DIY Iris Scanning?

gadzook33 asks: "There have been rumors floating around about DIY iris scanning, using digital cameras for biometric security. Iris scanning presents a fantastic alternative to password-based authentication but hasn't really come to our desktops yet. I've looked around but can't find any concrete material on the subject. Is anyone doing this? Are there any efforts to develop open software for this sort of thing? Are patents holding things up? Given that passwords are an almost defunct technique for protecting data in certain situations, it would be nice to have an alternative."

Comments

Re:Not an alternative...

[Vo0k]

"That person is me anywhere they do an iris scan." is true. Except they get "Sorry, you don't have a clearance" as a reply, just like you do. If a building security is based on iris scan, sure they won't be able to enter after your iris pattern is revoked, but so won't you. Meaning no entry to the building, sorry sir, you must look for a job elsewhere, at least till we update our security system.

As for 2), the basic feature of biometrics is that it's simple. You touch a surface or look into a lens, and that's all, no typing passwords, no entering codes or searching your wallet for magnetic card. Take it away and you take away half of the charm of biometrics. You only leave the scare "they will knock you out and take your eye out in a dark backstreet to break in" plus vague and unreliable info about high security, which is neither verifiable nor unhackable and definitely doesn't appeal to management.

It's a bumpy road ahead of biometrics.