What is a biometric?
You know how you log into a website or app with a username and password? Your username and password effectively identify you to that app. Most times, the username and password tie you to your profile information, which usually has at least a few things about you: your name, maybe your address, your time zone, your e-mail address.
Biometrics are like a username and password, except that you don’t have to provide any information aside from an aspect of your body. Here are most common type of biometrics:
Some lesser used (so far) biometrics are vascular map, hand geometry, gait, keystrokes, heartbeat, ear print, and even body odor! 👃 😷
Why should you care?
Biometrics may sound like a super technical thing of the future, but I can promise you, they’re here now. Do you use touchID or face scan on your iPhone? Biometrics. Do you use CLEAR at the airport? Iris scan. Biometrics. Did you know that some stores, casinos, and large venues like stadiums scan every face that walks in and sees if they are on a particular “bad actor” list? Yep, biometrics. Even without your consent sometimes.
Unlike a username and password, when a biometric is stolen, there is no way to “change your password” and move on. We are all stuck with our fingerprints and iris pattern for life.
On the other side of the coin, it isn’t exactly easy to go make a rendering of someone’s fingerprint data and use it to gain access to their accounts. Same could be said for any other biometric.
However, the rise of AI makes it very easy to create a fake voice - read this terrifying story about fake voices being used in fake kidnappings for ransom. It’s also fairly simple to create AI deepfake videos, which could pass a face scan. Unfortunately, deepfakes are also being used to collect ransoms.
Even though I don’t think being turned into a deepfake video is an imminent threat for most of us, AI is moving so fast that I just don’t know that it will stay that way. We all know how usernames and passwords have been hit with every scam possible the past couple decades - I think we are just seeing the beginning of what scams will be possible with access to biometric data.
So what should I do?
Amazon is offering that you can check out at Whole Foods with a palm reader. Don’t do it. You are giving them your biometric information, and Amazon is one of the last companies I’d trust with it (I’ll get into this another time 😅).
Don’t give away your biometric data unless you are 100% certain it’s in good hands. FWIW, I do trust Apple with my face scans and fingerprint scans. They never leave the device and are not shared with any third parties.
Lastly, understand that your face is likely being scanned in public, and there’s really nothing you can do about that, aside from wear a mask if you’d like to.