Biometric Technology: A Brief History

The advancement of technology has led to various innovative inventions that constantly affect people’s lives every day. One notable product of technology is Biometrics.

For authentication purposes, biometrics technology can recognize an individual’s unique biological features, such as fingerprint, iris patterns, face, and voice. The basic premise of biometric authentication is that every individual is unique and can be identified through intrinsic traits and behavior.

Before biometrics technology, people were accustomed to traditional passwords where every day,  they needed to identify themselves various times. It includes entering a passcode to log onto their personal computer or a PIN to access a bank account.

Many are also fond of writing down their passwords and PIN to their notebook or address books. However, such ways increase the chances of being a victim of fraud as criminals can easily hack into accounts by simply guessing passwords.

As such, it prompts the world to develop a more secure and advanced method of identifying or verifying the identity of a person. The most apparent advantage of a biometrics security system compared to traditional authentication methods is that it is not easily compromised through theft or loss.

Moreover, as the world is going digital and paperless, it is a great idea for a more advanced method of identifying individuals, particularly with the case of hacking and other sophisticated crimes.

Various organizations have already adopted biometrics technology for their security, especially when accessing control systems. Also, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic biometric for access control has also increased.

Organizations that have yet to employ biometrics authentication should reconsider now. When looking for a provider, they must ensure that it follows fido webauthn standard or is FIDO2-certified biometric authentication.

If you want to know more about biometric identity verification. Click this infographic from LoginID to learn about the history of Biometric Technology.