Biometric Security and Privacy - Annotated Bibliography Example

Name Tutor Course Date Biometric Security and Privacy Annotated Bibliography Heimo, Olli I., AnttiHakkala, and Kai K. Kimppa. "How to Abuse Biometric Passport Systems." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 10.2 (2012): 68-81. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Summary The authors of the article clearly point out how biometric passport have technical as well as social problems as far as their use is concerned. And the reason behind this is that there are problems with the database used for the collections of the data because the data is used on different purposes other than the intended reasons. The authors argue that the problems pose serious challenges and are likely to erode both privacy and trust on the parties concerned. They suggest that the issue can be solved through the use of the best technological solutions instead of using methods that are lacking and are full of errors. Social implications can be can be brought forward for public dialogues and acknowledged by the public through sharing of ideas. Generally, the article contributes to the comprehension of the problems with the current RFID/biometric passport implementation and points out possible solutions that can be employed. Wickins, Jeremy. "The Ethics Of Biometrics: The Risk Of Social Exclusion From The Widespread Use Of Electronic Identification." Science & Engineering Ethics 13.1 (2007): 45-54. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Summary The author points out that most people tend to assume that discussions about biotechnology are always something to do with manipulation of biological processes. In his article, Wickins clarifies that the field of biometrics, (measurements of physical) is also biotechnology and can affect the lives of people at a faster rate compared to any other means. The likelihood of social exclusion that is brought about by the use of biometric data for uses such as the production of identity cars has not been extensively explored. The writer is quick to point out that social exclusion is unethical because it unfairly discriminates against humanity. The paper looks at measures through which social exclusions can come about from the use of biometric data and suggests a model of balancing the interests of people so that it is analyzed whether the act is justified to run the risk of excluding some members of the society so that others can benefit on their behalf. Bayly, Duncan, et al. "Fractional Biometrics: Safeguarding Privacy in Biometric Applications." International Journal of Information Security 9.1 (2010): 69-82. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Summary: The authors of the paper provide a biometric system solution known as ‘masks’. According to the article, this refers to a fraction of the biometric image of an individual before it is submitted. And the main aim is to reduce the possibility of cases of forgery and conspiracy. The authors point out that a prototype system is made for the finger prints biometric. It then tested in three various security scenarios. The articles clarifies that implementation of the fractional biometric system does not affect accuracy extensively. The authors provide theoretical security analysis on the entropy. The article clearly demonstrates that through masking above 50% of the features, a considerable mix of the security is attained. There is also an assured robustness as well as accuracy to warrant future studies. And when about 75% of the features are masked, the authors point out that the theoretical guessing entropy was 42bits. On average, it was discovered that 5 authenticators colluded before the system was compromised. The article is therefore part of the solutions of the problems associated with biometric identifications. Hendow, Maegan, AlinaCibea, and Albert Kraler. "Using Technology to Draw Borders: Fundamental Rights for the Smart Borders Initiative." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 13.1 (2015): 39-57. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Summary: The authors of the article aim at examining the fundamental rights that are related to biometrics together with their functions in automated border controls. The paper also looks at how the issues are handled in the European Commission’s Smart Borders proposal. The authors, through research were able to find out that Smart Borders proposal compounds individual concerns in border controls and has serious challenges of its own such as imposition of a two-tier border control system. The paper is therefore an eye opener on the fundamental questions about the shortfalls of the system and how discusses where the limits could be drawn. According to the authors, little attention is given to the concerns about fundamental rights, both for EU and non-EU citizens as far as the use biometric is concerned. Behrensen, Maren. "Identity as Convention: Biometric Passports and the Promise of Security." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 12.1 (2014): 44-59. