Who is willing to lose an eye for a fewer passwords?

When I was in the mortgage banking industry, we discussed security on a regular basis. My team was constantly looking at additional ways to add layers of security to our data, office, and servers. One particular discussion stands out, and that was a discussion about the growing use of biometrics such as fingerprints and eye scans.

One of the large private banks in town had a new state-of-the-art server room which only allowed access with a PIN and an eye scanner. They used the eye scanner instead of having additional passcodes for access. Being the tech lovers that we were, this was an excited discussion for all but one of our colleagues. His response was “I wouldn’t want access to that area, because I don’t want someone to cut out my eye to try to get access.”

This is an interesting perspective, especially given the growing adoption of biometric devices such as fingerprint, facial, palm, and iris scanners.  These devices are being looked at more and more closely in an attempt to prevent unauthorized access and fraud, and to relieve many of the issues associated with remembering multiple, ever-changing passwords.

According to a recent article in the New Zealand Herald, 81% of New Zealanders are happy to use fingerprint scans to prove their identity and 68% are willing to have their eyes scanned. I wonder if they’d reconsider if they were presented with the possibility losing an eye or a finger? We do live in a time where fear is often used as a motivator. Or maybe you think my ex-colleague watched too many movies.   

The use of biometrics is steadily growing. As of June 2009, the sellers of a home in Cooke County Chicago are required to fingerprint the contract. A new California law now requires firearms dealers to fingerprint people who buy ammo. As biometric methods gain wider adoption, there are many potential complications. First, there is always the question of privacy, and the misuse of your information. You can change your password if someone steals it, you can’t change your fingerprint. And are places going to require more than one method of biometric identification to accommodate everyone (for example read this story about how a bank would not allow an armless man to cash a check without a thumbprint).

This issue has many complexities associated with it. What are your thoughts? Are you willing to potentially lose an eye or a finger for the convenience of fewer passwords and better fraud protection? What about the potential for having your privacy exposed? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
 

Comments

[Adam]

I would think the concept of using multi-factor authentication with alternative (read non-biometric) methods would be more ideal. For example, using a keycard, a PIN, and voice recognition. Although someone could physically force you to give a verbal voice-recognized password, it's better than having your hand cut off.

For super sensitive information or locations, you could require information from two people.