Biometrics

Introduction

While acting on the internet, or when allowing someone access to a location or content, it is important to verify whether a person is indeed who he/she claims to be or whether someone has the appropriate rights of access. At the same time, people have a fundamental right to privacy and should not be asked to provide more information than is necessary for the purpose at hand. A new threat is that of fake news, where non-genuine information is presented as true. In the track Biometrics, Security and Privacy, these topics are addressed.

Biometrics is the use of body or behavioural characteristics in order to identify a person or to verify his or her claimed identity. As a recognition technology, biometrics is used as a means to secure access to content and locations, to authenticate (internet) transactions, to verify token ownership (passports), and to recognize people on surveillance video footage. As it uses body (or occasionally behavioural) characteristics, it is the only known method capable of truly verifying or identifying a person’s identity. At UT biometrics is taken in a somewhat wider sense, including aspects of behavioural analysis.