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Summary: Behrensen, in his article, Identity as Convention: Biometric Passports and Promise of Security, investigates the metaphysics of personal identity and the associated ethics of biometric passports. According to the author, there are three central claims. The Identity of a person is not a metaphysical task. Behrensen says that this is a set of practices which help in identifying management practices that are usually employed by the state. The second claim according to the author is that the use of biometry as part of identity management is not in any way an ethical problem. It is not also something that is fundamentally new or in any way different compared ethical problems compared to old ways that were used to identify people. The author argues that the system is used systematically in the current political climate to deny people access to specific rights, benefits and territories. The author puts together philosophical inquiries based on metaphysics of personal identity and identity as a topic in social philosophy. Bell, Colleen D.. “Grey's Anatomy Goes South: Global Racism and Suspect Identities in the Colonial Present”. The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 38.4 (2013): 465–486. Summary Colleen looks at the biometric documentation of individuals by the forces of the various coalitions within the battle zone of “war on terror”. The author points out that the growth of population-centric operations requires that an efficient way to harvest body data to distinguish the civilians and the insurgents. He also points out that it serves as a strategy of management of population against the life that is perceived as unsafe and dangerous. The paper examines how the dividing and rule tactics can be categorized as part of global racism, an act that is common in North-South conflict. According to the author, racism which undermines biometric technology is apparent in racial dynamic of Western-led counter-insurgency processes. The author points out that by doing so, security is compromised and the poor political ideologies are embraced. Kumar, Narendira V.K.. & Srinivasan, B. Biometric Passport Validation Scheme using Radio Frequency Identification. I. J. Computer Networks and Information Security, (2013) 5, 30-39. According to the authors of this article, biometric passports issued nowadays posses an embedded RFID chip. The chip carries biometric information that is digitally signed. The chip is then integrated into the cover of the pass port. The electronic passport shows a strong initiative in the use of two new technologies: RIFD and biometrics. This basically includes the face, iris, palm prints and fingerprints. The main aim of the technology is to adopt a biometric passport which both increases the security of the state and speed up crossing of the borders. The author points out that the policy makers have put their faith and trust in the technology because they think is a better way of eliminating any form of insecurity in a given region. Schimke, S., Kiltz, s. Vielhauer, C. Security Analysis for Biometric Data in ID Documents. Retrieved on March 17, 2016 from < http://wwwiti.cs.uni- magdeburg.de/~kiltz/5681_48.pdf> The article analyses the challenges as well as the chances that are brought about by the biometric ID document. The goals of adapting the system by both the national and international authorities are critically analyzed. The authors have systematically explored the methods that have been used for the purses of the identification process. A review of various human biometric attributes together techniques for storing and carefully handling the information have been carried out. The authors have also explored the possible weaknesses in the system and suggested ways of improving the situation. In carefully adapted, nations can have a credible human identification processes that can guarantee security within the territory. Literature review Biometrics security and privacy According to Wickins (pp 46), the roots of the term biometrics can be traced in the Greek words that imply ‘life measuring. Therefore, statisticians often use the biometrics approach when concentrating on the arithmetic that deals with organisms and populations. Important aspects such as fingerprints, the iris of the eye, as well as the retina have been accurately identified and differentiated using a computer based software approach. The technological landmark has created a new dawn in the area of biometric identification. However, has been argued that the use of biometrics as the capacity of creating social exclusion. Widespread use of biometric identification has proven to have both advantages and disadvantages towards the society. Biotechnology has provided scientist and inventors with many possibilities to enhance the process of personality identification. However, critics have argued that the use of biometrics has the risk of creating social exclusions within the society. According to Bayly et al. (pp 1), biometrics has been applauded for its ability to maintaining privacy and identity of individuals. Biometrics has been described as a mask on the face of the individuals since only the genetic materials form the component needed for identity. According to the article by Bayly et al., many organizations and government institutions find it challenging to identify persons. It can be argued that physical identification cards can be forged to deceive individuals in authority. On the other hand, the use of biometrics can ensure that this situation never happens since identity is made using a computer identification process. Biometrics can provide a good avenue for enhancing the security of an organization or restricting premises access. