By Gabriel Perna: Subscribe to Gabriel's RSS feed
September 24, 2010 8:20 PM EDT
According to a recent report, those futuristic settings where people are identified by thumb prints and eye scans won't create a secure environment until present systems are perfected.
The National Research Council (NRC), a Washington based nonprofit that provides science, technology and health policy advice, has concluded through an extensive report that biometric systems are fallible. Biometric systems are technologies created to recognize individuals based on biological and behavioral traits. This can include fingerprints, palm prints, or voice or face recognition
"For nearly 50 years, the promise of biometrics has outpaced the application of the technology. While some biometric systems can be effective for specific tasks, they are not nearly as infallible as their depiction in popular culture might suggest. Bolstering the science is essential to gain a complete understanding of the strengths and limitations of these systems," Joseph N. Pato, chair of the committee that wrote the report and distinguished technologist at Hewlett-Packard's HP Laboratories, said in a statement.
While such systems have historically only been seen in popular culture, they have recently showed up in real life settings. The increased use of these systems to create an authorized access point has led many to question their effectiveness.
In the report, the NRC found the systems provide "probabilistic results." This means confidence in the results has to be tempered because of the inherent uncertainty in any given system. As they are now, the systems produce a high number of false alarms. These false alarms could lead security operators to keep their guard down the report said. Those who administer the systems are just as important as the technology.
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The report also says current systems do not take into consideration the varying degree of a person's characteristics which can change over the years. In addition, it says uncertainty in these systems comes from inaccurate sensors, data degradation and external security breaches.
As far as what needs to be done, the NRC says a back up security screening method needs to be in place in case of system failure. Furthermore, the systems should plan for errors. It also says additional research is needed to study the distribution of biometric traits in given populations. This information would clarify how certain people interact with the technologies.
Primary funding for the report came from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The study was created over a five year process by the Whither Biometrics Committee, which included privacy and security experts from a variety of fields.
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