Biometric Passwords

Researchers at Purdue University claim that the use of biometric technology will replace passwords in the near future. This would mean that you could log into your computer or activate a smartphone with your fingerprint. This is all meant to ‘boost security’ whilst ‘making our lives easier’, according to the director of the International Centre for Biometrics Research Stephen Elliott. They are researching ways into developing iris and fingerprint scans, and facial and voice recognition designed to replace passwords.

It seems as if we are fast approaching a world where Gattaca won’t look so much like fiction. For those who don’t know, Gattaca is a science fiction film from the late 1990s with Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke where biometrics rules the world, right down to genetic discrimination. Many, in particular those scientists developing this technology, would argue that comparing biometric passwords to fictional dystopias is melodramatic and ridiculous. Then there is always that question of the slippery slope...If biometric passwords prove to be popular, how long until biometric banking becomes available? When there is money involved, crime will happen. We can’t say that something so crude as cutting off a man’s index finger to drain his bank account would happen, but how exactly do we plan to protect ourselves against fraud? 

There is no doubting that it would be a darn sight easier to swipe a finger instead of remember a huge host of complicated passwords, but are we ready to deal with everything that biometric technology will bring? 

Take a look at our technology reports to see how our business intelligence could benefit you here. 

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Elizabeth Ryan

Marketing