Biometrics Case
Essay by Ghamham • November 12, 2012 • Essay • 494 Words (2 Pages) • 1,443 Views
Biometrics is the technology of authenticating a person's identity by verifying a personal characteristic. Biometrics such as finger scans and eye scans are mostly used for security reasons. It helps prevent identity theft, which is becoming increasingly common. Biometrics is a way of identifying who someone is. Everyone has unique features such as fingerprints, faces, eyes, teeth, etc. Scientists have dated the use of biometrics all the way back to pre-historical times; some cave walls covered with drawings from cave men are signed with handprints- something that identifies the person who created the art.
Biometrics has both advantages and disadvantages. Police officers would first use biometrics as a way of identifying criminals. Although it was a handy, advanced way that was very helpful, it had its faults. The officers themselves had to record the criminal's unique attributes, and a problem they kept running into was that one officer would record some characteristics, and another officer would record different characteristics, and the records sometimes didn't match. They didn't have the technology to make things precise as we do now.
However, we now have the technology to find the most precise characteristics in different people now, and it's getting harder and harder to fake identity and or mix people up with biometrical security. Using biometrics for security now helps prevent a lot of criminal work too, because now we can identify people very easily. It also helps with even identifying deceased people in situations such as murders. A body that has been decaying for months, with tests, can now be identified using biometrics.
In my opinion, I think biometrics shouldn't be a primary source of identification. Although it is the best we have for now, I think it's very faulty. Nowadays, people can make easy fake things to get past biometric securities. For example, for criminals who would really do anything to get past a security check, I think all they have to do is somehow get a hold of someone's bio records, and with today's technology, mold themselves fake attributes! Eye scans- they would just need some kind of specially made contact. Hand prints- if they could get a hold of the subject's hand print, they just have to mold an exact replica that fits on like maybe a glove. Dental identification- dentures. There's so many ways someone could trick that out, only though if they somehow can get a hold on someone's bio records. At the same time however, I'm sure records would be hard to exactly clone.
So considering each side of biometrics, the pros and cons, in conclusion I'd have to say that biometrics is an ideal way of security and preventing identity theft, but there should always be an alternative way in case the biometric scans fail. Identity theft is a very dangerous crime, and we need all the security we can to help prevent it. Biometrics
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