BIOMETRICS

I. INTRODUCTION

 Etymology of Biometrics - It is derived from the Greek words "bio" meaning life and
"metric" meaning to measure.
 Meaning of Biometrics - It means "life measurement" but the term is usually associated
with the use of unique physiological characteristics to identify an individual.
 Concept of Biometrics - The basic concept of biometrics authentication is that everyone
is unique and an individual can be identified by his or her intrinsic physical or
behavioural traits.
 History of Biometrics - The earliest form of Biometrics appeared on the scene back in
1800's, when Alphonse Bertillon, developed a method for identifying criminals that
became known as Bertillonage. It was a system by which measurements of the body are
taken for classification and comparison purposes. This was the primary system of
criminal identification used during 19th century.
 Meaning of Biometric authentication - It is any process that validates the identity of a
user who wishes to sign into a system by measuring some intrinsic attribute/characteristic
of that user. The sample include fingerprints, retinal scans, face recognition, voice
patterns etc.

II. BASIS AND METHODS OF BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION

 A Biometric system can be used either for :-

 An identification system (One to Many) - It can be used to determine a
person's identity. For example, scanning a crowd with a camera and using face
recognition technology.
 A verification (authentication) system (One to One) - It can be used to identify
a person's identity. For example, one can grant physical access to a secure area in
a building by using finger scans.
 Methods - A biometric system is preferred over traditional passwords as, firstly, the
person to be identified is required to be physically present at the time of identification
and, secondly, it obviates the need to remember a password or carry a token. By
biometrics a person can be recognized from :-
 Face recognition - The face recognition system works by systematically
analyzing specific features that are common to everyone's face - the distance b/w
the eyes, width of the nose, position of the jaw line, chin and so forth. It works
even when the subject is unaware of being scanned.
 Voice recognition - Voice biometrics provides a way to authenticate identity
without the subject's knowledge.
 Signature recognition - It is easy to gather and is not physically intrusive.
Digitalized signatures are sometimes used, but usually have insufficient resolution
to ensure authentication.
 Retinal scanning - There is no way to replicate a retina. The pattern of the blood
vessels at the back of the eye is unique and stays the same for the lifetime. But it
requires about 15 seconds to take a good scan.
 Iris recognition - Just like a retina scan, an iris scan is very difficult to duplicate
and remains the same for a lifetime. It is an automated method
of biometric identification that uses mathematical pattern-recognition techniques
on video images of one or both of the irises of an individual's eyes, whose
complex patterns are unique, stable, and can be seen from some distance.

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  Fingerprint - It remains constant throughout life. No two fingerprints are alike.
Fingerprint identification involves comparing the pattern of ridges and furrows on
the fingertips, as well as the minutiae points of a specimen with a database of
prints on file.
 Hand Geometry - It is a biometric that identifies users by the shape of their
hands. Hand geometry readers measure a user's hand along many dimensions and
compare those measurements to measurements stored in a file.
 DNA - DNA is an increasingly useful biometric, and is encountered most often in
forensics and healthcare. It is the only biometric that provides the possibility of
linking relatives to an unknown person. Common applications of DNA as a
biometric modality:
 Law enforcement
 Immigration and counter-human trafficking
 Defence and counter-terrorism
 Disaster victim identification
 Ear-Ear - The shape of your ear is just as distinguishing as your fingerprints no
two ears, even on the same person are alike.

Other areas that are being explored in the quest to improve biometric authentication includes :-

 Password method - It is the cheapest and simplest technology, because only

requires elementary software resources.
 Smart Cards - They are useful since they can be easily combined with other
authentication systems, serving as storage system.
 Digital Signature - It is very difficult to falsify as it is encrypted by complicated
signatures.

III. CHARATERISTICS OF BIOMETRICS

 Universal - Every person must possess that attribute.

 Invariance of properties - The attribute must be constant over time.
 Measurability - The properties should be suitable for capture without waiting time and
must be easy to gather the attribute data passively.
 Singularity - The attribute to be captured should have sufficient unique properties to
distinguish one person from any other.
 Acceptance - The data should be capable of being captured in a way which is acceptable
to many.
 Reducibility - The captured data should be capable of being reduced to a file which is
easy to handle.
 Reliability and tamper resistance - It should be impractical to manipulate the attribute.
 Privacy - It should not violate the privacy of a person.
 Comparable - It should be digitally comparable to others.
 Inimitable - It must be irreproducible by other means.

IV. BIOMETRIC FUNCTIONALITY

 Ration Card - It is mainly used for purchasing subsidized food and fuel. It serves as a
proof of identity and a connection with govt. databases.
 Permanent Account Number - It is a code that acts as identification of Indians,
especially those who pay income tax and it is issued by Income Tax Dept. to all judicial
entities identifiable under Income Tax Act, 1961.
 Social Security Number - In America, It is issued to individual, primarily, to track
individuals for social security purposes. Today, it has become a de facto national
identification number for taxation and other purposes.
 AADHAAR - The UIDAI's objective is to collect the biometric and demographic data of
residents, store them in a centralised database, and issue a 12-digit unique identity

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 number called Aadhaar to each resident. It is considered as the world's largest national
identification number project. Aadhaar project has been linked to some public subsidy
and unemployment benefit schemes like domestic LPG scheme and MGNREGS.

V. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BIOMETRICS

 The information is unique for each individual;

 The biometric technology is less time consuming, reliable, easy-to-use, difficult to forge
and minimal training is required;
 It is a rapidly evolving technology that is widely used in forensics, such as criminal
identification and prison security.
 Use of biometrics in solving crimes :-
 Accurate fingerprinting makes a big difference at crime scene investigations.
 Palm capture gives investigators an additional investigative tool.
 Facial recognition is providing investigative leads.
 DNA can identify the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

Biometric Advantages Disadvantages

Facial recognition Non-intrusive 2D recognition is affected by
Cheap technology. changes in lighting.
DNA Very high accuracy Extremely intrusive
It is standardized. Very expensive.
Voice recognition Non-intrusive, high social Low accuracy.
acceptability.
Retinal scanning Very high accuracy Highly Intrusive and very
expensive.

VI. CONCLUSION

 Thought the use of biometrics raises several privacy questions, but today also, we are
approximately recorded 60 times a day by various surveillance cameras.
 Therefore, in spite of all this it is certain that biometric based recognition will have a
great impact on the way we conduct our daily business in near future.