Biometric technology in “no-gate border crossing solutions” under consideration of privacy, ethical, regulatory and social acceptance

Abstract

Biometric technologies have become the main focus in the design of state-of-the-art border security solutions. While respective research in the field of multimedia vision has been centred around improving quality and accuracy of identity recognition, the impact of such technologies upon society and legal regulations still remains a topic unaddressed, specifically within the engineering community. Research in technology can and in some respect must include collaboration with social sciences and social practice. Building on participation in the EU funded research project PERSONA [18] (Privacy, Ethical, Regulatory and SOcial No-gate crossing point solutions Acceptance), authors of this paper look at the challenges associated with biometrics-based solutions in no-gate border crossing point scenarios. This included the procedures needed for the assessment of their social, ethical, privacy and regulatory acceptance, particularly in view of the impact on both, the passengers and border control authorities as well as the potential pitfalls of biometric technology due to fraudulent activities. In consultation with the collaborating border control authorities, the paper reports on the formal assessment of biometric technologies for real-world acceptance to cope with the increasing demand of global travellers crossing state borders.

Use of Iris Scanning for Biometric Recognition of Healthy Adults Participating in an Ebola Vaccine Trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Mixed Methods Study

“…Biometric technology confirms the physical presence of the person by assessing unique physical or behavioral characteristics that cannot be borrowed, stolen, or forgotten. Such technology uses matching algorithms or artificial intelligence for identifying the particular feature [3,6,7]. A number of biometric identifiers, including physical traits (eg, fingerprint; face; palm; cornea; iris; thermogram of the body, face or ear; and DNA) or behavioral traits (eg, signature, voice, typing dynamic, smell, and walk pattern) have demonstrated technical feasibility in various studies [6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…Such technology uses matching algorithms or artificial intelligence for identifying the particular feature [3,6,7]. A number of biometric identifiers, including physical traits (eg, fingerprint; face; palm; cornea; iris; thermogram of the body, face or ear; and DNA) or behavioral traits (eg, signature, voice, typing dynamic, smell, and walk pattern) have demonstrated technical feasibility in various studies [6][7][8][9][10]. Biometric identification systems have many advantages over more conventional methods of identification, such as easier fraud detection and more accuracy for face recognition than photographs.…”

“…Biometric identification systems have many advantages over more conventional methods of identification, such as easier fraud detection and more accuracy for face recognition than photographs. Therefore, biometric identification is increasingly used worldwide in various fields to recognize individuals and secure their data (eg, during elections, at airports, or for criminal detection) [ 6 ].…”

“…Acceptability within a population may depend on many factors such as positive perception, confidence, and constraints presented against the use of iris scans. For example, in one of the few studies available, a survey was conducted in Australia on the willingness of the general population to use biometric security technologies; it found that 61% of the population would accept fingerprints, whereas only 41% would accept iris scan recognition [ 6 ]. In California, 72% of participants preferred an identification by fingerprint [ 9 ].…”

Programmable Polymeric‐Interface for Voiceprint Biometrics

“…[ 5–9 ] In a similar manner to traditional biometric technologies, voice biometrics can also be a potential source of information in forensic investigations, [ 10 ] intelligence gathering, [ 11 ] and patient identification. [ 12 ] Boosting security measures for financial services [ 6 ] and border control, [ 13 ] it also acts as an extra shield for authentication and access control. Additionally, voice contains an individual's health information and could therefore open a new dimension of biometrics as wearable devices for early non‐invasive disease detection and emotional state analysis.…”