This book examines a series of questions associated with the increasing application and implications of biometrics in contemporary everyday life. In the wake of the events of 9/11, the reliance on increasingly sophisticated and invasive technologies across a burgeoning field of applications has accelerated, giving rise to the term 'biometric state'. This book explores how these ‘virtual borders’ are created and the effect they have upon the politics of citizenship and immigration, especially how they contribute to the treatment of citizens as suspects. Finally and most importantly, this text argues that the rationale of 'governing through risk' facilitates pre-emptory logics, a negligent attitude towards 'false positives', and an overall proliferation of borders and ubiquitous risk, which becomes integral to contemporary everyday life, far beyond the confined politics of national borders and frontiers. By focusing on specific sites, such as virtual borders in airports, trusted traveller programs like the NEXUS program and those delivered by airlines and supported by governmental authorities (TSA and CATSA respectively), this book raises critical questions about the emerging biometric state and its commitment and constitution vis-à-vis technology of ‘governing through risk’. This book will be of interest to students of biopolitics, critical security, surveillance studies and International Relations in general. Benjamin J. Muller is assistant professor in International Relations at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada. He completed his PhD in the School of Politics and International Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2005.

Biometrics is becoming increasingly common in establishments that require high security such as state security and financial sectors. The increased threat to national security by terrorists has led to the explosive popularity of biometrics. Biometric devices are now available to capture biometric measurements such as fingerprints, palm, retinal scans, keystroke, voice recognition and facial scanning. However, the accuracy of these measurements varies, which has a direct relevance on the levels of security they offer. With the need to combat the problems related to identify theft and other security issues, society will have to compromise between security and personal freedoms. Securing Biometrics Applications investigates and identifies key impacts of biometric security applications, while discovering opportunities and challenges presented by the biometric technologies available.

Modern biometrics delivers an enhanced level of security by means of a “proof of property”. The design and deployment of a biometric system, however, hide many pitfalls, which, when underestimated, can lead to major security weaknesses and privacy threats. Issues of concern include biometric identity theft and privacy invasion because of the strong connection between a user and his identity. This book showcases a collection of comprehensive references on the advances of biometric security technology. It compiles a total of fourteen articles, all contributed by thirty-two eminent researchers in the field, thus providing concise and accessible coverage of not only general issues, but also state-of-the-art solutions. The book is divided into five parts: (1) Biometric Template Protection, which covers cancellable biometrics and parameter management protocol; (2) Biometric Key and Encryption, focusing on biometric key generation and visual biometric cryptography; (3) Biometric Systems Analysis, dealing with biometric system security, and privacy evaluation and assessment; (4) Privacy-Enhanced Biometric Systems, covering privacy-enhanced biometric system protocol design and implementation; and (5) Other Biometric Security Technologies. The book will be of particular interest to researchers, scholars, graduate students, engineers, practitioners and developers interested in security and privacy-related issues in biometric systems. It will also be attractive to managers of various organizations with strong security needs.

Biometric recognition-the automated recognition of individuals based on their behavioral and biological characteristic-is promoted as a way to help identify terrorists, provide better control of access to physical facilities and financial accounts, and increase the efficiency of access to services and their utilization. Biometric recognition has been applied to identification of criminals, patient tracking in medical informatics, and the personalization of social services, among other things. In spite of substantial effort, however, there remain unresolved questions about the effectiveness and management of systems for biometric recognition, as well as the appropriateness and societal impact of their use. Moreover, the general public has been exposed to biometrics largely as high-technology gadgets in spy thrillers or as fear-instilling instruments of state or corporate surveillance in speculative fiction. Now, as biometric technologies appear poised for broader use, increased concerns about national security and the tracking of individuals as they cross borders have caused passports, visas, and border-crossing records to be linked to biometric data. A focus on fighting insurgencies and terrorism has led to the military deployment of biometric tools to enable recognition of individuals as friend or foe. Commercially, finger-imaging sensors, whose cost and physical size have been reduced, now appear on many laptop personal computers, handheld devices, mobile phones, and other consumer devices. Biometric Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities addresses the issues surrounding broader implementation of this technology, making two main points: first, biometric recognition systems are incredibly complex, and need to be addressed as such. Second, biometric recognition is an inherently probabilistic endeavor. Consequently, even when the technology and the system in which it is embedded are behaving as designed, there is inevitable uncertainty and risk of error. This book elaborates on these themes in detail to provide policy makers, developers, and researchers a comprehensive assessment of biometric recognition that examines current capabilities, future possibilities, and the role of government in technology and system development.

This book highlights recent research advances on biometrics using new methods such as deep learning, nonlinear graph embedding, fuzzy approaches, and ensemble learning. Included are special biometric technologies related to privacy and security issues, such as cancellable biometrics and soft biometrics. The book also focuses on several emerging topics such as big data issues, internet of things, medical biometrics, healthcare, and robot-human interactions. The authors show how these new applications have triggered a number of new biometric approaches. They show, as an example, how fuzzy extractor has become a useful tool for key generation in biometric banking, and vein/heart rates from medical records can also be used to identify patients. The contributors cover the topics, their methods, and their applications in depth.

Biometrics is becoming increasingly common in establishments that require high security such as state security and financial sectors. The increased threat to national security by terrorists has led to the explosive popularity of biometrics. Biometric devices are now available to capture biometric measurements such as fingerprints, palm, retinal scans, keystroke, voice recognition and facial scanning. However, the accuracy of these measurements varies, which has a direct relevance on the levels of security they offer. With the need to combat the problems related to identify theft and other security issues, society will have to compromise between security and personal freedoms. Securing Biometrics Applications investigates and identifies key impacts of biometric security applications, while discovering opportunities and challenges presented by the biometric technologies available.