Are Biometrics Coming to a PC Near You?

Feds investigate adopting biometric 'passwords' to stop identity theft.

Adrienne Newell, Medill News Service

WASHINGTON-- Science fiction often depicts a future where retinal scans are common and fingerprint scans replace passwords and even door keys. It may be science fiction no longer: A government agency is examining the possibility of applying biometrics to curb identity theft.

A little-known provision of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 requires the Department of the Treasury to examine the use of biometric technology as a security tactic. The FACT Act's primary mandate is that customers be notified when banks send credit bureaus negative reports on them.

Identity theft is an increasing problem, especially with the advent of frequent computer use. Banks in particular are plagued, partly because information such as Social Security numbers, relatively inaccessible before, is now more easily available online.

Under Examination

Under the FACT Act, the Department of the Treasury is studying how biometric technology is now being used to help stop identity theft. The agency also is examining whether the private sector has enough incentive to adopt biometrics as a security measure, and what the rate of adoption is for biometric technology now.

The department will also consider the potential benefits and drawbacks--including privacy concerns--of biometric technologies for consumers.

"We're looking at the issue with a very broad lens," says Anne Womack, a department spokesperson. The 30-day period of public comment began March 2 and ends April 1. After gathering data and comments, the secretary of the Treasury must report to Congress by midsummer on the feasibility and possibilities of biometrics for security.

Identity Verification

Biometric identification works by taking a physical trait--your face, fingerprint, or iris, say--and converting it into a mathematical algorithm called a template, according to Trevor Proust, marketing director for the International Biometrics Group.

The technology is used for things such as allowing only authorized personnel access to a secure area. Verifying your identity means you claim an identity and then submit a biometric to verify that you are the person you claim to be, Proust says.

"When you then go to verify or be identified, you submit your biometric again, and it's converted into a template [so the two can be] compared," he says.

Though images of movies like Gattaca, Mission: Impossible, and even Charlie's Angels bring to mind retinal scans and voice recognition, the most common use of biometrics is finger scan technology, Proust says.

"Iris recognition has a lot of potential--it's arguably the most accurate--but it's not as widely deployed," he says.

Iris recognition may be the most accurate is because it incorporates many more data points than, say, fingerprint recognition.

"The iris theoretically has upwards of 250 unique data points, whereas with a single flat fingerprint you're only talking about 50 or so," Proust says.