Biometrics Technology

The ancient Egyptians and the Chinese played a large role in biometrics' history. Although biometric technology seems to belong in the twenty-first century, the history of biometrics goes back thousands of years. Today the focus is on using biometric facial recognition and identifying characteristics to stop terrorism and improve security. When a person is matched against a template or sample in the database, a security warning goes out to the authorities. A person's space between the eyes, ears and nose provides most of the identifying data.

The ACLU and other civil liberties groups oppose the widespread use of these biometric technologies, although they acknowledge the necessity of their presence in airports and after the bombings in London. Biometric technologies also need to achieve greater standardization and technological innovations to be recognized as a credible identity authentication solution. 

A timeline of biometric technologies: 

European explorer Joao de Barros recorded the first known example of a fingerprint, which is a form of biometrics, in China during the 14th century. Chinese merchants used ink to address children's fingerprints for identification. 

In 1890 studied Alphonse Bertillon, a Parisian police desk body mechanics and measurements to help identify criminals. The police used his method, the Bertillonage method until it mistakenly identified a few issues. The Bertillonage method was quickly abandoned in favor of fingerprints, brought back for use by Richard Edward Henry of Scotland Yard. 

Karl Pearson, an applied mathematician studied biometric research in the early 20 century at the University College of London. He made important discoveries in the field of biometrics through studying statistical history and context in which he used for animal evolution. His historical work included the method of moments, Pearson system of curves, correlation and chi-squared test. 

In the 1960s and 70s, signature biometric authentication procedures were developed, but the biometric field remained fixed until the military and security agencies researched and developed biometric technology than fingerprints. 

2001 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida - each facial image of 100,000 fans passing through stadium was recorded by video cameras and monitored electronically against mug shots from Tampa police. No offenders were identified, and video surveillance led to many civil liberties advocates denounce biometric identification technologies. 

Post 9 / 11 - after the attacks, authorities installed biometric technologies in airports ID suspected terrorists, but some airports, like Palm Beach International, never reached full deployment status because of the cost of supervision. 

July 7th, 2005 London, England - British law enforcement through the use of biometric facial recognition technology and 360-degree "fish-eye" video cameras to ID terrorists after four bomb attacks on subways and a double. Actually London over 200,000 security cameras and surveillance cameras have been in use since the 1960s. 

Today and look forward to: 

Biometrics is a growing and controversial area in which civil liberties groups express concern over privacy and identity issues. Today, biometric laws and rules are in the process and the biometric industry standards are being tested. Facial recognition biometrics has not been a widespread degree of fingerprints, but with the constant technological pushes and with the threat of terrorism, researchers and biometric developers will strengthen this safety technology for the twenty-first century.