I hope there will be a big, big banner at the venue, saying:
BIOMETRICS IS FOR THE USER NAME, NOT THE PASSWORD
But I doubt it.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 13:19 GMT Warm Braw
You and Yours, Radio 4, Today
Coincidentally, they broadcast a puff piece for FINGOPAY which uses the 3D pattern of veins in your fingers to authorise transactions. They imply this is a single factor - the user name and the password. I hope that isn't how it is in fact deployed.
A representative of the company gave a perfect illustration of the recurring problem with biometric solutions when he said "everyone has fingers". Clearly his imagination could not encompass the concept of the digitally-deficient.
The USP of this technology appears to be that it detects blood flow so that it can distinguish between a live finger and a severed one - or a rubber model, However, the company representative also failed to point out that even those of us who are blessed with a full complement of fingers have only a small finite number so that when someone is smart enough to come up with a rubber model that is also attached to a fluid pump we have very limited scope to choose an alternative uncompromised identity proxy. As we also do if in later life problems with peripheral bloodflow result in false negatives.
Kevin Mosley's report from London rather summed up the landscape of biometrics in its opening sentences:
It may be raining outside, but inside it's California. A flexible workspace where desks, offices and whole floors can be hired from an hour or forever. It's hard to work out in the cafe-cum-reception area, whose walls are plastered with positive statements, if the guy on the desk over there is waiting for a coffee or a brainwave.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 13:22 GMT Chris G
User name
Most of the people I talk to think the idea of an iris scan or whatever is the best replacement for all those nasty passwords,"It's great, my irises are unique".
My argument is how many body parts are you going to use for your security? If the digital signature generated by a scanned body part is hacked and all you ever use is one iris, then the hacker has access to everything you do digitally. Or do we go back to using the body parts as ID and still have passwords? Then the hack will assure the other end it is you but will not provide access without the missing password. Perhaps we could have two or three part authentification, an iris followed by a fingerprint or two.
The problem is all the sensible experts tell us to change our authentification regularly, what happens when we run out of fingerprints, irises, toeprints and palm prints? Does one insert their privete member into a 3D scanner in the hopes that no one else on the planet has an identical glans?
Most of my acquaintances don't get it.
Well time will tell.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 15:15 GMT VinceH
Re: User name
"Does one insert their privete member into a 3D scanner in the hopes that no one else on the planet has an identical glans?"
Well, if we adopt the policy of using different body parts for different log-ins (or types of log-in) then that would probably be ideal for some sites.
"Most of my acquaintances don't get it."
Been there, done that, etc.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 13:18 GMT just another employee
Here here
In fact - I am not even sure about using for ID either ....
Why? - you can't change it. Easy to cross link information about me if all my access is based on fixed Bio facts.
That said - it isn't as if there are big data breeches every day where someone could start to collect info on me....
Oh.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 15:57 GMT Robert D Bank
Squeak..
There's absolutely NO WAY I'd submit biometric data, except begrudingly for a passport as there's no option. Any institution I deal with that demands it will lose my business immediately. There are enough data sets out there being hawked by data whores that allow your whole life to be pieced together without providing them the final piece to close the circle (around your neck).
Biometrics can be all revealing and if it becomes 'normalised' they'll inevitably expand it further. With finger print recognition for example, whose to say they won't eventually include something to analyse the oils or sweat from your finger at the same time? This can provide enormous amounts of data about you that the likes of insurance companies etc would relish. Imagine it detecting presence of alcohol, cigarette smoke, illicit drugs, and various other health indicators. Meld that with data from the movement sensor, location etc and bang goes any illusion of privacy because as well we know, the data seems to always escape. It only has to happen once.
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Wednesday 14th September 2016 23:46 GMT MrTuK
BIOMETRICS hell !
It seems when it comes to security the UK population has gone to hell, look how many have a smart phone and/or Windows 10 !!
So I fully expect biometrics of every possible kind to be in full swing in the near future - especially the sphincter one !!
How anyone with an ounce of intelligence would allow their credit or bank card info anywhere near a smart phone is beyond belief and don't even go down that road concerning Win 10 !
Yes I use Firefox for browsing and internet purchasing on Ubuntu, I know its not perfect but its a damn sight better than using a Android or Apple or Microsoft based devices !
But back to the topic at hand or finger or iris, if the user does not feel the appendage is of irreplaceable value then cut it off or dig it out with a spoon for all to gaze upon and sell to the highest bidder - this will usually be China as they make great soup !
This topic is closed for new posts.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