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it has been identified as a major source of social discrimination. It has been suggested that biometrics has enormous capabilities to enhance the fight against terrorism and other forms of crime (Bell pp 468). Biometric identification can be used to identify citizens of a specific country with a centralized system register monitored by a top security agency. Foreigners can thus be easily detected, and additional information obtained from their countries of origin assuming that the countries also have a centralized biometric system. Surveillance can greatly be enhanced at various checkpoints within a nation threatened by insecurity issues. However, the use of biometrics in itself does not provide security but is a good lead to security information. For instance, the use of biometrics in the United States enables the government’s security intelligence to have reliable information and leads in cases of crimes. Previously, identification was made basing on the physical appearances such as faces, height, mass and hair color. However, all these physical features can change with time, and that is the point of concern for many organizations and government institutions. The use of biometrics cannot be subject to such vulnerable loopholes when it comes to identifications of persons. It is difficult to deceive security checks where biometric credentials can be used. Biometric identification uses the technique of saving a template into a system. The template is then used to compare against future identities to establish conformance and differences. The templates are saved alongside personal details such as name and location. More studies have been conducted to identify the various means and strategies that can be adopted to improve capturing and storage of biometric data (Bayly et al., pp 1). Various risks and errors associated with a biometric template that may include error codes. So far, the scheme proposed, do not provide an important remedy for the changes to ensure the security of the people registered in the biometric register. Methods such as using a two-factor scheme have also been suggested with claims that they have the capacity to enhance security by awarding biometrics with random keys. The approach is similar to fractional biometrics in the technique used to secure identity (Hendow et al.). Social issues related to biometrics Use of biometrics has drawn unlikely links to undesirable social trends such as discrimination (Bell pp 471). Despite the claim of most biometric proponents that the system is culturally neutral and that discrimination is not an option in the system, flaws have been detected. Proponents have claimed that the main aim of biometrics is to capture only the phenotypic and behavioral characteristics of people. However, it is believed that the biometric identification has more capabilities that it meets the eye regarding detecting gender and race. In addition, biographical data can be used in saving the biometric identity into a system, which can be used for discriminative purposes. Suggested trends in the use of biometric uses include the concepts of physiognomy and anthropometry. Biometry can conduct quick classification of the individuals registered under it. The biometric laboratories have been engaged in various studies to enhance the use of biometric in various private and government institutions. The biometric laboratories have provided more hope for future improvement claiming that the technology is still in its juvenile stage. With the pace that technological evolution is assuming, it can be accurately predicted that change will make the situation better soon or later. The literature has had provided the advantages and disadvantages of the current capabilities of the biometric system. However, there is enough evidence that the available loopholes are the major drawbacks to the system efficiency (Heim et al.). There is need to establish the means by which the loopholes can be filled to avoid the negative social characteristics associated with biometrics. The negative social threats posed by the use of biometrics are real and can affect the privacy of the people registered in the biometric register. It can be argued that physical identification card is no different, but the biometric provides a more advanced option of discrimination or malicious treatment. It is evident that biometrics can be used to enhance the security of a state, organization or premise. However, it is also true that malicious individuals to infringe the privacy of the individuals recognized by a biometric register can use the use of biometrics. It is hard to quantity and qualifies the advantages and disadvantages attached to the use of biometrics. Therefore, the study aims at establishing the real condition of security and privacy in places where biometric registers are used. Works Cited Kumar, Narendira V.K.. & Srinivasan, B. Biometric Passport Validation Scheme using Radio Frequency Identification. I. J. Computer Networks and Information Security, (2013) 5, 30-39. Schimke, S., Kiltz, s. Vielhauer, C. Security Analysis for Biometric Data in ID Documents. Retrieved on March 17, 2016 from < http://wwwiti.cs.uni- magdeburg.de/~kiltz/5681_48.pdf> Bell, Colleen D.. “Grey's Anatomy Goes South: Global Racism and Suspect Identities in the Colonial Present”. The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie 38.4 (2013): 465–486 Behrensen, Maren. "Identity as Convention: Biometric Passports and the Promise of Security." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 12.1 (2014): 44-59. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Hendow, Maegan, AlinaCibea, and Albert Kraler. "Using Technology to Draw Borders: Fundamental Rights for the Smart Borders Initiative." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 13.1 (2015): 39-57. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Bayly, Duncan, et al. "Fractional Biometrics: Safeguarding Privacy in Biometric Applications." International Journal of Information Security 9.1 (2010): 69-82. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Wickins, Jeremy. "The Ethics Of Biometrics: The Risk Of Social Exclusion From The Widespread Use Of Electronic Identification." Science & Engineering Ethics 13.1 (2007): 45-54. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Heimo, Olli I., AnttiHakkala, and Kai K. Kimppa. "How to Abuse Biometric Passport Systems." Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society 10.2 (2012): 68-81. ProQuest. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. Read More