By Will Sturgeon, 13 August 2004 10:07
NEWS Due to the high-volume of questions and the wide variety of issues pouring in to the editorial mailbag for our Biometrics Q&A we've added more experts and are giving you one last chance to send in your questions on ALL aspects of biometrics - whether it's entering an office, entering the country or entering your bank details.
A number of leading technology experts are lined up and we even have a member of the UK's biometric ID trial as well to answer your questions.
In recent months 'biometrics' has become the hottest topic in IT and we are giving you the chance to put your questions to the experts (Read our Cheat Sheet on the subject for more on what we're talking about).
Perhaps you want to know how biometrics will work, how they will be rolled out, where they may be used, how your data will be collected, how reliable it will be, how it might make you safer or how much it will cost. Perhaps you have fears about the protection of your personal information or the potential for identity theft. Perhaps you want to know whether fingerprints are safer than iris scans or what the pros and cons are. Email in your questions to editorial@silicon.com.
The panel now includes:
Steven Pilz, associate director at LogicaCMG, working on application, development and logistics of biometrics and smartcard ID across Europe.
Simon Perry, VP security strategy at CA, whose products integrate biometric data with physical and digital security systems.
Carl Gohringer, head of business development at NEC, who has worked closely on a number of biometric identification systems around the world.
Nicola King, senior consultant, government services division, PA Consulting, who is part of PA's biometrics and identity 'special interest group'.
Andy McCue, silicon.com senior reporter, who is taking part in the UK government's biometric passport trial.
Email in your questions to the panel at: editorial@silicon.com.
If you need any inspiration, read these recent stories:
Biometrics used to keep German Olympians safe
British passport holders - stop smiling!
British passport holders - stop smiling!
£35 biometric ID card charge may be scrapped
Scots jump on board UK biometric ID card trial
Biometric ID: 'Will work, will happen and will be popular'
Give me some skin: Biometrics get thumbs up
Comments
There are 2 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
The simple solution that would address most concerns would be to add a PIN system to biometric information, so that it can only be accessed by third parties with our consent.
2. Malcolm Ripley
The solution to the problems such as invasion of privacy, authoritarian usage by the state and forging is quite simple: full unresistricted access to all information at all times to an individuals own data, ironically enough. The data consists of a record of all occasions when, where ,how and who accessed the data. This way we become self policing. The card itself has no biometric data in fact no data at all that requires connection to a computer for verification of authenticity or that can easily be copied i.e. a signature! This makes forging difficult. A photo, name and address for quick visual ID and the chip on the card should contain the access history. You could even have simple checks against forged identities since there's no way I can buy sausages in safeways at 10am in Glasgow and then purchase several kilos of Ammonium Nitrate at 11am in kent !