| | OCTOBER 2020ENTERPRISE SECURITY8IN MY OPINIONBy Ingrid Dyer, Chief Security Officer, AXADESIGNING BIOMETRICS FOR HUMANSIN MY OPINIONLove them or hate them, biometric solutions are becoming increasingly popular in the world of technology. But as with all science-fiction born innovation, this identity mapping child-star has had the misfortune of growing up in the spotlight, having to learn its lessons very publicly and sometimes very embarrassingly. Security innovation enthusiasts have met each attempt with a wave of privacy or accuracy concerns which have held it back from mainstream, until now.Enter 2020 and the once clumsy technology is becoming both increasingly popular and increasingly viable. Smartphones now use face and fingerprint biometric authentication. Biometric passport control is becoming the norm, schools are considering digital attendance registers, and prisons are looking for solutions to track early released criminals. The pandemic has encouraged most industries to reach for solutions to problems they never dreamed would be in their short-term roadmaps. Derived from the words "Biology" and "Metrics", biometry is the application of statistical analysis to biometric data. These data attributes can be physical or biological, for example the measurements and patterns of our face,iris, fingerprint, hand outline, voice or even heartbeat. Innovation is booming while privacy is rapidly diminishing, so where do you draw the line? How can you design a Biometric solution with the human response in mind? You are going to come up against three, interdependent factors; 1. The Creepiness FactorIdentifying customers as they walk (or browse) into your store may sound like the ultimate marketing tool, however in reality the experience can be unsettling. At best it makes a person feel watched, at worst it crosses significant cultural values.A biometric print is extremely personal, any storage or use without consent will feel invasive. What can go wrong?You risk reputational damage. Privacy is taken very seriously, your attempt to draw more patrons could have the opposite effect through boycotting.Ingrid Dyer
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