There is a 19-page supplement inside today’s ‘Times’ newspaper called ‘Biometrics, the definitive guide to Biometric Technology.’ It has
chilled me to the core.
Here’s a page-by-page guide as to what it includes. I must point out that every single article included in this supplement is surrounded by adverts
for various biometric companies, peddling their wares.
Page 2, ‘Biometrics: technology for the new world’ (Order)
A foreword from Max Snijder, CEO of the European Biometrics Forum, and Tovah LaDier, Managing Director of the International Biometric Industry
Association. Obviously they are both extolling the virtues of Biometrics in our day-to-day lives.
During the next 10 years we will watch many different biometric applications evolve, as biometrics have the unique ability to improve
convenience, efficiency and security, as long as they are used in the proper way.
Page 3, ‘Multi-Modal Fusion HOW?
A full-page advertising ‘Multi-Modal Fusion. There is a picture of a smiling woman, with images of her hair, eye, ear and fingerprint next to it.
The advert proclaims ‘Demands for security are staggering.’ and ‘the use of a single Biometric isn’t good enough.’ Apparently, combining
multiple Biometrics in a single search is needed to reduce ‘security anxiety.
www.multimodalfusion.com...
Page 4, ‘Measuring up Man.’
There are many Biometrics in use today. The entire list is too long to reel off completely and would enter the realms of the bizarre – human
smell being one of the stranger concepts to have been considered. But for starters, there is fingerprint, face (two- dimensional and
three-dimensional), iris, voice, hand and finger geometry, vein, retina and signature. These are all being used today to verify or discover identity
in applications around the globe.
According to new research by LogicaCMG, 84 percent of people in Europe would be happy to use their fingerprint or iris scan to prove who they
were when travelling abroad.
Page 5 – ‘Voice Biometrics find their calling?’
Organisations increasingly understand that voice biometrics could not only save them money, but also provide added benefits to customers and
staff.
Also on this page there is an ad for the ‘Biometrics Exhibition and Conference 2006’ with speakers Joan Ryan MP and Jerry Fishenden from
Microsoft.
www.biometrics2006.com...
Page 6 – ‘Back to the Beginning.’ A spurious article with a picture of the pyramids in Egypt, claiming that biometrics has been used since
Ancient times.
Biometrics go back a lot further than you think –perhaps even to Egyptian times. It is believed that workers of the day were sometimes
identified from easy to measure bodily characteristics such as eye colour, height or scars. This was to ensure workers did not claim more provisions
than they were entitled to- much in the same way as today’s Governments are looking at biometrics as an answer to lessen benefit fraud.
Page 7 – ‘Standards development far from standard.’
In December 2002, ISO (The International Standards Organisation) set up a group called SC37, which has responded rapidly to demands from industry
to deliver biometric standards that support the mass adoption of biometric technologies. This includes the use of face data interchange formats within
the first generation biometric passport now being issued by the UK’s Identity and Passport Service.
An automated border processing system –called Smart Gate Series 1 –is to begin operating in Australia from February next year. The system is
designed to match a live facial image of a traveller against the digitised photo stored on the chip embedded within their ePassport.
Page 8 – ‘Biometrics to fly in Airports?’
Its ultimate aim is to have passengers check in before getting to the airport via the Internet or at self-service kiosks in train stations or
large companies. They would then arrive at the airport and check in their baggage automatically using the biometric system to create the important
luggage –passenger link.
Page 9 – ‘Corporate profile: IBM.’
As a technology provider, IBM’s processors are used by most of the leading biometric vendors to power their software. With today’s security
challenges, it is results that count. IBM not only has extensive knowledge biometric based systems, but also has a framework for implementing cutting
– edge technologies designed to enhance them. What is more, IBM can leverage its worldwide network of strategic collaborative relationships to match
up each strategic objective with the most appropriate world-class technology.
Page 10 – ‘Password Overload?’
The number of passwords the average person has to remember is spiralling out of control. For those people seeking an answer to password overload
there are options out there, and biometrics are increasingly being considered as cost effective. Configurations range from securing a single PC using
a mouse with embedded fingerprint sensor to network based logon solutions.
Page 11 – ‘Plotting a course towards a biometric future,’
Dr KH Shum, RCG’s chief technology Officer, whose R&D team has perfected the combined RFID/biometric concept says, ‘RFID is an emerging
technology for ‘tagging’ human beings. It has many benefits and could appear in the form of a staff card, an RFID wristband for patients or
newborn babies in health care industry, among many other applications.
