Biometric Technology 20 Years After 9/11 – Opportunities and Threats

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the development of biometric technology as a consequence of 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA and issuing the PATRIOT ACT in 2001. Nowadays biometric technology is popular not only in the public security area (e.g. criminal data bases, face recognition surveillance systems) but is also used in everyday life (e.g. smartphones with touch ID/face recognition). The article shows both sides of biometric devices utilization: advantages and potential negative consequences for individuals.

Bingo: A Semi-Centralized Password Storage System

“…With the rise of fingerprint readers and face recognition sensors in smartphones and computers, the question has often been raised as to why passwords are used at all. Given that biometric identifiers such as a user's face are incredibly difficult to forge, many web services utilize modern API's such as the "Web Authentication API", which allow web developers to leverage biometric readers on devices to authenticate a user [19]. For example, an iPhone user visiting a website which has enabled the Web Authentication API will be prompted to use their thumbprint reader or face recognition sensor to authenticate rather than enter a password.…”