ATM Iris Recognition Coming Soon

Anonymous Cow writes "In Australia, iris technology is already being used by Qantas Airlines, Sydney Airport, foreign embassies, some banks and TAFE colleges, the Australian Protective Services, the Defence Department and the Police Integrity Commission. It is predicted that within five years every ATM in Australia will have iris recognition technology."

Comments

Why is this bad?

[Ars-Fartsica]

ATM transactions already create a full audit trail of your banking habits. At least this way, someone has to steal your eyeball and not just your card and PIN. The audit trail and data mining on your account takes place either way.

f we're going to live in a database society at least I want some assurance that my identity is proven with more than a plastic card and a four digit password.

Re:Why is this bad?

[ackthpt]

At least this way, someone has to steal your eyeball and not just your card and PIN.

My eyeball? Man, I like to think my eyeball is one heck of a lot more important that whatever is in my checking or savings account. Someone carves out my eye and I'm sure I'll not be worrying about mere money.

(Many years ago I bought a new car. Really sharp and very classy. I was pretty proud and happy to drive it around and show it off. 45 days later I was diagnosed with cancer. The car went from pride and joy to just some object.)

There's also this thing about totally ruthless people. If they need your fingerprint, they don't think much of cutting off your finger to take it with them. So, what's to stop them from taking your eye? Advances in security are met with advances in criminal technique. Best to keey your eyes in a safe deposit box.

Re:Why is this bad?

[Greyfox]

Because they have to STEAL your EYEBALL! Christ man, didn't you even think about what you were saying?

On a more serious note (As if eyeball stealing wasn't serious enough) no security system is perfect. Someone WILL crack that security. Some loophole will be found because some loophole always is. Nothing a human being can make can be perfect. Now imagine the poor guy who has to prove that a string of ATM transactions into his checking account didn't come from him. Everyone will assume that biometrics can't be beat and that guy will have no recourse except to eat his losses.

Likewise, biometrics can change. How will that guy get his money from ATMs once criminals steal his eyeballs? Lets say for the sake of argument that great advances in eyeball stealing technology are made, to the point where a criminal can just pop them out while you're standing in line at the grocery. One minute you're counting your sausages, the next minute you have no eyeballs. You might not even notice for a couple of minutes. You'd be all like... "Hey... didn't I have eyeballs a minute ago?" Then you go up to the cash register to pay and you can't prove your identity because someone just made off with your eyeballs. Very embarassing.

From time to time I get into something that causes an allergic reaction that in turn causes some nasty skin peeling on my hands. During that time my fingerprints are completely obscured (You have no idea how much grip fingerprints give you until you don't have them, let me tell you...) If my bank were relying competely on fingerprints for me to prove who I was, I'd be up the creek with no food to by groceries or eyeball stealing equipment until my fingerprints grew back.

In a nutshell, I don't trust any identifying feature (including social security number) that can't be easily paired with a secret and changed at a moment's notice.

Which means

[Apreche]

That there is a database somewhere that matches their eyeballs with their personal information. Sorry, but I'd rather not have another database with my info in it.

Not just protecting clients

[Badgerman]

Though I'm all behind this (and the additional technologies it'll bring), this is more than just protecting clients - it's protecting the bank.

Take a look at the Citibank issue. Having advanced security technology like this is a great way to protect your customers - which in turn protects your reputation and protects you from lawsuits.

I also wonder if this will raise the bar for other institutions.

Not quite

[tomzyk]

Mr Grimes predicted that Australia's financial institutions would begin adopting iris technology at automatic teller machines within five years.

BEGINING to use them does not mean that EVERY SINGLE ONE WILL contain it immediately. It could mean that just every time a new machine is created, it will contain this functionality.

Bigbrother is becoming BigDaddy

[the_mutha]

Its hard to believe that even after books like 1986 and A Brave New World, people accept this kind of control.

Its because people accept this kind of control, and think its ok that we will face BigDaddydom in the future.

I believe in PREVENTATIVE medicine more than in CORRECTIVE medicine... and in the same way, belive that problems should be fought at their source, and not at the consequences.

E.g. Better educate people better, stimulate production to increase jobs, give away free tecnical education for the poor, than to build more jails, put more cops on the streets, etc.

