What to Know About a Biometric Screening?
Biometrics are various methods used to identify individuals based on their unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, iris scans, voice prints, facial recognition systems etc. The use of biometrics has been increasing over the years due to its ability to provide security solutions that cannot be provided by other means. However, there have always been concerns regarding privacy issues associated with these technologies.
The following are some of the common questions and concerns about biometrics:
Can I be tracked using my fingerprint or face scan? Can it be used against me later in case of identity theft? Do they work well when compared to other forms of identification like a driver’s license or passport? How long do they last before being useless? Are there any risks involved with having one’s picture taken through a scanner?
These are all legitimate questions and concerns that need to be addressed. These are some of the reasons why biometrics have become so popular. They offer many benefits, but also pose certain problems. To address these issues, here is a brief discussion about each concern and what the experts say about them:
Are biometric scanners really effective at identifying someone?
Question 1) Is it true that a person can’t be identified through fingerprint scanning?
Yes! Most certainly. The fact that a person’s fingerprint is unique to them does not necessarily mean that it can be used to identify them. The uniqueness of a person’s fingerprint only means that it can be used to exclude other people.
The real purpose of using fingerprints to identify someone is to match the impression of someone’s fingerprint with a known database of criminals, terrorists, or illegal aliens. And this is possible only if the database exists. If it does not, then the uniqueness or probability of finding a fingerprint match is completely irrelevant.
Most of the time, a database of criminals is not available. Even in the US, only a small percentage of criminals get their fingerprints taken. The reason being that taking someone’s fingerprint also has to be justified and approved by a judge as well. In most cases, catching a criminal is easier and faster than getting a warrant to take his print.
However, law enforcement officials are increasingly using biometrics to identify people. This is possible only if a database of known criminals is available. You might remember that in Minority Report, the police used fingerprints to identify and catch criminals. They did not use the unique pattern of the fingerprint but a criminal’s entire fingerprint. They used the entire fingerprint to scan for matches in their database of known criminals.
The US government has been using the fingerprints of illegal immigrants who have been detained to match them with criminals. They also hope to use this method to catch illegal immigrants who would otherwise not get caught. The goal is to use this method for ALL immigrants in the future.
Currently, the biggest database of known criminals is in the UK. They have been using fingerprints to catch criminals for many decades. It started in the 80’s when they started using it to identify criminals and stop them from committing further crimes.
There are three major ways in which this is done:
Fingerprint matching: Using an impression of a person’s fingerprint to match it with the prints already available with the authorities. This is commonly used by the police to identify known criminals. The problem with this method is that the database of known criminals is usually not very large. Most criminals get away with crimes without leaving a single fingerprint at the crime scene!
Fingerprint tagging: Using an impression of a person’s fingerprint to match it with all the prints already available with the authorities as well as all the crime scenes where crimes have been committed. This is also used by the police to identify known criminals. This method is more accurate than fingerprint matching as it helps find criminals who have only committed crimes without leaving a fingerprint behind.
Fingerprint generation: This method is about identifying someone based on their unique fingerprint, irregardless of whether a crime has been comitted or not. This can be used by the government to identify every citizen and keep track of all their activities. This is commonly used by the secret police of totalitarian governments.
Currently, the biggest database in the world is probably in the UK, with over 60 million prints! This has lead to the arrest of over 70000 criminals and the solving of over 600000 crimes. Future goals include 100% coverage of all offenders as well as 100% coverage of all citizens.
The government does not only use the fingerprint in identification. They also use other methods based on bodily fluids such as blood and saliva. I will not go into details about these techniques as they are still classified.
The future of your rights
What does the future hold for our freedom?
The government is slowly trying to erode our freedom with the aid of new technologies. It will not be long before they have complete control over us.
If privacy is lost, freedom will soon follow.
Privacy is a right that we must defend against the government. We have a duty to protect our children and our children’s children from losing this fundamental right that our ancestors fought for. It is our duty to guard this right with our lives.
In the next few years, I will be releasing a program called Crypteia. Crypteia aims to bring back the security that we once enjoyed online. It will enable people to have privacy again, surf the web anonymously and even buy and sell things without government spying.
Other security programs similar to Crypteia already exist, but they were all shut down by the government. Let us hope that Crypteia will fare better.
The government is not the only one watching you. the marketers are watching too. They are watching your every move, what you buy, what you search, what you earn and even how long you spend on the toilet! It is no secret that they will use this information against you to manipulate your mind and even control your votes. The only way to fight these predators is to block them from watching you.
Crypteia also provides this feature.
