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Pentagon's New Biometrics Lab Evaluates Security Technologies

In this rural outpost about a four-hour drive from the nation's capital, the Defense Department has set up its first biometrics testing laboratory to scientifically scrutinize hundreds of commercial products that scan unique physical traits -- such as eye, finger or . . . . In this rural outpost about a four-hour drive from the nation's capital, the Defense Department has set up its first biometrics testing laboratory to scientifically scrutinize hundreds of commercial products that scan unique physical traits -- such as eye, finger or voice -- to prove a person's identity. The goal at the Biometrics Fusion Center, as the Defense Department calls it, is to determine if any of the nearly 600 products on the market are good enough for widespread -- and possibly mandatory -- use by Defense Department personnel to gain access to computer networks in the future. If the department puts its weight behind biometrics, it could push body-based authentication technology from the exotic to the mainstream. But analysts following biometrics say that while products are improving, shortcomings remain. In general, the products are expensive and raise privacy fears. Biometrics offerings, particularly those for fingerprint scans, can also have high error rates, mistakenly rejecting someone based on his fingerprint. The link for this article located at CNN is no longer available. . The Pentagon investigates innovative biometric systems to improve safety and entry management utilizing distinct physiological characteristics.. Biometric Technology, Access Control, Fingerprint Recognition, Security Testing, Defense Innovations. . Anthony Pell

Mar 21, 2001 • Anthony Pell Government