Privacy by design solutions for biometric one-to-many identification systems /

Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the interest in, and uptake of, automated biometric systems. Biometrics are now commonly being integrated into a range of large and complex information communication technology systems and processes, and access to this data is becoming virtual rather than physical. We see the use of contemporary biometric systems being implemented throughout the world in areas such as national ID systems, border security control, crime prevention, fraud detection, forensics, war zone applications, attendance recording, access control and financial transactions. These advanced automated systems use a scanner to take a biometric sample or what is known as a digital image from an individual during enrolment. Data are then extracted from the sample image to create a unique biometric template. The biometric data, either in image form or the template or both, can then be stored centrally in a database or in a distributed environment, such as a smart card. The biometric data can now serve to either verify or identify an enrolled individual. Verification involves a "one-to-one" match where an individual presents a "live" biometric which is matched to a stored image or biometric template. The matching of the live biometric to the stored biometric data is all that is necessary to authenticate or validate the claimed identity of the individual. Since the individual is present, there is greater control over the use of the biometric data and increased security, since there is no need for additional identifying information to be attached to the stored biometric data. Moreover, the biometric data can be stored or even processed on a smart card or other device that is in the user's possession. Identification, on the other hand, refers to the ability of a system to uniquely distinguish an individual from a larger set of centrally stored biometric data or what is often referred to as a one-to-many match. Identification systems require storing large amounts of data and, in general, are more pr