44.493 Issues in Criminal Justice Technology & Security

home > unit 9: biometrics and identification

Lexis-Nexis identity theft much worse than thought

• Overview
• Uses
• History
• Technology and types of biometrics
• Problems

Biometrics
"..the science and technology of authentication (i.e. establishing the identity of an individual) by measuring the person's physiological or behavioral features."

Usually refers to technologies that measure and analyze physiological characteristics for authentication, including:

• fingerprints
• eyes (retinas and irises)
• voice patterns
• facial patterns
• hand measurements

Also measure behavioral chacteristics including recognition of:

• signature
• gait
• speaker
• typing pattern (rhythm) recognition.

What usually happens is:

• person registers with the system
• one or more of registrant's physiological characteristics are obtained
• a numerical algorithm processes them and enters them in a database.
• if it works correctly, whenever the registrant tries to enter the system, s/he is successful, and someone else pretending to be registrant can't.

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