A Lesson Or Two On Fingerprint Biometrics

In recent years we have seen national news stories about biometrics being introduced in schools, but why are people, particularly parents, protesting against schools introducing biometrics to do everything from check out library books to checking attendance rolls.

Some of the arguments suggest that the parents are unaware of the fingerprint readers being installed in the schools and haven’t been asked to give consent for their child/children to hand over their identity, leaving their fingerprints and biometric information in the hands of the school.

In a paper published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and in consultation with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) schools are guided, under the Data Protection Act 1998, that parents should be contacted asking permission to store their children’s fingerprint. The Data Protection Act of 1998 doesn’t state an exact age of where there should be parental permission. But the pupil or parent has to be provided with a Fair Processing Notice which contains information such as: the name of the school, the purpose for which the data is going to be held and any information required to make the processing fair, including details on any third parties to whom the data may be passed. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) also stresses that any school using biometric technology must destroy any records of the pupils biometric information after they have completed their education at the school.  But does all this actually happen in practice?

Fingerprint reading biometric technology is being applied by schools across the UK and around the world in many ways; the most popular in the UK has been for ‘cashless catering’. This is a system where parents pay in advance for student’s school lunches, crediting student accounts with a daily lunch allowance. Students then use this credit to pay for their lunches by registering their fingerprint at the till. The systems are said to allow quicker service in school lunch halls, provide money security and also give anonymity to those who have free school meals. The latter may contribute to a reduction in bullying as children from poorer families are less obvious. Surely this a safer, more efficient environment for our children during school hours?

Another way that fingerprint biometric technology is being used in schools is for automated attendance systems. Students are asked to scan their fingerprint on arrival into school and when they depart for the day, and in cases as they go from class to class. This is for security as well as to try and reduce truancy.  Some schools have gone the extra mile and have replaced the registration system at the beginning of each class. With fingerprint registration there is no possibility that someone else is registering for them, and that’s possible when using smart cards. The school also has very accurate and easily managed data to measure pupil absence and truancy.

Fingerprint biometrics are mainly being used in schools as they as the least intrusive form of taking biometric information. Not only do they provide extra security for our children, reduce bullying and theft in schools and also provide accurate information on your child’s attendance and time management, but they also reduce costs for schools. Although the systems can be expensive they do not need any additional items such as smart cards which are often lost and cost to replace.

With all this in mind can fingerprint biometrics teach us all a lesson or two about their effective use by schools, colleges and universities?

Online security pointing at fingerprints

In just one year almost ten million American adults were victims of identity fraud/theft. Over 12 months this activity cost the US $52.6 billion. With hackers and fraudsters becoming more aggressive and sophisticated isn’t it about time that banks and financial institutions consider how biometrics really can help in the war against identity theft fraud?

When signing into online banking you are asked for a series of unique codes created by you or the bank. Each organisation has different ways in which they will ask for this information – whether it be the whole code or just several random digits from it. A customer is usually asked for their date of birth or a memorable word they have chosen. Once this information is given the customer has full access to their account details, balance and many other things as well as the option to transfer funds. Although the information may be unique to the person it is not hard for other people to find these questions out and simply have full access to your account details. Banks know that their customers’ account login information can be vulnerable and they seek to improve security, but can they do more now?

UK and international banks have added additional security measures for their online banking customers. For example HSBC gives all of their customers the choice of downloading Rapport, their personal anti-virus software which authenticates websites and their security certificates and warns you if they are unsafe before you submit your password. Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds have given all internet banking customers ‘card readers’ meaning that the card being used to transfer money has to be entered into this and the customer has to enter their pin number before any money can be transferred. Many customers see these as an inconvenience but agree to use them because they believe they are using their personal details more securely.

With all these security measures in place why are there still high levels of identity theft and fraudulent activities happening? It’s simple because pin numbers, card readers, secret answers and unique codes can all be stolen.  Thieves will continue to find ways around even the strongest of security measures except the only thing that can’t be stolen, you. By finding the genuine article of authentication there will be no need for pins, codes and questions – only your fingerprint.

Which of these seems the likeliest to protect your information securely?

·         Something you may know – a pin code, a sequence of numbers and letters, a password?

·         Something you may have – an ID card, a token, a passport?

·         Something you are – a fingerprint, your voice, your signature?

A fingerprint, a voice, a signature can be copied, but with effective sensor and reading technology forged copies can be detected and rejected. The Connective Touch range of fingerprint reading solutions from Global Bio Tec can identify a forged or fake fingerprint and will deny access to fraudsters and thieves.

The logical application linked to governmental imperatives to minimise welfare benefit fraud is to consider introducing fingerprint biometrics to make sure that welfare payments are paid to those who are entitled to them. The savings on fraud and administration costs could be immense!

Are Biometric ATM Machines The Answer To Identity Theft?

Skimming involves the use of devices that fit on the ATM card slot and read information off a card’s magnetic strip. A small camera on or around the ATM records PINs as customers press the keypad.

Skimming is the latest threat in the identity theft war. Two men in Chicago have recently been arrested for rigging bank ATMs. ATM’s that usually have a fake cover or card slot put into them are more often found more commonly in stand-alone ATM’s or ATM’s in convenience stores.  In an article on tampabay.com John Joyce, special agent in charge of the US Secret Service Tampa field office advises, “Use legitimate bank ATMs. If possible go inside the bank and use the one inside the bank.”

