Biometric identification uses a person’s physical or behavioral traits to identify them. Physiological biometrics include fingerprints, retinal scans, and iris scans, while behavioral biometrics include signature verification and speech recognition. Biometric identification is more secure as the characteristic is unique to the person. However, behavioral characteristics can change throughout the day, resulting in potential access issues.
Biometric identification is the process by which a person can be identified by their characteristics. To do this, data about the distinguishing feature, such as where the ridges of a fingerprint split or end, is usually recorded and stored in a database. Then, when the person wants to be identified, the characteristic is scanned so that the computer can compare it with data already stored in the database. Using biometric identification is a more secure method of identifying a person because the characteristic in question is a part of that person. This means that it cannot be easily shared, traded or stolen by another.
There are mainly two categories of biometric identification: physiological characteristics and behavioral characteristics. Physiological biometrics has to do with the physical traits of a person and behavioral biometrics has to do with things that can change with the environment. For example, a fingerprint, a physiological trait, usually doesn’t change except through accident or illness, but a signature, a behavioral trait, can change with age. Examples of physiological biometrics include fingerprints, retinal scans, and fingerprint scans. Behavioral biometrics includes signature verification and speech recognition.
Fingerprinting is perhaps the best-known form of biometric identification. It is used in the police department to identify suspects, as well as being used as login information on computers. To use fingerprints to identify a person, the person’s fingerprint must first be in the database. Otherwise, a match cannot be returned. A commonly used method in fingerprint biometrics is to match a person’s hair dots, the parts of a fingerprint where the ridges end or divide.
A device can also use a person’s eyes for biometric identification. This is called a retinal scan. A scan of the retina uses the unique patterns caused by blood vessels in the eye to make a match. Another method that uses the eye for a biometric match is iris scanning. In the iris scan, an image of the eye is taken, which can be quickly compared to a previous image taken and stored in the database.
In addition to physiological data, biometric identification can also be done through behavioral methods. Once recorded, a behavioral characteristic, such as a voice, is captured and stored in the device. The voice can then be matched when the person speaks back into the device. Some children’s toys, such as girls’ diaries, use this technology. The downside to this type of identification is that behavioral characteristics can change throughout the day and can result in a person with a cold being locked out of their security devices if they use speech recognition technology.
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