Biometrics: Perfecting Identification Tools
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November 29, 2001
Society has come a long way since those uncomplicated early days when persons within a small community knew each other so well that hardly anyone felt the need for alternate means of identification.
Today, with globalization and the resultant rampant cases of identity fraud and other related issues, the demand for cost-effective methods for automatic personal identification is increasing at a steady pace.
Biometrics refers to the complex and diverse means adopted for the automatic identification of a person. By definition, it is the combination of hardware, software and other procedures that allow a person to be identified through the use of one or more characteristics. Traits such as fingerprints, speech, iris and face are unique to each individual, and not easily changed or forged.
Consequently, once a fictitious technology found only in stories of intrigue and science fiction, biometrics is rapidly gaining recognition in real life as recent advances have made it more accurate and reliable. In the past few years, it has been adopted by businesses ranging from major banks to fashion designers.
Good Signs of Growth
Although, only 6% of U.S. corporations are currently using some form of biometric identification, the growth potential for this market seems to be tremendous.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) states that in year 2000, enterprises spent $196 million on biometrics-based security - more than double that in the previous year. And, by the end of 2001, this expenditure may exceed $350 million.
According to the research firm, the security and personal identification market will grow at a compound annual rate of 60% to hit $1.8 billion by 2004. Of that number, IDC expects fingerprint-related biometrics to account for 55%, or $1 billion. Purchase of voice authentication equipment would amount to $270 million, or 15%, while systems enabling facial recognition, hand geometry check-up, and eye scanning, are each expected to capture 10% of the market, or $180 million.
With advances in technology, the average unit cost for biometric devices has dropped from $5,000 a couple of years ago to anywhere between $150 and $700. The cheapest biometric gadgets today are fingerprint readers, with price tags in the range of $100 to $300. The next category comprises iris scanners that are priced between $150 and $400, while face recognition equipment sells for about $750 and more.
Analysts observe that for the technology to become pervasive, prices should come down to below $30. Other prohibitive factors include the installation and integration of the hardware into enterprise systems and training end-users to operate it. Such inconveniences often tip the scales against benefits such as increased security levels that biometric systems provide.
Fingerprints - Nothing of the Ink Kind
Being the least expensive and also the easiest to deploy, fingerprint readers are currently the most commonly used form of biometrics. Another advantage of the technology - of particular importance to biometric systems - is that users are more comfortable with electronic identification of their fingertips than more intrusive techniques such as, retina scanning.
Many methods have been adopted for fingerprint identification. Some match the ridges in a thumbprint, others are straight pattern-matching devices, and still others are a bit more unique, employing ultrasonics. Some approaches can detect when a live finger is present and some cannot.
Reading a fingerprint requires a peripheral for a desktop computer or a device the size of a credit card that slides into an expansion slot of a laptop. Most readers need to be replaced every few years as they wear out.
Hot Offerings
Looking at the current hot offerings on the market, Key Tronic Corp.'s [KTCC] Secure Scanner Keyboard rates first mention. It is a standard 104-key keyboard plus an integrated finger scanner. Instead of typing in a password for access to a network or a separate workstation, users can just scan their fingerprints right on the keyboard. This tool sells for $150 and more.
Another option in the biometrics arena is a simple fingerprint reader that can be quickly installed on any PC running Microsoft [MSFT] Windows software. The SecureTouch 2000 USB is a mouse-shaped device that a user holds while placing a finger on the scanning module to allow access. It is manufactured by Biometric Access Corp. and sold for $200.
Siemens's [SI] ID Mouse is a full-scale PC mouse, but besides pointing and clicking, it also scans one or more of the user's fingers into the computer and uses the digital images created to block out other users. Fingerprint characteristics are established through special algorithms and securely saved on the hard drive. The ID Mouse is available for $115.
Identix Inc. [IDNX] provides extra security to laptop users by offering its Type II PC card called BioTouch Fingerprint Reader. It also allows users to log on just with the touch of a finger. By pressing the side of the card, the user prompts a fingerprint reader to slide out. Having touched it, and respectively authenticated, the user slides it back in. The card is available for $180.
Acer Inc. [ACEHF] has addressed the issue of laptop security with its TravelMate 739TLV. The 850 MHz Intel [INTC] Mobile Pentium III processor notebook utilizes a technology that makes a map of a user's fingerprint and prompts for it when the machine is being booted. If the correct fingerprint is not given, the system refuses to start. The TravelMate sells for $3500.
Although fingerprint scanning is generally accurate, it is not as reliable as some other biometric technologies. According to Gartner Dataquest, various types of fingerprint reproductions, such as latex molding, have cheated readers in the past. Another problem is found in performance. When connected to a massive database, which is likely to happen in most corporate environments, fingerprint recognition can be significantly slowed down.
The Least Intrusive of All Eye-related Techniques
But under similar conditions, other technologies are much more efficient. An iris recognition system, for example, can sort through 100,000 records in two or three seconds. The same task would take at least 15 minutes for a fingerprint system to perform, claims Iridian Technologies, a biometrics vendor that specializes in iris recognition technology.
