WHITE PAPER

About the author, Frances Mendelsohn, Summit Research Assoc. Inc: Frances D. Mendelsohn is president of Summit Research Associates, Inc. a Maryland-based consulting firm specializing in kiosks and usability testing. It also helps clients integrate new technologies, including biometrics and smart cards, into their kiosks. The company produces a number of reports on the kiosk industry and recently published the Fourth Edition of its flagship report, Kiosks and Internet Technology.  "Contact Information"

Biometrics has seemed to be a solution in search of a problem for many years. The tragic events of September 11 have changed all that. Not only are a number of initiatives under way to incorporate the use of biometrics in the security arena-to prove you are who you say you are-but the technology is starting to be used in kiosk applications as well.

E-commerce is forever changing the way we conduct our daily lives - both personally and in the business world. At the same time, the explosion of Web-based kiosk deployments continues at a blistering pace. Here, too, increased attention is being paid to issues of security.

Common questions being asked include:

• When I buy a gift with my credit card, how can I make sure no one (electronically) steals that card number?
• How can I ensure that I, and only I, can successfully complete the transaction?
• How can I ensure that 'It's really me and not an imposter?'

Biometrics is the answer.
Biometrics is a measurable physical characteristic or personal trait used to recognize the identity, or verify the claimed identity, of a person through automated means. As the use of the Internet grows, coupled with increasing concerns about privacy and data integrity, methods to authenticate a technology user-proving you are you who say you are-are becoming more important than ever. There is a number of different biometrics in use today. They include fingerprints, hand geometry, facial recognition, voice prints, and iris scanning. Two of these, fingerprints and hand geometry, are being implemented on kiosks today. A third, iris scanning, offers the most potential for widespread use and acceptance and will be the subject of a future article.

Fingerprints
Fingerprints have been used for identification purposes for many years. They are reasonably accurate and have the advantage of an enormous database of prints against which to match. They have an aura of criminality, having been long associated with the less-desirable aspects of society. People feel they are guilty of something if they are asked to give their fingerprints. There are many problems with the accuracy of fingerprints; they are called "old and cold". When people get old, their fingerprints appear to fade-it is more difficult to get an accurate reading.

Similarly, when people come in from the cold or are in air-conditioned rooms, their fingertips remain cold for a period of time and this too will affect the reading. A cut finger will often yield a false negative. Dirt and grime will also affect accuracy. Finally, the reader requires active participation - the user has to place his finger directly upon a reader. As a result, and because of the spread of epidemics like AIDS and hepatitis, many people are concerned about the possibility of catching a communicable disease from this device and feel uneasy about using it.

Nevertheless, there are a number of applications that include the use of fingerprints. There have been a number of systems recently developed that employ fingerprints for authentication. Some keyboards have been introduced that have a built-in fingerprint reader. Other manufacturers have started to sell a standalone fingerprint reader, a peripheral device that attaches to a PC's serial port. Some ATMs now use them to authenticate the customer. Several kiosk developers, especially those specializing in the financial services arena, are implementing the reader into their designs.

Hand Geometry
Hand Geometry is a method of authentication whereby the user places his hand (usually the right hand; the machine has an outline of a right hand as a guideline for proper hand placement) on a reader that has four stick-like pins. One places his hand in the reader in such a way that the pins stop further forward movement of the hand. The authentication method measures the thickness of the fingers, the length of the fingers, and the distance between fingers. It creates a unique algorithm that is usually stored on a magnetic stripe on a credit-type card. Although it sounds as if it cannot create a unique identifier, in fact the opposite is true.

Hand geometry is a very effective method of identification and authentication. It is being used at airports to control access to employee-only areas. The US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is using it as part of its INSPASS (INS Passenger Accelerated Security System) kiosk to identify frequent business travelers between the US and Canada, as well as to other countries where US citizens traveling abroad are not required to obtain a visa. Travelers register their hand and are given an INSPASS card to use during security checks. For example, each time registered passengers go through US Security at major gateway airports to and from Canada, they insert their card in the kiosk's card reader, put their hand on the hand geometry reader, verify their identity, receive a security clearance (on a piece of paper), and are on their way. The entire transaction takes less than 40 seconds. This is an enormous time-saver in these days of long security lines.

Hand geometry has the benefit of NOT being a fingerprint reader-there is no aura of criminality associated with it. It is accurate (the likelihood of a duplicate hand geometry algorithm is one in a million), but less so than a fingerprint reader. It, too, requires an active user interface. The user has to place his hand directly upon a metal reader. The same fears of catching a disease or germs are present. It is relatively easy to use, although it is easy to get a false reading if your fingers are not placed in exactly the right position. It has grown in popularity, but there are no plans to market PC-based readers that would attach to the home computer. Its deployment has been strictly in the commercial environment.

Conclusion:
It is clear that not all kiosks require biometric devices. Nevertheless, for the e-commerce and financial services sectors of the industry, it is an important and growing technology that can add that level of assurance to a customer's use of a new device. It can be the determining factor as to whether a project will be successful or not. And, as the costs of these products decrease and their reliability increases, biometric devices are certainly worthy of consideration.

  

Euro Kiosks Network is a wholly owned subsidiary of