Re:Bigbrother is becoming BigDaddy

[DonFinch]

OK, slow down for just a second. When it comes to banking this is a great idea. The bank already has your name, social, phone, and a miryad of other peices of personal information. This is all protected by a card and one or two pass-nums, or a checkbook. Both of which are very easily stolen, with lower-teir punishments. I'm sorry but since have only the choice of give the bank this data, or use nothing but cash all the time (plus never being able to use an interest-bearing savings account, invest, get a loan etc) I would much rather have it protected by my eye, which is attached to me, and to use illegially would involve either A. Armed Kiddnapping B. Serious assult (de-eyeing) C. Murder, all of which carry SUBSTANTIALLY stiffer penalties than pick-pocketing. There is no need for a tinfoil hat. This is not big brother spying on you. This is them giveing you a better lock and key to protect your data with.

Didn't Demolition Man teach us anything...

[jakesher]

I don't want to end up blind over the money in my checking account...

Re:Injury/Astigmatism?

[Qzukk]

I believe that the pattern scanned is the pattern of blood vessels in the eyes, which is more random than genetically determined except possibly in cases where the eye is malformed.

Probably to maintain a reasonable sized database they would stick to right eye or left eye, and assume that the person knows which eye to scan.

I would suppose that they would have a backup ID system in place for people with eye injuries or fake eyes, or whatever other problems.

What if you're blind?

[GamezCore.com]

How bout the blind, and or people with damaged/missing eyes? As it stands now, ATM's do have braille support.

How often is your info even compromised?

[antinous57]

With all the times you use your atm card, in all the different locations, how often do you find yourself calling up the bank and having to report fraud on your account because of someone stealing your card and pin number? If these things happened often ATMs would not have become such a necessary convenience. I know in the past 10 years when ATMs have really been readily available my account has never been compromised due to me losing my card and someone finding my pin, and I'd say that is the same for most people. Isn't that why most banks offer fraud protection anyways??

No. really. they *won't* scan me.

[Frymaster]

the problem with this is that carrying your id is now mandatory. i have a driver's license. it demonstrates to the authorities that i am qualified to drive. when i am not driving i do not carry my driver's license with me and i do not show it the police when i am not accused of a driving violation. i have a social insurance number. it is only to be used for taxation purposes. i give the number to no one else for no other reason. they have no need nor right to ask for it.

with iris recognition these two pieces of id are always on me.

Re:No. really. they *won't* scan me.

[da]

The problem with id is not what problems it causes now, but the potential for it's abuse. Sure, our current governments would never dream of misusing the data that are held about us, but what about when a democratically elected government, e.g. the Nazis in pre-war Germany turns out to be a bunch of loonies who want to persecute those who disagree with them, and those who just happen to offend their arbitary prejudices. Then, you are in BIG trouble, unless you are a Nazi... So it is very important that these issues are taken serious, and not treated with the "well I've got nothing to hide, you must have" mentality...

Re:No. really. they *won't* scan me.

[Anonymous Coward]

the cops (or whoever you're afraid of) would have a lot of trouble scanning your iris without your consent. unless, of course, they phyiscally assault you and hold open your eye. by that point, though, you have other problems.

also, it's actually -illegal- not to carry your photo id or present it when requested in some states. fight that law before you get so concerned with banks using retina scans.

I'll keep my PIN thanks.

[cosmosis]

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'll be damned if I submit to biometric identifiers to bank. It is afterall MY bank account that is insecure, not anyone elses, if I decide to remaim with using a so-called less secure PIN method. And only I to blame if someone steals it, which by the way has not happened once in all the years there has been a PIN number. I've been using ATM's since they were first introduced, and not once, have I had any security breach on my accont. Your crazy, if I'm going to let some corporation get their hands on my unique biometric identifiers which they will most likely sell to other companies. Before you know it, my biometric date will be on hundreds of databases outside of my control. My identity, both analog and digital is my own. Period.

Planet P Blog

Legal Issues

[Anonymous Coward]

Firstly, The Australian Cash Transactions Reporting Authority, make it mandatory for financial instititions to report certain transactions. An Australian bank account can to 'frozen' by a public servant or clerk - not a Judge. The prints will become govt property.

Public Hygine and vandalism.
Can I get germs from an eyescan, become sick and possibly die?
What if the last person using it had aids or worse -
Alergy rashes from womens eye makeup rings containing peanut oil?
I avoid atms, because you can see the grime, layers of finger grease, snot, and in some cases excement.
BSE prions now supposed to 'sneezeable'
Chewing gum, spraypaint.
Banks just got hit for Public Liability insurance - people slipping in front of an ATM. Wait till they cop suits for skin and eye infections.

Anyone got links to what bugs are in public telephone handsets?