11 October, 2010
category: Biometrics
The International Biometric and Identification Association (IBIA) has responded to the National Research Council (NRC) report, “Biometric Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities.” where the NRC details biometric technologies as being inherently fallible and that society is not yet ready for the technology.
Among the chief concerns the IBIA has with the report is that it views biometric technologies as having an inherent weakness by being based on probabilistic results, however, the IBIA maintains that all identity systems are to some degree based off probabilistic results.
Beyond simply disagreeing with the results, the IBIA also provides specific examples that refute some of the NRC’s findings. Among the examples, the IBIA points to the abundance of embedded biometric sensors being found on laptops and increasing number of mobile devices proving that widespread acceptance is very possible.
Additionally, they cite the success of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities program, a program that depends on biometrics to weed out and deport illegal aliens with criminal histories, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s directive 8521.01E, which states that biometrics are a necessary tool that should be integrated across military operations, as further evidence of the positive results of incorporating biometric technologies.