April 2007 — News
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Biometrics in K-12: Issues and Standardization
There are efforts underway nationally and internationally to do just that. SDKK Secure Design (n.d.) reported that the U.S. and many other countries are working to implement the biometric passport, which embeds the owner's biometric data such as fingerprint and face recognition information. The United Kingdom is looking into a national ID card system containing biometric data, but there is controversy in the UK, too.
Vendors have propriety formats for enrolling individuals and capturing, processing, and matching data. However, the biometric industry is advancing standards and interoperability of biometric-based applications and systems developed by different vendors. According to the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Biometrics (2006), "Interoperability is a crucial aspect of product implementation, meaning that images obtained from one device must be capable of being interpreted by a computer using another device. Major standards efforts focus on the standardization of content, meaning, and representation of the fingerprint data interchange formats" (sec: Standards Overview, p. 5).
Organizations such as the National Institute for Standards in Technology (NIST) have played a role in developing the Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework (CBEFF), which already is part of government requirements and is being adopted within the industry. CBEFF includes specifications for exchanging many types of biometric data files, including fingerprints, faces, palm prints, retinas, and iris and voice patterns (NIST and Biometrics Fact Sheet, n.d.). Details of this framework are in Podio, Dunn, Reinert, et al. (2004). The BioAPI Consortium has a list of biometric products that claim compliance with its standards developed to date.
Conclusion
I agree with the need for interoperability of devices, but I wonder about standardization within the industry and how far it can go to create a single common standard for coding a biometric. The impossible becomes possible when you think of Jules Verne and submarines and skepticism of ever reaching the moon. I will not soon forget that phrase "like a social security card," which Sagem Morpho Inc. associated with the template created in its fingerprint scanning process.
After getting an understanding of the technology, its potential and the issues surrounding its use, will you allow your district to be swayed by vendor claims? The important question is: "Do you require a reliable biometric solution, or is it just something that would be nice to have?" Don't put the cart before the horse. You're not ready yet to decide. You need a business plan of action, but that's for next time.
Resources:
References:
Abernathy, W., & Tien, L. (n.d.). Biometrics: Who's watching you? Retrieved April 3, 2007 from Electronic Frontier Foundation website
Biometrics 101 (n.d.) Retrieved March 30, 2007, from U.S. Army Biometrics Task Force website
Freeman, E. (2003). Biometrics, evidence, and personal privacy. Information Systems Security, 12(3), 4-8. Johns, M. (2007, March 27). The Truth about Biometric Devices in Schools. Retrieved March 28, 2007, from PRWeb Press Release Newswire
Kiernan, V. (2005, December 2). Show your hand, not your ID. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(15), A28-A30. Retrieved April 4, 2007
Mehta, S. (2006, December 6). High school in Irvine drops plan to scan fingerprints. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 3, 2007
National Science and Technology Council, Subcommittee on Biometrics (2006). Fingerprint Recognition. Retrieved April 2, 2007
NIST and Biometrics Fact Sheet (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2007, from National Institute of Standards and Technology website
Podio, F., Dunn, J., Reinert, L., Tilton, C., Struif, B., Herr, F., Russell, J., Collier, M. P., Jerde, M., O'Gorman, L., & Wirtz, B. (2004, April 5). Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Document NISTIR 6529-A. Retrieved March 28, 2007
SDKK Secure Design (n.d.). International Standards--Interoperability. Retrieved April 3, 2007
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About the author: Patricia Deubel has a Ph.D. in computing technology in education, and is currently an adjunct faculty member in the graduate School of Education at Capella University and an education consultant. She is also the developer of Computing Technology for Math Excellence at http://www.ct4me.net.
Have any additional questions? Want to share your story? Want to pass along a news tip? Contact Dave Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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