Ybor City nightlife district, where they have encountered opposition from people wearing masks and making obscene gestures at the cameras. In late August 2001, a member of the Jacksonville, Florida City Council proposed legislation to keep the technology out of Jacksonville.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services gave a $150,000 grant to the city of Virginia Beach in July 2001, to help the city obtain face recognition cameras to look for criminal suspects and missing children. Although officials had initially expressed mixed feelings about the technology, the city council voted on November 13 to install the software at the oceanfront. To fully fund the system, the city must pay an additional $50,000.
In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., privacy advocates, citizen groups, political leaders, and the manufacturers of the technology itself are debating whether these technologies should be more widely used, and if so, how they should be regulated to protect the privacy of the public. Some airports are considering installing face recognition cameras as a security measure. However, T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the first airports to consider it, decided in January 2002 that they would not install it after all, citing the possibility of false matches and other technological shortcomings of facial recognition systems. Read more here,
http://www.howstuffworks.com/facial-recognition.htm/printable
Privacy issues
---------------
Biometrics-based identification and verification systems must deal with a host of privacy issues if they are to gain widespread acceptance. For some, the prospect of submitting body parts for detailed examination is enough to make them break out in a sweat, while amputees or the blind may not find certain biometric systems to be particularly user-friendly. Meanwhile, some people worry that biometric data given for an innocent purpose, such as opening a bank account, will be used for other, more sinister purposes by governments or corporations. Another concern is the potential 'hijacking' of biometric data if transmitted over the internet, for example by criminals who would then use it to defraud individuals and institutions. Such arguments must be weighed against the fact that the aim of most biometric systems is to increase privacy by requiring a more rigorous proof of identity than has been necessary in the past. If the system is robust enough, criminals will find that beating it is a difficult task. Nevertheless, the technologies present civil libertarians with many issues that must eventually be addressed.
