biometrics Hear it!

biometrics Definition

bio·met·rics (-me′triks)

noun

that branch of biology which deals with its data statistically and by mathematical analysis

biometrics Related Forms
bi′o·met′·ric adjective or bi′o·met′·ri·cal
Biometrics Hacker Definition
In the field of authentication, biometrics refers to the measurement of physiological and behavioral characteristics used to identify computer users. Physiological characteristics commonly include the face, fingerprints, and DNA. Behavioral characteristics commonly include the user’s digital signature, his or her voiceprint, and walk. Though many methods are involved in biometrics, here is the breakdown of the most popular methods in use in 2002 (with percentage in use placed in parentheses): fingerprints (40%); hand (30%); voice (15%); face (7%); eye (4%); handwriting signature (3%); and other (1%)—walk, body odor, and DNA.

In the year 2000, the market for biometrics was about $100 million. In 2005, the market figures for biometrics rose because of developed nations’ utilizing anti-terrorist devices to counter events such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also, biometric devices are often used for authentication purposes to keep intruders away from areas having computer systems.

In 2005, the use of biometrics for authentication purposes has introduced a debate in the legal community surrounding privacy. Advocacy groups argue that biometrics use provides government and business officials with a means to track citizens and employees—an invasion of their privacy.

Controversy around biometrics erupted in Britain, for example, during the week of February 11, 2005. The British House of Commons passed in a 224-to-64 vote the Identity Cards bill. If the bill becomes law after it passes through the House of Lords, by 2012 all British citizens will have to obtain biometric identification cards and passports. The latter would contain such information as citizens’ names, addresses, and biometric information such as fingerprints, face scans, and iris scans. The collected data from millions of Britons would be placed in a huge database known as the National Identification Register. If the bill is passed, the project is estimated to cost up to $12.8 billion.

British security experts have said that identification cards with biometric information stored on them—smart cards—are, from a criminal’s vantage point, a relatively easy item to tamper with. For example, a somewhat creative criminal could steal someone’s smart card, strip off the biometric coding, and replace it with the criminal’s own biometric coding. Moreover, it is argued, the National Identification Register would become a prime target for cybercriminals interested in obtaining identify theft information on targeted British citizens.

See Also: Advocacy; Authentication; Cybercrime and Cybercriminals; Digital Signature; Identity Theft and Masquerading; Privacy; Privacy Laws.

Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors. Biometrics Defined. [Online, 2004.] Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors Website. http://www.cubs.buffalo .edu/about_biometrics.shtml; Graham, R. Hacking Lexicon. [Online, 2001.] Robert Graham Website. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/resource_files/documentation/hacking-dict.html; McLean, D. Flawed Biometrics Offers False Sense of Security. The Globe and Mail, February 17, 2005, p. B11.
biometrics Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • introduce: Why is the UK introducing biometrics in its passport?
  • include: What then of Clarke's other comments, about the need to include biometrics to meet US standards for its visa waiver scheme.
  • use: Which makes you think twice about using biometrics, that don't require a living body attached!
  • have: Even the biometrics industry says it is better to have biometrics stored locally.
  • contain: That has already happened in databases that contain biometrics, with devastating consequences for some of the people whose data have been mixed up.
  • embed: Japan should complete its transition to embedded biometrics in early 2006.

Adjective modifier

  • facial: Facial biometrics can be taken from a good quality passport photo.
  • other: Performance of these algorithms compared to other biometrics ( UK National Physical Laboratory test report, 2001.
  • more: Plenty are missing digits, or eyes, or have physical conditions that render one or more biometrics unstable or hard to read.
  • own: That means T5 will have to collect its own biometrics from passengers and check it at the gate.

Modifies a noun

  • technology: Police give go-ahead for biometric security plans A Police Mugshot database using biometrics technology has come a step nearer.
  • industry: Even the biometrics industry says it is better to have biometrics stored locally.
  • system: Various biometrics systems are being employed to provide secure access to computer systems, for example in health care institutions.
  • solution: The new biometrics solutions we offer today bring access control into the 21st Century.
  • datum: This biometrics data will be stored on the central site located in Brasilia.

Noun used with modifier

  • fingerprint: What is the status of the proposed EU-wide passport with fingerprint biometrics that he mentioned earlier?
  • recognition: In facial recognition biometrics, the geometry of our faces is measured.

Preposition: in

  • passport: The 17 February edition of The Economist ran a feature on the use of biometrics in passports.
  • document: The U.S. has played a leadership role in ICAO working groups to advocate the successful inclusion of biometrics in travel documents.

Preposition: for

  • security: But the use of biometrics for computer security and user authentication has failed to attract much practical interest to date.

Browse dictionary entries near biometrics

  1. ‹ biometeorology
  2. ‹ biomedicine
  3. ‹ biomechanics
  4. ‹ biome
  5. ‹ biomathematics
  6. ‹ biomaterial
  7. ‹ biomass
  8. ‹ biomagnetics
  9. ‹ biolysis
  10. ‹ bioluminescence
  1. biometry ›
  2. biomolecule ›
  3. biomorphic ›
  4. Bion ›
  5. bionic ›
  6. bionics ›
  7. bionomics ›
  8. biophysics ›
  9. biopic ›
  10. bioplasm ›