Biometric Technology
and Civil Liberties:
Affirmative Argument
Presented by:
Katie Bull
Patty Escamilla
Ryan Grace
Shelby Kovant
Susie Wallingford
Computer Science 1: Debate
Spring 2008
Professor Forbes
What are Biometric
Technologies?

The “automated use of physiological and
behavioral traits to verify identity.”
Physiological: fingerprints, iris recognition,
face recognition, hand geometry, odor, DNA
 Behavioral: voice and speech recognition,
typing patterns/style, signature

Benefits of Biometric
Technologies to Employers

Increased security
sensitive information can be protected
with more than a password
 Biometrics can deter and detect
fraudulent account access
 No badge sharing in secure areas
 No shared or compromised
passwords


Reduced costs
Benefits of Biometric
Technologies to Employees

Convenience



Security


No passwords to remember or reset (or have
stolen)
Faster login
Confidential files can be stored securely
Non-repudiation

Biometric transactions are difficult to refute
Other Benefits of Biometric
Technology

Identity theft
Reduce the risk of identity theft
 This can give people confidence and
can bolster online commerce


Missing persons

Children whose parents store their
biometric information can be tracked
down more easily if kidnapped or
missing
Other Benefits of Biometric
Technology

Medical Information



In the case of medical emergencies,
hospitals can use biometric technologies to
transfer medical information
This information, if protected by biometric
technology, can be held securely without as
much risk of being lost or stolen
Reduce human error
Biometric Technology and
Privacy
If designed with appropriate protocols to
ensure privacy before implementation, there
is little risk to personal security
 Two part strategy:

These protocols can be part of the hardware
(and thus designed into the system) and
 enhanced through operational guidelines and
systems oversight

Weaknesses in Current
Security

Forms of security based on items and knowledge
people posses have many weaknesses




Fake ‘blanks’
Manufacturing equipment has placed the ability to
forge these types of documents into the hands of a
much larger group of criminals than ever before
Random credit card number generators have made
identity theft much more common
Breaches of security in airports have led to acts of
terrorism
The ‘technology’ in Biometric
Technology

Determining matches:



Security:


Biometric templates are used to determine degree of
similarity or correlation
Using templates is much more secure than a system
storing detailed personal information
Templates are encrypted when in transit and storage
to protect against being compromised
Ongoing Support:

Updated technology and security systems can be
installed following the initial enrollment to further
protect information
Ethics of Using Biometric
Technology



Supporters of biometric technology do not
believe that civil liberties should be
compromised in the name of security
Biometric technologies will not necessarily
be used by the government to catalog every
person in the country
The Heritage Foundation has proposed a
code of ethics for using biometric
technology in the general public:
Code of Ethics for Using
Biometric Technologies

Enrollment in biometric systems should be overt and
not covert
 Users should never unwillingly have to give up their
biometric information

Biometric systems are better used for verification than
identification
 Gives the chance for a 1:1 match instead of 1:many

Biometric systems should be designed to operate with
local storage instead of central storage
 This will prevent large-scale theft of information
Code of Ethics for Using
Biometric Technologies
One should prefer biometric systems that are
optional instead of required
 Biometric systems should use forms of
verified pseudonymity



This will maintain anonymity
Biometric systems should have strong
audit/oversight programs to prevent misuse

Privacy Act of 1874 limits the ability of federal
agents to collect, use, or disclose personal
information like biometric data
What Does Biometric
Technology Mean for
Americans?

Biometric systems should not be
installed on everything – there is a
time and place for their usage

Biometric systems should only be
installed when they can increase
security without putting civil liberties at
risk
Biometric Technology and
Airports



At airports, human screeners miss knives 70% of the
time, guns 30% of the time, and simulated explosives
60% of the time
Increased use of biometric systems could increase
efficiency and decrease human error
Biometric systems (ie, fingerprint scanner) could be
used to identify criminals from frequent flyers
 Someone with a criminal record would be stopped for
additional screening, while a low-risk person could go
through a less intense screening process
Biometric Technology and
Terrorism

The Heritage Foundation:
 Advanced technology is a competitive advantage for
the United States
 At the Congressional Joint Inquiry into the events of
Sept. 11, it was realized that there were noting
systemic failures that played a role in the inability to
prevent the terrorist attacks.
 Perhaps, if biometric technology had been used,
these attacks may have been prevented
 The development and implementation of biometric
systems with appropriate safeguards will help avoid
repeating this mistake
When to Apply Biometric
Technologies

Reserve biometric systems for the use of
protecting large or sensitive things




High level security jobs (ie, CIA, work with
live viruses, etc)
Medical information
Cars or homes – lower level items that
individuals could install biometric systems in
(some car manufacturers already do this)
IBM has fingerprint scanners on some of its
laptop models
Use of Biometric Technologies
in Other Countries

Germany



Israel



In May 2005 the German Upper House of Parliament
approved the implementation of the ePass, a passport
issued to all German citizens which contain biometric
technology.
Germany is one of the first countries to implement biometric
technology at the Olympic Games to protect German
athletes, sparked by Munich terrorism in 1972.
Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport has a fast check-in system
which uses a biometric smartcard. For a traveler to pass
through the smartcard system takes less than 10 seconds.
The border crossing points from Israel to the Gaza Strip and
West Bank are controlled by biometric security gates
through which authorized Palestinians may pass.
England
Biometric Technology and
Civil Liberties


Much of the criticism of biometric
technology seems to stem from a stigma
Americans place on giving up personal
information, not necessarily a legitimate fear
of infringement on privacy
In reality, biometric systems are a secure
way to protect private information; if used
properly and supported by strong policies,
biometric technologies can become a safe
and effective way to keep personal
information private
Work Cited Page
Rosenzweig, Paul, Alane Kochems, and Ari Schwartz. “Biometric
Technologies: Security, Legal, and Policy Implications.” Heritage
Foundation. 21 June 2004.
<http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandSecurity/lm12.cfm>.
Biometrics: The Unique Identification of Human Characteristics. “Biometric
Technology.” 31 March 2008.
<http://et.wcu.edu/aidc/BioWebPages/Biometrics_Technology.html>.
Biometrics: The Unique Identification of Human Characteristics. “Biometric
outlook.” 31 March 2008.
<http://et.wcu.edu/aidc/BioWebPages/Biometric_Outlook.html>.
Biometrics: The Unique Identification of Human Characteristics. “Biometric
Applications.” 31 March 2008.
<http://et.wcu.edu/aidc/BioWebPages/Biometric_Applications.html>.
Davies,Simon G. "Touching Big Brother: How biometric technology will fuse
flesh and machine.” Information Technology & People 7.4 (1994). 31 March
2008 <http://www.privacy.org/pi/reports/biometric.html>.