EVOTING: BIOMETRIC METHODS

eVoting: Biometric Methods

eVoting: Biometric Methods

Introduction

Biometrics Background

Biometrics comes from the Latin words Bios - life and Metron - to measure; it is the oldest form of identification. Biometrics cannot be guessed or stolen because it is you! Your iris scan allows you to access your office. Your voice could unlock the door of your house. Are you the key? Is reality that simple?

We all have unique attributes for example DNA and fingerprints, we can also identify someone by their voice and signature therefore with the advances in information technology this form of identification and verification is being introduced more widely. For example schools, businesses, law enforcement and airport security.

History of Biometrics

Biometrics can be traced back to Egyptian times when it was used to identify workers. The pay the workers received normally consisted of wheat and barley and it was discovered that some workers tried to claim their allocated allowance more than once a month by maintaining another identity. This lead to extra details being taken about each individual worker for identification to verify whom they said they were. The details taken included features such as a straight nose, long face and scars, these details could be supplemented with measurements of their physical attribute.

Another known practice of biometrics was used in China during the fourteenth century, it was reported by Portuguese historian Joao de barros that Chinese merchants would stamp children's palm and footprints on paper with ink to distinguish them from each other.

Areas of Research

Biometrics is now becoming more popular with the introduction of information technology. This technology is used to verify and/or identity someone using his or her own unique physical patterns, for example fingerprints, facial recognition, iris scanning, retinal scan and hand geometry or behavioural patterns such as voice, keystroke dynamics and signatures (See Appendix 1). Until recently, biometrics was considered intrusive and too expensive for most companies, but now with the need for increased security, the dropping of prices and the improvement in technology more organisations are looking towards biometrics to replace current tasks for example swipe card and password confirmation. It can also be used to keep track of time and attendance within a company. Biometrics has also been introduced to some countries to ensure the integrity of their voting system.

Although biometrics is something that some may consider being something of the future and they may not come across it, this essay will show that it is already used within some aspects of work and various testing within other fields that are ongoing. Especially since the attack on the twin towers, information and identity are two fields in which the government feels should be protected to help in the fight against terrorism, "A computer based attack on the national infrastructure could cripple the nation more quickly than a military strike." (Robin Cook, March 2001).

All of these examples would in most cases provide a straightforward and robust way to identify individuals and protect against identity fraud and it is some methods that will be ...