Viktor Minkin
Biometrics against terrorism
The terrible terrorist attacks against the USA made every man ask oneself: What is my fault in this accident? What can I do against terrorism? What can I do for absence the possibility of such accidents in future? Of course, the one biometrics can not stop terrorism. But biometrics can be a real barrier on a terrorism way, and the world biometrics expansion can help to determine and neutralize a terrorist before he will attack again. It's sad to understand that the world tragedy of the 11th of September could be impossible if only airplanes had the primary biometric security systems which the half of usual PC already have now.
All people that are working in biometrics know that the security is the main biometric feature and many companies have enough forces for right identification of any person from any base of stored biometric parameters.
Until this time the high tech developments not only help to biometrics expansion but detain biometrics, too. Every high tech biometric company aims to create a new product, which is more difficult and has more high tech solution than previous. Usual companies consider the possibility of encoding and encryption of the biometric parameters, especially if this biometric parameter is set on a document or on a plastic card as one of the main features of biometric product.
The biometric document used for authentication of a person transfers the identification from problem (compare one to many) to verification solution (compare one to one).
The standard solution for non-biometric documents manufacturing was the protection of the document so that it is impossible (difficult) to produce by non-authorized person. According to this solutions biometric companies try to encode and encrypt the biometric parameters on the document more and more.
But the main real feature of biometric document is the foolishness of its falsification but not the impossibility, because it is absolutely foolish to falsify the biometric parameter on the document if it is necessary to confirm it by your own biometric parameter as fingerprint. There is no difference in security to store the parameters open or hidden for right biometrics. To hide or not to hide? That is the question not of biometrics, only of money and high tech. But to hide biometric parameter is foolish, because in this case you must also hide your face, name and fingers all the time. Everyone understands that it's impossible; therefore there is no sense to hide (encrypt) biometric parameters.
Curiously, but practically all companies which are working in biometrics were going on the standard document way and not on primary biometric way. The biometric protection documents don't need the high tech encryption. It is based on separately storage dates and higher security levels are determined by different places of stored biometric parameters. The position of biometric parameter in three independent places (person, document, base), practically, protects per 100% from non authorized access and using of falsify or theft document.
The BiCard technology and system use not standard document way for document protection but biometrics.
The first extra BiCard feature is the possibility of reading the card (document) and biometric parameter (live finger) by one sensor.
The second extra BiCard feature is the possibility of PIN code (bar code) reading together with fingerprints that let to start verification process automatically.
Let's consider the BiCard application in US as a national project. The main steps are:
- Foreigners' fingerprints are included and printed in their passports for US visa using BiCard technology.
- US passport control reads fingers and passports and creates the base of foreigners.
- Creation (or coordination) the base of USA people including fingerprints.
- Inclusion fingerprints in airport tickets and others documents for access to important places (banks, stadiums, etc.). The documents can be various (form, material) with fingerprint skeleton included to every document.
- The one net using PIN and fingerprint for person verification covers the USA.
The whole project time will be not less than 5 - 10 years and after its realization the USA won't be so free as in the past but on the other hand US will be more safety than now. The cost of this project, approximately, will be about 1 billion dollars, that is less than for any other national USA biometric project. BiCard technology is the easiest solution and does not need extra payments for stored biometric information in document and does not need extra payments for fingerprint readers.
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