How Do You Feel About Biometrics

I absolutely love the concept of biometrics fast-easy access to secure areas with personal digital signatures that are extremely difficult to copy. However, if someone REALLY wants access, there is a simple solution. If the device uses retina scans, remove the person's eyes. If the device uses fingerprints, cut off their fingers. The good news is at least the agencies that need true security will combine biometrics with some of the other tried and true methods such as combinations. There is always a way in its just up to the individual trying to get in how far they are willing to go. That is why biometrics and other locking methods work...it is just too much work for the villain. Why hit the house with an alarm when the one right next door doesn't have a security system.

I personally own a device that uses biometrics. I keep my firearm locked away in a safe that uses my fingerprints to activate and deactivate the lock. I like it...sometimes. Every now and then if I have something on my fingers or cut myself it doesn't always work very well. Now if I needed that sidearm fast I would be in trouble in that case, but since I only use it for work I am rarely rushed and can just get the BACKUP key. Now that defeats the true purpose of using fingerprints to lock it, but hey it's fast and easy to get in normally. It saves me the troubles of having to walk back and forth with the key.

This is a link to a similar biometric safe to the one I have: http://www.gunsafestore.com/bio-gunsafe.htm

In closing, biometrics is a great technological advance, but it is far from perfect. In the future who knows perhaps it will be perfected. In the article is speaks of using it for identification purposes, that is a very useful idea and there is no need for security there so it works well. Biometrics I am sure are here to stay.

William Worona 2005

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