The use of biometrics as a tool for identification and security purposes is not new. Since the late 19th century fingerprinting has been a standard police practice, with voice, iris and facial recognition developed in the latter half of the 20th century.
What is new is its rapid inclusion in every aspect of our lives. Once the reserve of the police and security forces, biometric authentication has flooded into the mainstream; with facial recognition on smartphones, fingerprint access to online apps, and biometric payment cards becoming the norm. The required technology, using advanced algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, has become cheaper and widely available.
The key to social acceptance of biometrics lies in mobile phones. Apple’s introduction of Siri paved the way for voice recognition and digital personal assistants on smartphones. Shortly afterwards fingerprint and facial recognition became commonplace across digital phone platforms.
In the modern connected countries of the Middle East, the acceptance and use of biometrics has boomed, accelerated by the pandemic as it offers contactless convenience and security.
Biometric solutions in Middle Eastern identity
Biometric solutions for identification have been used in Middle Eastern countries for decades, such as national eID cards and modules for citizen and resident digital identity and security. In Qatar, for instance, dual interface cards combine a built-in biometrics feature and an Identity & Authentication Services software applet, which can perform both contact and contactless communication to verify and authenticate the card holder either in person or online.
This technology can be used to securely access any online public services from your laptop, mobile phone, with over 50 public service providers using the platform to deliver over 1,400 Hukoomi services, out of which 650+ are transactional based and use electronic identification, authentication and e-Signature technologies.
The technology is leveraged daily in high-volume areas such as healthcare provision, hospitality and financial services to improve processes and security, However, travel is perhaps the sector that has most benefitted, both in speed and security. Most new passports contain biometric identifiers, which allow their use at Smart Gates.
Contactless identification and authentication systems use facial biometrics and digital IDs to help streamline, and ultimately improve, passenger experience at other areas of the airport – removing the need for passengers to show a ticket or ID at every checkpoint, saving up to 30 percent in boarding times, and cutting the security risks of forged documentation.
Future tech raises questions
The next stage will be the rise of silent authentication, also known as continuous authentication, which will mean that people can be identified and verified based on passive behavioral biometrics. User behavior analytics solutions include geo-location tools that use machine learning to build a picture from the stores they regularly visit, as well as how a person walks or how they hold and swipe their device.
This typically relies on an app running on your smartphone while dealing with your daily activities: it will identify and authenticate you silently, thanks to a powerful and continuous machine learning analyzing data.
The continuous nature of this authentication is what has caused ethical objections to be raised, and the industry has already seen legislation implemented in Europe, restricting its use.
To be clear, there are two uses of biometric data, authentication and identification. Authentication is about providing a secure way for an individual to prove their identity, and there are few concerns about its use.
Biometric identification is about identifying a person in a crowd, for example, without any action on their part, and in some cases, without their consent. This has been extensively used by public authorities for criminal justice, border management and terrorism prevention.
There is potential for misuse of these applications, including invasion of privacy, disclosure of sensitive information and restriction of individual freedoms. And while offering increased security, as these systems are far more difficult to hack, biometric data, such as fingerprints or iris scans, are also almost impossible for the user to change if they are compromised, unlike a password.
But tighter regulation and corporate responsibility can provide adequate safeguards to limit the risks of misuse. Biometric technology development companies can be held to account, and should be able to openly explain the rules by which the technology is deployed and designed and explain and justify the its use and the results, in such a way that users can understand the data used to arrive at a conclusion.
The potential and growing benefits for increased security, improved process and accessibility for those using airports, hospitals and financial services, as well as for the businesses that operate them, significantly outweigh these concerns. Like other transformational technology before it, biometric technology offers great business and public potential, and I believe that its integration into our lives offers us all a more secure future.
Follow us on
