Information Technologies and Privacy
The aftermath of September 11th terrorist attacks has left Americans asking several key questions: how safe are we and how can we prevent such an atrocity from occurring again? The area of new information technologies (IT) that is being used to enhance security is Biometric technology, which measures and analyzes the human body characteristics to authenticate identity (Grand, 2002). The most pervasive biometric technology now in use is fingerprint scanning; other traits detected with biometric solutions include hand geometry, eye pattern (iris or retina), facial features, voice signature, written signature, and keyboard patterns. The devices measure the biometric characteristic, record it into a digital file, and compare it to a version stored in a secured, trusted back-end database. These technologies have introduced myriad concerns regarding privacy, which will be examined herein.
While advocates of biometric security systems point out that such systems are far superior to traditional identity authentication measures (such as picture identification cards or badges), Grand (2002) noted that no biometric system is completely ôfail safe.ö The American civil Liberties Union (ACLU) proved in a January, 2002, case in Florida that face recognition used by the Tampa Police Department failed to identify one single criminal or suspect listed in the departmentÆs photographic database over a 4 day period while falsely identifying 14 innocent citizens.
Nevertheless, the September 11th attack has led many law enforcement and government officials to call for increased use of biometrics as part of the overall anti-terrorism effort. Government officials are saying that smart cards, using biometric measurements to identify fingerprints, are being introduced at border entry points and at airports, where the Transportation Security Administration has the goal of hiring and training more than ...