Monday, April 30, 2012

Fingerprint Touch & Pay

Biometrics has somehow decreased its boom since the peak relevance gained on security issues; need less to say on terrorism.  We find all types of infringement when it comes to safety and security measures that there are always new introduction of technological developments to mitigate such high risk.   However, technology in this respect, instead of simplifying our lives, they become literally a burden to carry on us, whether it is the in the form of passwords in our memory, physically carrying more cards or articles in our pockets, or both.  The problem is that when it involves more articles, at the same time we find to have the need to safeguard them in another place, e.g. a safe box that will have again a password and/or a key.
Biometrics could gain again more importance to effectively solve this problem.  It has placed and showed its uses of authentication applicable to a commercially viable technology.  Perhaps not the best example for its closure, but Pay By Touch, a company founded in 2002 and liquidated in 2008, was one of the pioneers specialized in the use of biometrics to pay at a store.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060328_901806.htm
Regardless of its outcome, its assets were acquired by the name of AllTrust Networks www.alltrustnetworks.com, which has driven its business to the payment security sector as well.
They have so far developed a network using their systems for payment verification. 
http://www.alltrustnetworks.com/Portals/0/video/enhancingbusiness.wmv
The point in question now comes to why there are not more that many companies emerge towards this business opportunity?  It actually involves other industries including a powerful one (banks), which will be present in every transaction.  Is it perhaps that the problem relies in the adoption of us as customers knowing that our identities can be revealed furthermore?  Maybe it is a facet that we are not willing to give up, no matter how easier and “safer” it would make our world, knowing that I would not trust my biological traits to a third party for commercial uses.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Biometrics Rise


Hello,

Welcome to our BLOG!

Iam sure you already figured what the topic of our discussion will be in the forthcoming months. We are a bunch of MBA students studying at Instituto de Empresa in Madrid and frankly we are having the best time of our professional lives, so decided to share a piece of this experience with you. 

Who are we?  Emma, Paco, Sushant, Alex, Diego and myself Bernadett. 

What is our aim? To talk about Biometrics. Share knowledge, experience, ideas, be inspired and inspire. 


Lets kick off the discussion! I am sure you remember September 11, 2001?

In the history of Biometrics technology we see this date to be a major turning point. Please follow the link to access a video which is pretty self explanatory as to what we mean: http://www.biometrics.gov/default.aspx


Having watched the video, would you have thought, that Biometrics is not a 20th century phenomenon? Believe it or not its application goes way back to the caves. 
The oldest recording of the use of Biometrics was discovered in a cave located in France, the handprint is ought to be 32,000 years old.

 Chauvet Cave in France - 32,000 years old  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave


The types of Biometrics: 

1. Behavioral (speaker, keystroke, signature)
2. Physical (Bertillonage, Fingerprint, Facial Recognition, Hand geometry, Iris scan, Vascular patterns, DNA)  

Application of Biometrics systems: 

National Security 
Homeland security and Law Enforcement 
Enterprise and E-government Services
Personal Information and Business Transactions 
Health Industry 


The above notes only to begin the discussion with. Im closing today´s post with Viki from I- Robot. Security, Control, Uniqueness, Intelligence, Verification, Beauty... 





What comes into your mind? 








In the 14th century merchants in China used fingerprints to settle transactions and applied fingerprints and footprints recognition to distinguish between children. By the mid 1800s as a consequence of the industrial evolution the clear need to identify people arised. The basic concepts of justice was developed by courts and thinkers of this period; which created a need for a formal justice system. The first two methods were the 
Bertillon´s model, measuring various body parts; the other was using fingerprints by police stations. 

However modern Biometrics systems emerged in line with the dot com boom and from then on it became the part of everyday life. 

Viki

Sources: Wikipedia, Biometrics.gov

Thursday, April 12, 2012

What is Biometrics?


Biometric technology is about measuring and analyzing the genetic uniqueness of the human anatomical and/or behavioral characteristics for authentication purposes.