Security Watch

Biometric Technology: Security Safeguard or Invasion of Privacy?  

January 15, 2001  

Raj Nanavati, Partner of International Biometric Group, was quoted in this article from January 15, 2001 issue. Included in this article are Raj Nanavati's views on the current state of biometrics industry, privacy issues surrounding use of biometrics, and legal ramifications of biometrics usage in the workplace. Here are the excerpts from the article:  According to the International Biometric Group LLC (IBG), a New York-based biometrics consulting firm, the use of biometric technology for security purposes is expanding rapidly to an increasing number of physical security (doors, buildings) and logical security (PCs, networks) applications.  

"Security guards using ordinary means such as identity badges to identify individuals are limited as to what they are seeing," says Louis Chiera, Director of Olympic Marketing at Sensormatic Electronic Corporation, in Boca Raton, Fla. "People can steal someone else's identity badge or make up phony ones. Biometric technology takes security to the next level."  

Raj Nanavati, attorney and partner with IBG, notes that several factors are working synergistically to broaden the feasibility of large-scale deployments of biometric technology. These include:  

Affordability - Finger-scan readers are available in the $100 range, while other high-quality devices can now be purchased for under $200.

Cost-effectiveness - Effective technology can actually save money. Finger-scanning can cost less than maintaining computer passwords, banks that use iris-scanning for identifications purposes can save money by preventing fraudulent use of ATMs, and some applications, such as replacing time cards that are easily circumvented, can prevent costly theft of services from employers.

Speed - Most one-to-one biometric verifications take place in less than one second.

Design - Many of the new biometric readers and technologies have incorporated nonobtrusive, ergonomic designs.

Is Big Brother Coming of Age?  

Not everyone is enthusiastic about biometrics, though. Despite decreasing prices, cost is still an issue for many businesses, and, more importantly, there is concern that biometric technology threatens privacy. "Given the newness of the technology and the interaction between the end user and the device, it's not surprising there are concerns with privacy," says Nanavati. "However, keep in mind that these products are actually designed to enhance both privacy and security."  Nanavati is not aware of any successful lawsuits brought against private employers. "Just as employers are entitled to ask employees to take drug screening tests, they are entitled to take reasonable precautions to protect security and verify identity, as long as these are not done on a discriminatory basis."  

You Can Protect Privacy  

Nanavati believes that it is not biometrics that threatens privacy, but the underlying databases holding the information. Most people are already being tracked through conventional means that can be easily accessed, such as credit reports, Social Security numbers, and medical records. One way to safeguard privacy is to store data on a smart card that only you keep; biometrics would actually help ensure that only you can authorize access to this information. As for crooks figuring out ways to get around the technology, Nanavati admits it may be possible for someone with enough time, resources and inclination, but it is far more difficult to do so with biometrics than with ordinary identification methods. For example, some finger scanners can verify whether a live finger is present. Chiera says that as long as it is controlled, biometrics can provide privacy protection and security.