Cheer up, commuters...

...before you get detained. Facial ticks and expressions are now being observed by "behaviour scanners" at more than a dozen airports around the US. Signs of stress in the faces of would-be-passengers will be cause for security personnel to question, search, and detain you.

Of course, there is no such thing as a universal indicator in everyone's face that would reveal they are lying or under stress. Furthermore, security personnel making minimum wage in airports have proven ineffective at monitoring x-ray machines, let alone being asked to function as behavioural scientists. So what is the chance of this measure curbing terrorism? Is it greater than the chance of giving citizens a false sense of security?

UK police now take roadside fingerprints.

According to this BBC article, police in the UK now have portable fingerprint scanners which can instantly link to a database of 6.5 million prints from any roadside.

The TechDirt blog had an interesting point about stat faults inherent in the program, stating, "The mobile fingerprint scanning device is only 95% accurate and only about 6% of people will be in the group of drivers who give false information and have fingerprints already on file (which has to be the target group). How successful will this scheme really be?"

Citibank Singapore introduces biometrics.

This month Citibank Singapore unveiled fingerprint scanners at points-of-purchase throughout the city. At the moment only holders of Citibank's Clear Platinum card can pay through the biometric system. It seems the bank is beginning its biometric rollout by targetting the coveted taste-making 25 to 34 year old demographic that makes up the bulk of its Clear Platinum card holders.

Currently, the convenience of a quick fingerprint scan to pay for goods is tempered by the 7 digit PIN that must be entered to complete any transaction. This requirement begs the question, then what's the point? I think this is both an effort to troubleshoot the technology in a larger public arena, as well as part of a larger effort to aclimatize people to the idea of daily biometric use. It has been quite some time since Wal-Mart and Costco were first reported to be eyeing biometric identification. . .

Read more about this biometric rollout and the companies behind it here.

Tomorrowland!

Pictured is an entry gate at Walt Disney World that measures the recorded finger geometry of a multi-day ticket holder to ensure that a ticket has not changed hands. As of the end of September 2006, Disney World upgraded their scanners to measure fingerprints. This allows for greater accuracy while still remaining far more cost-effective that photo identification for each park goer.

Privacy advocates have taken issue with the lack of transparency in regard to the upgrade. Park goers are not told about the information collected or even given details on the process for entering the park. The gates at Disney World are currently the largest single commercial application of biometrics in the United States.

For more details about this application, see this article from the Medill School of Journalism.

The Future of Security.

Enjoy this clip from MythBusters as the boys attempt to hack an "unbeatable" biometric security system.



Yes, this is what Western governments are pouring their money into.