Iris-based biometrics involves analyzing features found in the colored ring of tissue that surrounds the pupil. Touted as the least intrusive of all eye-related biometrics, iris scanning uses a conventional camera element and requires no close contact between the user and the reader, as in the case of retina scanning. In addition, the technology is extremely precise - in the entire human population, no two irises are alike, even between identical twins.
These advantages make some bankers believe that once biometrics gets in place, they can do away with personal identification numbers (PIN) and automatic teller machine (ATM) cards. Before it was acquired by Washington Mutual, Bank United of Texas used iris recognition technology in its next-generation ATMs in Dallas, Houston and Forth Worth - its three major markets.
Iris recognition's biggest drawback is its high cost. However, this too is changing. Matsushita [MC] has recently introduced, under its Panasonic brand, a low-end iris recognition camera system called Authenticam. Bundled with software by Iridian, Authenticam is likely to be available for $239.
Facial Recognition Brings up Privacy Issues
Another biometrics technology that is considered non-intrusive is facial recognition. It works by isolating human faces in still pictures and analyzing their characteristics, such as location and shape of eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, etc., and their spatial relationships. Some systems claim to be able to unobtrusively detect the identity of an individual within a group.
Although offering the ultimate security, facial recognition has had only very limited success in enterprise applications - such as access to nuclear facilities - because of its high cost and complexity. Another prohibitive issue is consumer acceptance. Some users are suspicious about covertly scanning people's faces and saving the pictures in a database, calling it an invasion of privacy.
The dominant facial recognition software company is Visionics [VSNX] that develops and markets pattern-distinctive software called FaceIt. It verifies a person's identity according to the peaks and valleys of the face, known as nodal points. These are said to be unique to the individual and unaffected by the presence of facial hair or changes in expression.
In the past few years, the system has found success in enabling to fight crime in England and election fraud in Mexico. The casino industry has also capitalized on the technology to create a database of dishonest players for quick detection by security personnel. San Francisco-based InnoVentry uses FaceIt in its cash management machines that are deployed in supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail outlets in 20 states.
Visionics' main competitor is Viisage Technology [VISG] whose proprietary software is modeled differently from that of FaceIt. It has 13 states in its customer list, including Connecticut and Illinois, that use Viisage products to help reduce fraud. Similar applications of the technology are found in motor vehicle departments and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Voice Verification Held Back Indoors
Finally, voice verification technology is also among today's most prevalent biometrics.
Voice verification could be either text-dependent where the identity of an individual gets validated on the basis of utterance of a fixed, predetermined phrase, or text-independent where no such phrase is used. The latter approach is more difficult than the text-dependent version but at the same time accords more protection against fraud.
Voice biometrics seemingly has the most potential for growth because it requires no new hardware as most PCs are already fitted with a microphone. But despite their promise to facilitate the verification process, speech-based techniques are largely limited to use on internal networks. Poor sound quality and ambient noise can affect verification if the technology is deployed outdoors. In addition, voice verification is perceived as not user-friendly due to the complexity of the procedure being used.
The two largest companies in the voice arena are Nuance Communications [NUAN] and SpeechWorks International [SPWX]. Customers such as American Airlines [AMR], British Airways [BAB] and Charles Schwab [SCH] have brought $52 million in revenue for Nuance last year. SpeechWorks posted $30 million in revenue in 2000, serving United Airlines [UAL], Continental Airlines [CAL] and AOL Time Warner [AOL] among others.
Standardization
Companies may be using biometrics in a variety of situations, but as an industry, it is still evolving. Over 150 separate hardware and software vendors are marketing their own proprietary interfaces, algorithms and data structures.
The Biometric Consortium - which was formed in 1995 to guide and support the growth of biometrics - promotes industry standards for a common software interface that will enable sharing of content stored in separate databases.
Another industry body - the BioAPI Consortium - developed and released the BioAPI standard, in May 2000.It is an open-system model and defines a common method for interacting with a given application. Microsoft was one of the founders of this consortium.
However, Microsoft has dropped out of this body and developed its own royalty-free specification called Biometric Application Programming Interface (BAPI). The company says it will integrate BAPI into upcoming versions of its Windows operating system.
Another standard, still at the draft stage, is the Common Biometric Exchange File Format, which provides the ground for storing and exchanging data collected from different devices. The Biometric Consortium has also proposed the "Common Fingerprint Minutia Exchange" format, expected to provide some form of interoperability for fingerprint technology vendors.
Who Needs Biometrics Anyway?
While many industry observers believe that people will gladly swap their passwords and PINs for biometric access, how much of a need do consumers really have?
A recent CEA Research study shows that nearly 75% of adults never or almost never, forget a password. But, one in four adults does have trouble recalling access passwords, at least some of the time. The number rises to 33% for consumers over the age of 50.
Biometrics is still in the early-adopter stage, but significant technological advances are making it a viable solution in particular areas of the enterprise. Also, the emergence of the wireless Web and the subsequent increase in the use of mobile devices for commercial operations, could further spur the need for biometrics. Furthermore, with millions of dollars being lost or stolen as a result of credit card fraud and identity thefts, consumers and corporations are both eager to accurately authenticate individuals. People may be wary of intrusive procedures and privacy issues, but with advancing technologies and better information, they may very well accept biometrics as a practical alternative, sooner or later.
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