Biometrics: Applications, challenges and the future

Abstract

Biometrics refers to the science of identifying or verifying individuals based on biological or behavioral characteristics. It is one of the fastest growing technology areas and has the potential to impact the way we live and do business, and to make the world safer and more convenient. However, the technology also raises technical and social issues that must be addressed, such as concerns about insufficient accuracy and privacy. In this chapter, we describe how different biometrics methods work and discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses. A major challenge facing biometrics systems today is the threat of circumvention by criminals. This chapter points out techniques being used to spoof biometrics systems and the countermeasures being taken to prevent them. As facial recognition is considered to be the most nonintrusive and promising biometrics method, this chapter uses it as a case study for a detailed discussion. Despite the difficulties and challenges today, we believe that biometrics technology will gain acceptance and be pervasive in applications in the near future. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.