Four things you may not know about biometry

Four things you may not know about biometry

There are a number of things you might have not known about biometry, but it is good to know, especially nowadays, that biometry is expanding more than ever, and also, misconceptions run rampant in the media. Our blog attempts to shed light on the true facts about biometry, and in this effort, we have collected a number of small facts that you may have not known about the topic

1. Biometrics do not last forever

It is a common misconception that every biometric feature stay the same indefinitely (although, by definition, these features stay the same over a long period of time if left alone), and if stolen, there is nothing to do about it. There are a number of them that are good exceptions from this rule. Fingerprints can be injured and then, if healed with a scar, the print will differ. Also, if someone snaps a photograph about us, a simple haircut or shaving the beard (if applicable) may do the trick, as the truth is, that many face recognition devices can't handle hairstyle changes or glasses very well. Also, a stolen biometric feature alone is only good for 1:N systems.

2. Biometrics make T&A and access control cheaper over time

Biometric solutions might be steep in price when it's time to invest into a new security or time and attendance system. If, however, it is implemented properly, it is well worth the price. For the average company, this will put an end to buddy punching and unauthorised accessing. Also, if anything bad happens, using the logs, events can be directly tied to people who were there at the time, with much larger confidency, that with conventional, non-biometric methods. This is good for both HR and the employees, as problematic situations can be promptly resolved, neither party can trick the other one.

3. Biometry is not always about granting access

Biometric solutions can be used to keep people out as well. This is most useful at, for example, stadiums, where you might want to keep unwanted people out, who tend to constantly break the law. Border controls are another good example for using biometry to confirm identity. There are pilot projects that aim to supplement border control personnel in order to improve impostor screening performance and keep the bad guys out.

4. You can improve your privacy using biometry

Biometric solutions WILL improve privacy. Currently, no biometric identification system actually stores an image of the actual feature, but only a code that is made from the sample, and it is non-reversible to the original. This means, that hackers can't steal your biometric data through a backdoor, and prevents unauthorised users from accessing your data, your money, or whatever you have protected with a secure biometric solution. And there are a lot of solutions, that use hard-to-steal features (like combined finger vein and fingerprint scanners), that are attachable to a PC, and they are getting ever cheaper, affordable for the average user as well as for companies.