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Articles on Biometrics

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Today’s technology advances what passport control has been doing for more than a century. ullstein bild via Getty Images

Face recognition technology follows a long analog history of surveillance and control based on identifying physical features

Face recognition technology follows earlier biometric surveillance techniques, including fingerprints, passport photos and iris scans. It’s the first that can be done without the subject’s knowledge.
A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo registers his fingerprints on a biometric machine in Uganda in 2022. Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images

Registering refugees using personal information has become the norm – but cybersecurity breaches pose risks to people giving sensitive biometric data

Capturing biometric data helps UN agencies and other groups avoid the risk of fraud and increase efficiency. But the practice is complicated and has created security risks for vulnerable groups.
Beginning this summer, you might need to upload a selfie and a photo ID to a private company, ID.me, if you want to file your taxes online. Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images

Government agencies are tapping a facial recognition company to prove you’re you – here’s why that raises concerns about privacy, accuracy and fairness

Federal and state governments are turning to a facial recognition company to ensure that people accessing services are who they say they are. The move promises to cut down on fraud, but at what cost?
Government agencies are increasingly using facial recognition technology, including through security cameras like this one being installed on the Lincoln Memorial in 2019. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Feds are increasing use of facial recognition systems – despite calls for a moratorium

Politicians of all stripes, computer professionals and even big-tech executives are calling on government to hit the brakes on using these algorithms. The feds are hitting the gas.
A U.S. Army soldier scans the irises of an Afghan civilian in 2012 as part of an effort by the military to collect biometric information from much of the Afghan population. Jose Cabezas/AFP via GettyImages

Afghanistan’s Taliban reportedly have control of US biometric devices – a lesson in life-and-death consequences of data privacy

The potential failure of the US military to protect information that can identify Afghan citizens raises questions about whether and how biometric data should be collected in war zones.
Vaccine passports may soon be required for travelling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Like biometrics, they’ll likely become a permanent part of our daily lives — and there’s barely been any debate about them. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Why we need to seriously reconsider COVID-19 vaccination passports

COVID-19 vaccine passports are being presented as a relatively simple technological solution to our current travel woes. But meaningful public debate about their merits and problems is essential.
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Can I still be hacked with 2FA enabled?

Two-factor authentication is certainly an added layer of security as we traverse the online world. But it comes in various forms, and they’re not all equally protective.
Monaco and Japan have some of the highest life expectancies in the world. But calculating an individual’s life expectancy will require taking data analysis several steps further. SHUTTERSTOCK

Don’t die wondering: apps may soon be able to predict your life expectancy, but do you want to know?

Predicting life expectancy remains in the realm of science fiction, but it may soon be possible. Are we prepared for such information? And who else would benefit from this knowledge?

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