Slashdot Mirror
Biometrics: Prepare to be Scanned
npistentis writes "From an
article in the Economist: It has been a long time coming. But after years of false starts, security systems based on biometrics--human characteristics such as faces, hand shapes and fingerprints--are finally taking off. Proponents have long argued that because biometrics cannot be forgotten, like a password, or lost or stolen, like a key or an identity card, they are an ideal way to control access to computer networks, airport service-areas and bank vaults. But biometrics have not yet spread beyond such niche markets, for two main reasons. The first is the unease they can inspire among users. Many people would prefer not to have to submit their eyes for scanning in order to withdraw money from a cash dispenser. The second reason is cost: biometric systems are expensive compared with other security measures, such as passwords and personal identification numbers. So while biometrics may provide extra security, the costs currently outweigh the benefits in most cases."
instead of looking in your desk and finding out that your password is 'pencil', Rutger Hauer types are going to rip your eyes out. Yay for progress!
What were they thinkin'!? What did they have, a mainframe computer in the backroom running the scanner? Did Intel even have a 4004 for sale? Great science fiction, but the computing power didn't exist for this to be practical in 1971. Heck, the technology barely exists today 30 years later.
Does saying 'ewwwww' make you feel young again, when really you are a child porn obessed old man? I can't stand people that say 'ewwwww' online, it's almost as bad as when people say it in real life.