From using facial detection to target adverts to spotting an online fraudster, the art of identification is getting ever more sophisticated
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| A biometric check-in kiosk at Heathrow airport. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images |
1 India’s big biometric database
India houses the most ambitious biometrics database in the world, Aadhaar, which has so far gathered fingerprints, iris scans and photos of more than 500 million citizens – many of whom had no prior proof of their identity. Each gets a 12-digit number used for various services.
2 Face recognition returns for Facebook in Europe
Facebook has used facial recognition technology since 2010 to suggest which friends to tag in photos. It removed the option in Europe in 2012 under pressure from privacy campaigners, but recently restored it – but only for photos of friends in the US who’ve opted in for the feature.
3 Tesco’s facial recognition advertising screens
Tesco is introducing outdoor screens showing adverts in its petrol stations in the UK, using OptimEyes technology from British firm Amscreen. The screens include a face-detection camera gauging the age and gender of customers, with that data plus location and time of day used to determine what ads they see.
4 Pre-crime biometrics for online fraud
Israeli firm BioCatch’s technology tracks the activity of online banking and shopping users, building profiles to check whenever they log in, to spot when a fraudster might be about to misuse their account.
5 Behaviometrics are about what you do online
BioCatch’s technology is an example of “behaviometrics”, as also seen with a company called Behaviosec. Its software analyses people’s typing rhythm, mouse movements and how they navigate around their applications to determine whether it’s really them at the computer.
6 Touch ID key to Apple’s iPhone future
Smartphones have had fingerprint recognition before, but Apple’s iPhone 5s popularised the idea in 2013, with its fingerprint sensor used to unlock the phone and authorise digital content purchases. It’s expected to form part of the company’s move into full mobile payments too.
7 PayPal gets into fingerprint recognition
Apple is not the only company investigating biometric technology for payments. PayPal is working with Samsung in 25 countries to allow owners of its Galaxy S5 smartphone to pay for goods and services on its site, as well as other sites using PayPal for their payments.
8 China to get facial payments technology
In 2015, China will see the introduction of an app using facial recognition to authorise payments, meaning that people’s features will become their PIN for purchases. Once installed and linked to a credit card or bank account, the app will authorise payments in as little as one second.
9 ‘Eyeball selfie’ scanning on your smartphone
Eye-recognition technology has been used in airports and other high-secure buildings for a long time. However, the technology is becoming ever more personal: one firm, EyeVerify – dubbed “eyeball selfie for banking” by tech blog TechCrunch – aims to integrate its technology into personal banking apps.
10 Hey teachers! Leave those kids’ fingerprints alone
Schools in the UK have experimented with fingerprinting pupils then using that data for tasks including library books and lunch payments.
However, the European Commission has questioned the practice, including whether schools can make it compulsory and whether parents can challenge it in court.
Source : www.theguardian.com
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