But should we take after Poland’s BPS SA bank who set a European, and Western milestone, by installing a biometric ATM in Warsaw? Given the financial situations in Greece, Spain and Portugal in recent weeks the Euro Zone has plenty of reasons to be down on itself but Poland is showing a financial-sector first this week, becoming the first European country to install a biometric ATM.

The machine reads your fingerprint as opposed to the magnetic strip on a cash card. All that is needed to withdraw money and access personal information is your fingerprint and your pin number. Is this the answer to identity fraud involving ATMs?

The biometric ATM has been designed to only accept the fingerprint of a living human being. This makes it impossible for people to use a copy. As shown in many movies and often mentioned in tests of biometric devices a copy of a fingerprint, fake hand containing the fingerprint of someone else, or in extreme cases the hand or finger of a dead person cannot be used. Not only do these machines take a copy of the fingerprint they also detect the pulse from the finger which is recorded with the image.

The sensor technology employed by Global Bio Tec in its Connective Touch range of fingerprint

reading access control systems can't be fooled as it takes a scan several layers underneath the skin. The fingerprint often associated with criminality is turned the tables on those engaged in identity theft. 

Do the eyes have it? – maybe not on their own

Manchester Airport has announced a trial of retinal scanning for ‘volunteer’ passengers checking in. The retinal scanning technology is proven and is difficult to fool, although eye diseases can change the retina over time. The issues up for discussion are is it too intrusive, having a light beam shone into your eyes for ten seconds or so could be for some people, is it too expensive and what other systems should be in place to work with retinal scanning?

Fingerprint biometrics are being used in airport security and access control applications all over the world and could be a useful compliment to retinal scanning and other biometric human recognition checks. But, you may believe that fingerprint biometric systems are too easily duped? Perhaps in the past they have been ‘fooled’ as a story from Japan in early 2009 suggested. In that case some ‘special tape’ had been used by a woman with a false passport and a track record of illegal entry to the country to get through immigration controls which included a fingerprint scanner. This may suggest the sensor technology in the Japanese system was not up to scratch.

The new Connective Touch range of fingerprint scanning solutions offer a capacitive sensor that will pinpoint the ridges and valleys of the skin which it reads and then verifies down to four layers below the skin. The company believes that it will still produce a reliable fingerprint scan even if the fingerprint has outer damage from burn scarring etc. Its sensor contains tens of thousands of small capacitive plates, measuring extremely weak electrical charges that are created by the finger. This non-optical measurement generates and stores a 3D fingerprint template which has to be exactly matched by the person who created it. It can’t be fooled by fake fingerprints according to Connective Touch developers Global Bio Tec.

Detection deterrent?

Why at a time when terrorists around the world are exploiting the latest technology to conceal their bombs and identities are we still debating about bringing in the full array of biometric scanning technology? Is it cost, the erosion of personal freedoms, or the poor track record of fingerprint, retinal and facial scanning systems? The answer could be a combination of all three points - what do you think?


The first fingerprint bureau was established in Calcutta, India, in 1897, to help classify and organise criminal records and police and security forces have used finger prints extensively to track and capture undesirables ever since. The essential element to a practical and accurate finger print recognition system, according to Devi Sohanta founder of the Biometric Centre of Excellence and MD of British fingerprint biometric pioneers Global Bio Tec, is the quality of the sensor used in the device. It needs to take an accurate and deep penetrating scan of the finger to be as accurate as possible and prevent attempts to fool it.


Economies, major companies and millions of us rely on air travel and transport for wealth generation and our daily bread. We know the consequences of aircraft being hijacked, blown up or deliberately crashed have global and very personal consequences. Can we afford to sit on our hands when we should be holding them up for scanning to make airports, air travel and air cargo more secure?


The track record of biometrics systems for fingerprint identification has been blotted by cheap products that have failed to deliver on their promise. The Promise for airport, air travel and air cargo security from fingerprint biometrics is significant from uncovering the false identities of terrorists, deterring their attempts to travel right through to controlling the access of airport employees from land-side to air-side secure areas. Our finger prints provide a confirmation of our identity which is unique and can't be copied or destroyed. It really is elementary!
www.globalbtec.com

It's elementary my dear...

It's easy to understand the 'criminal' damage done to the reputation of finger print biometric entry solutions over the last few years. There has been no guiding authority to set a benchmark on how the systems should perform, where they should be applied etc. The result has been a market flooded with cheap, and not very cheerful options, imported by distributors, and then sold on as the 'perfect' solution for secure entry to education facilities, clubs, hotels, warehouses and any number of application which may seek to control people entering restricted areas or just regulate the flow and 'clocking-on/off' of staff.

Yes the reputation of finger print technology for door entry systems has been smudged by poor quality products, sensors that can be fooled and hardware that wares out far too quickly, but the situation is changing. That's thanks to the forensic, and some may say obsessive, mission to develop reliable, proven and internationally endorsed finger print activated door entry systems by Devi Sohanta. Things are becoming clearer for the market in finger print biometrics.

Through Global Bio Tec and the development of the Connective Touch brand of finger print entry systems Devi has built a convincing case to buy British for individuals who need reliable restricted access to their super yacht through to multi-nationals and governments that want to advance their door entry security, improve facilities management efficiency and/or gather workforce data.

Connective Touch Flexi and Flexi Smart are manufactured in Rugby by Stadium Electronics and are approved by ACPO's Secure By Design Scheme, The Master Locksmiths Association and comply to DIN standards. The software for Connective Touch to manage and provide valuable data is Accredit UK approved.

Investigate for yourself and go to www.globalbtec.com