In this edition we discuss
the last two pillars of biometrics: permanence and acceptability.
6: Permanence
It is
common to experience that some biometric features naturally undergo more changes
than others, thereby resulting in a gradual reduction in their performance as
time passes. Example, human voice is said to be affected by age, weather, and medical
conditions. Fingerprints also get affected by injury, weather, cosmetics and corrosive
creams. On the other hand, retina patterns remain
significantly stable throughout an individual’s lifetime irrespective of eye
defects. Retina is the reddish layer at the back of the eyeball which carries light impulses to
the brain.
Permanence is the extent to which the trait resists the
effects of aging and environmental conditions, and is able to withstand changes
over a period of time. In making a choice of biometric for adoption, it is
expected that the trait quality should remain minimally unchanged throughout
the individual’s life, and that the modality should remain considerably stable
over time.
7: Acceptability
Biometric acceptability is how readily users
are able to accept to use it. The willingness to accept a biometric trait or to
comply with its processes define the level of users’ approval and
acceptability. There are a lot of reasons why people may choose a particular
biometric in place of another, a few of them are listed below:
(i)
Intrusiveness: If it is difficult to use or if it requires
special postures and repeated gestures, users will avoid it. Example, some
facial recognition systems require the user’s face to be well illuminated, be
tilted at an angle, maintain a certain distance from the camera, or put up a
smiley face. Such requirements are regarded by some users as inconveniencing,
compelling and therefore too intrusive.
(ii)
Hygiene: If the biometric system causes real or potential harm,
users will be discouraged to use it. Example, during the ebola outbreak in some
parts of Africa in 2014, fingerprint scanners were avoided due to hygiene
concerns, leading to the adoption of facial recognition and other forms of
contactless biometric systems as ready alternatives.
(iii)
Religious and cultural beliefs: Some cultural beliefs and religious
doctrines forbid people from sharing public facilities such as biometric centres
with the opposite gender other than their spouses. In such areas, biometric enrolment
suffers great apathy.
(iv)
Data privacy: Biometric data is usually classified as
private, therefore some users especially bank customers shy away from supplying
biometric samples, especially where they suspect that adequate security provisions
have not been made to protect their biometric information.
(v)
Limited versatility: A biometric trait or system is said to be
versatile if it can be used successfully in a wide range of commercial and
industrial applications without performance problems. The more versatile a biometric
system is, the more it becomes generally accepted. Versatile biometrics are
mostly used in voice, finger and eye-based recognition systems.
…to be continued.
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About The Columnist
Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com
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