By Nick Heath, 20 June 2008 17:09
NEWS
Experts have warned the ID card scheme risks being derailed by mistakes in fingerprint matches.
The £4.4bn National Identity Scheme's (NIS) preference for relying on fingerprint and facial recognition biometrics exposes the system to error, according to the independent Biometrics Assurance Group (BAG).
BAG urged the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to adopt iris scans as a "fall back", for when there are problems taking or matching a fingerprint.
BAG claims that "exception handling" - dealing with mismatched or unclear fingerprints - would occupy a large amount of NIS' resources, putting the technology, delivery and costs under strain.
The IPS is putting an enlarged fingerprint bureau in place to ensure that exceptions can be handled but said iris scans are unlikely to be part of the scheme for the near future.
BAG annual report says: "BAG was particularly concerned with the plans for exception handling. Exception handling has a large impact not only on the technical elements of the scheme but on business processes."
ID cards: Latest news
♦ Secret ID card review: Judge quashes its release
♦ ID cards fuel £147m consultancy bill
♦ ID cards chief defends u-turn
♦ ID card u-turn by government
♦ ID cards: Gov't slaps on fines of up to £1,000
♦ ID cards plan: Airport union wants answers
♦ ID cards? One in four says no!
♦ Cheat Sheet: ID cards
BAG claims there are four million people aged 75 or over in the UK and warns it is hard to take clear fingerprints from this group.
But the IPS said that price was likely to rule out iris biometrics.
An IPS spokesman said: "It is unlikely that iris scans will be used in the scheme. Suppliers can use whichever biometric they choose in their solution but they will have to show it meets minimum standards and provides cost benefits."
BAG also called for more research into exception handling, guarantees on compliance with the data protection act and rules on data sharing, robust controls on access and the interoperability of subsystems.
The ID scheme will be rolled out over the next four years, starting with about 10 million "critical" workers in 2009, young people in 2010 and the rest of the UK public in 2011/12, when people will have a choice of a passport or ID card.
Comments
There are 10 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger
Biometric ID cards will not solve problems because
1. They will not work where there is no reading equipment. At such points of transaction fraudsters will be tempted to use fakes of these cards.
2. These cards will not deter fraud crimes such as identity fraud,
3. Fraud is costing billions now and so waiting for unreliable ID card system for years is not a good option.
2. Karen Challinor
so the "perfect" identity scheme won't actually be able to identify people then ? along with the long list of other things it won't do
what a surprise
so why bother .... oh yes it gives the police access to everyones fingerprints (which is why they aren't too bothered about iris scans as you don't leave these at the scene of a crime), monitors and controls the movements and expenditure of the general population, allows datamined statistics to be sold to third parties and finally the government gets to sell us the means of our own enslavement
3. anonymous
"The ID scheme will be rolled out over the next four years, starting with about 10 million "critical" workers in 2009, "
Who is claiming that 1/3 of the country's workforce is 'critical'?
4. Andrew Robb
I can see the beginnings of a new 'hearts and minds' initiative by the government; 18-year olds will need ID cards to buy alcohol in off licenses. First they talk about banning off sales to under 21s - this will mean no more alcohol at student parties. Then the government can come back and offer off sales to 18s with ID cards... how nice.
5. anonymous
How come that the more flaws and weaknesses are exposed the more determined the government/police/security services seem to be to push this through?
Maybe, just maybe, because the REAL purpose is exactly what many of us suspect and Karen has so often and eloquently pointed out.
And......... how come, in the face of growing evidence of bureaucrat abuse of the law people are not in the streets in rebellion? Are so many people actually that naive?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7468430.stm
It would seem there may be a growing tide of resentment as real example come to light. See comments at above URL.
6. Jeremy Wickins
I know BAG is supposed to look at the practical implications from the technology commissioner side, but I'm more concerned with the impact on the "exceptions" - or people, as I like to call them! There are tens of thousands of people in the UK who cannot provide a reliable biometric, and they are at risk of being hassled, denied access to services, and stigmatised merely because the technology is not up to the job. My research shows that there is real risk of social exclusion as a direct result of biometrics technology being used in large-scale systems, such as the half-arsed system this government thinks is a good idea,
7. John H Woods
We don't even know if fingerprints are unique enough yet --- it's just been a 'given' since the days of Sherlock Holmes. I reckon that by the time there are 10 million prints on the database almost every new application will match an existing ID card.
8. anonymous
On fingerprints I have two stories, one from a UK Immigration Service subcontractor victim and one from the US. For the first, my wife a Russian national was being fingerprinted - it took something like ten attempts to get a usable fingerprint. Her fingers are fine, just that not everyone is easy to get a electronic fingerprint.
For the US a friend was renewing his passport in the states and was fingerprinted for the new biometric chip. When he came to collect the passport, yes the printed data was ok but he insisted they check the chip. The fingerprints on the chip were for someone else.
9. Roger Huffadine
This is the "false positive" problem that I keep banging on about....
To get a match you have to use a wide criteria - so you get lots of matches & have to sift out all of the 'false' positives - this takes time & effort. If you use too tight a criteria then you get no matches.
So people will be detained - whilst underpaid overworked staff try to sort out who they have got, if they want them and where the person they are looking for really is....
This has been know about since the ID card scheme was first proposed - its just that nobody wanted to confront the issue.
10. The Village Idiot..... Not As Stupid As I Seem?
How sad that the only 'big brother' most of the general public are keeping tabs on is a sad little C4 bit of telly mush........ While the real 'BIG BROTHER' pushes onward to control of the masses...... for what reason..... oh yeah the fight against terrorism....... and as I've said before...... how come they do not need to go to all this trouble with I.D cards to take tax off all of us.......?