Page 12 ‘A secure Homeland.’ The inevitable use of 9/11 to further the biometric agenda.
The sickening terrorist events of September 11th 2001 changed the world forever. In the USA, alongside its grief, an almost immediate reaction
was for all levels of government to cooperate like never before to strengthen aviation and border security.
Page 13 ‘Biometric makeovers for passports.’
The rectangular golden symbol at the bottom of the page of your passport means that you are now officially part of an expanding international
movement which is seeing millions of citizens worldwide being given passports containing embedded contactless microchips.
Page 14 ‘Do biometrics cut the mustard?’
Hollywood and the United Arab Emirates share something in common. Fascinated with biometrics, both entities love to depict their biometric
systems as rapidly functioning, virtually infallible high technology whose only means of defeat lie in elaborate spoofing or hacking schemes. Several
biometric vendors support this notion, claiming their products can work in a matter of milliseconds and with absoule precision of identification.
Page 15 ‘Dispelling biometric myths.’
A common myth is that you could bypass a biometric system using stolen body parts. With most biometric devices it is possible to include
‘liveness detection’ which works by measuring a variety of variables, from a finger pulse to an eye pupil’s response. Other things to bear in
mind when talking about stolen body parts is that an extracted eyeball quickly decomposes, and a severed finger also dies rapidly – typically
becoming useless after about 10 minutes.
Page 16 ‘A match made in heaven?’
Mathematically speaking, a better way is to store all information-biographic and biometric –about each individual in one single database in
order to create profiles of each person.
Page 17 ‘Biometrics and privacy: a sacrifice worth making?’ This is in extremely odd article in the context of this supplement, addressing the
issues regarding civil liberties and privacy. If it an attempt to show both sides of the coin, it is a very poor one. The article is short,
uninformative and non- persuasive. The article includes a photograph of the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
To the uninformed, this may sound like a Big Brother science fiction nightmare. However, I am sorry to say, it seems to be happening right here
in the UK, with innocent individuals being assigned criminal records incorrectly and without their knowledge. We are in reality creating a virtual
police state in this land of ours, once noted for its fair play and democratic ideals.
Page 18 ‘News in brief.
BMS Biometrics has just released the next version of its Secure Network Fingerprint Logon Solution.
Biometric hand geometry readers have been installed at the Port of Felixstowe, which requires all truck drivers to biometrically identify
themselves.
Aware has announced a suite of biometrics software tools designed for use by integrators to help develop enrolment, card personalization and card
reader systems for applications such as fingerprint, background checks, border management, ePassports and smart card ID’s.
Page 19 ‘Will biometrics boom?’
since 2001, dramatic changes have occurred in the political, social and economic landscape. From these stem three things suggesting biometrics is
on the verge of a boom. Biometrics will afford opportunities to rethink marketing targeting and messaging in the real, virtual and wireless- delivered
retail environments, and good customers and forward thinking companies should both benefit from this.
We end on the back page – a full colour, full-page ad brought to you by IBM.
What makes you different from everyone else? What makes your customers stick with you? As globalisation continues to blur the line between one
business and the next, companies have reacted by cutting costs. But now the pressure is on top-line growth. Creating new, clearly differentiated
value, and defending it. In a word, innovation. Innovation is critical to every objective in your business: growth, margins and customer loyalty. It
will not only make you special, it will keep you special. It can start with just a small change in your company. A single process. Or a question. You
can even ask IBM where to start. Because we have been working with thousands of companies in virtually every industry to help them become special. So,
if you want to learn more about them, or how IBM can help you, start here.
So there you have it. Full on, in your face. You can read the full supplement in today’s Times newspaper.
Here it is, this is our future, our children’s futures.
We can do nothing but helplessly watch as our freedoms are trampled on. We exist as statistics, data on a computer screen, walking body parts.
What have we to look forward to? A complete lack of privacy. A complete lack of rights as human beings, born onto planet Earth. Manipulation,
discrimination, examination. Every aspect of our lives under scrutiny.
This is not speculative conspiracy theory. This is absolute fact. What can we do to stop this? Nothing.
Welcome to hell, Ladies and Gentlemen
mod edit to use external quote code, please review this link
[edit on 31-7-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]
