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Very Short Introductions #588
Biometrics: A Very Short Introduction
We live in a society which is increasingly interconnected, in which communication between individuals is mostly mediated via some electronic platform, and transactions are often carried out remotely. In such a world, traditional notions of trust and confidence in the identity of those with whom we are interacting, taken for granted in the past, can be much less reliable. Biometrics -- the scientific discipline of identifying individuals by means of the measurement of unique personal attributes -- provides a reliable means of establishing or confirming an individual's identity. These attributes include facial appearance, fingerprints, iris patterning, the voice, the way we write, or even the way we walk. The new technologies of biometrics have a wide range of practical applications, from securing mobile phones and laptops to establishing identity in bank transactions, travel documents, and national identity cards.
This Very Short Introduction considers the capabilities of biometrics-based identity checking, from first principles to the practicalities of using different types of identification data. Michael Fairhurst looks at the basic techniques in use today, ongoing developments in system design, and emerging technologies, all aimed at improving precision in identification, and providing solutions to an increasingly wide range of practical problems. Considering how they may continue to develop in the future, Fairhurst explores the benefits and limitations of these pervasive and powerful technologies, and how they can effectively support our increasingly interconnected society.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This Very Short Introduction considers the capabilities of biometrics-based identity checking, from first principles to the practicalities of using different types of identification data. Michael Fairhurst looks at the basic techniques in use today, ongoing developments in system design, and emerging technologies, all aimed at improving precision in identification, and providing solutions to an increasingly wide range of practical problems. Considering how they may continue to develop in the future, Fairhurst explores the benefits and limitations of these pervasive and powerful technologies, and how they can effectively support our increasingly interconnected society.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
- GenresScienceNonfictionBiology
144 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2019
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134 people want to read
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January 31, 2020Does a good job of explaining the fundamentals of operation of biometrics, but a rather poor job of defending why we should resort to biometrics, or using our fingerprints, irises, voices, signatures and even ECG and heart rate to certify and collect our identity. It just basically says we need it for privacy and security and convenience (though these rationales all seem to aid the privacy, security and convenience for the benefit of the state and of the banks, not our own). A quote from the book:
"The argument had been ultimately won by those who were not convinced by the arguments made about the potential benefits compared to those which raised concerns, especially in the context of civil liberties and matters of privacy. This may seem even less logical to the proponents of such a scheme (the biometrics scheme) now than it did at the time, given how similar national ID schemes have emerged in many other countries .”
Emphasis mine. Right, because given all the current hullaballoo on how our non-biological data is tracked and monitored digitally for nefarious/commercial purposes, we have seen how everything associated with more granular identity collection has turned out great for us and we are entering a Golden Age of security, privacy and convenience where our data is totally not sold out, or stolen, or studied and inspected, or used to classify us. And now biometrics is asking us to provide our biological data as well.
A book about the identification and collection of biological data, in an often coercive and certainly invasive manner, should do more to justify its use over the privacy concerns than to dismiss them as "less logical" using the argument that, "other countries have adopted it!"
If the purpose of biometrics was simply stronger security, it seems to me we can just make current methods more strenous. Banks would forego compulsory online banking and maintain a physical presence that people could opt to visit... Airports could maintain their system of multiple checkpoints with a variety of classifiers for identity... Countries could more assiduously attend to the creation of their people's passports rather than mandating a biometric national ID system... But the choice of biometrics seems to be the choice to purchase convenience, for the state and commerce's behalf, at the expense of ever-deeper inroads of invasion of individuals' privacy and liberties, this time involving our very bodies... I am looking to be educated on this topic, but clearly this dismissive book that scoffs at 'illogical' hesitations to adopt biometric IDs is not a good source...
"The argument had been ultimately won by those who were not convinced by the arguments made about the potential benefits compared to those which raised concerns, especially in the context of civil liberties and matters of privacy. This may seem even less logical to the proponents of such a scheme (the biometrics scheme) now than it did at the time, given how similar national ID schemes have emerged in many other countries .”
Emphasis mine. Right, because given all the current hullaballoo on how our non-biological data is tracked and monitored digitally for nefarious/commercial purposes, we have seen how everything associated with more granular identity collection has turned out great for us and we are entering a Golden Age of security, privacy and convenience where our data is totally not sold out, or stolen, or studied and inspected, or used to classify us. And now biometrics is asking us to provide our biological data as well.
A book about the identification and collection of biological data, in an often coercive and certainly invasive manner, should do more to justify its use over the privacy concerns than to dismiss them as "less logical" using the argument that, "other countries have adopted it!"
If the purpose of biometrics was simply stronger security, it seems to me we can just make current methods more strenous. Banks would forego compulsory online banking and maintain a physical presence that people could opt to visit... Airports could maintain their system of multiple checkpoints with a variety of classifiers for identity... Countries could more assiduously attend to the creation of their people's passports rather than mandating a biometric national ID system... But the choice of biometrics seems to be the choice to purchase convenience, for the state and commerce's behalf, at the expense of ever-deeper inroads of invasion of individuals' privacy and liberties, this time involving our very bodies... I am looking to be educated on this topic, but clearly this dismissive book that scoffs at 'illogical' hesitations to adopt biometric IDs is not a good source...
November 19, 2019
I would have liked a better discussion on the issues of biometrics use in society, which the book barely mentions. Other than that it is a very short introduction to biometrics, you learn about the basic principles and technicalities.
January 23, 2020
3.5/5 stars
An accessible, non-technical, introduction to the technical aspects of biometrics. It not only presents the current state of the art, but also the architectures used to build biometrical solutions and the problems those technologies are meant to solve (identification, validation, prediction). Given the space and technicality constraints of a Very Short Introduction, the author makes two choices, one of them less fortunate than the other.
The "good" choice was to focus on a few examples along the book --- mainly fingerprints, irises, faces, and signatures ---, which are rich enough to provide examples and narrow enough to be well developed. The "bad" choice was to reduce the space dedicated to the social consequences of biometrics, which are mostly sidelined (except for a discussion on ageing). Still, the technical framework presented in the book will provide good foundations who want to know a bit more about the technological possibilities and requirements in order to develop critiques about the social impact of biometrics in its many forms.
An accessible, non-technical, introduction to the technical aspects of biometrics. It not only presents the current state of the art, but also the architectures used to build biometrical solutions and the problems those technologies are meant to solve (identification, validation, prediction). Given the space and technicality constraints of a Very Short Introduction, the author makes two choices, one of them less fortunate than the other.
The "good" choice was to focus on a few examples along the book --- mainly fingerprints, irises, faces, and signatures ---, which are rich enough to provide examples and narrow enough to be well developed. The "bad" choice was to reduce the space dedicated to the social consequences of biometrics, which are mostly sidelined (except for a discussion on ageing). Still, the technical framework presented in the book will provide good foundations who want to know a bit more about the technological possibilities and requirements in order to develop critiques about the social impact of biometrics in its many forms.
August 1, 2022
An accessible exploration of Biometrics, Michael Fairhurst reveals how this technology functions and what separates it from other forms of identity verifiers.
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