Introduction
Biometrics is the use of physiological or behavioral characteristics to verify the identity of people. Some examples include fingerprints, eye scans, and hand geometry. Biometric authentication can be used in addition to passwords as a second factor of authentication (a password plus an additional biometric).
What are the most popular types of biometrics?
Handwriting
Handwriting is a unique way to identify a person. It can be used to verify identity, age, gender and race. Handwriting is also an easy way to verify education and intelligence levels. The most common types of biometrics used for authentication are:
Facial Recognition
Facial recognition software can be used by law enforcement to identify criminals or suspected criminals. It’s not foolproof though; facial recognition software does not work as well for certain demographics such as women and people of color (e.g., black men). Facial recognition is used in many different industries, including finance, law enforcement and retail.
Voice Recognition
Voice recognition is a biometric technology that can be used to identify users. It’s not as accurate as facial recognition or fingerprinting, but it’s more secure and convenient than either of those techniques.
Voice recognition is a good option when you need to quickly search through large amounts of data, such as on voiceprint databases used by banks and phone companies. In addition, some law enforcement agencies use voiceprint technology for criminal investigations because they find it easier than other methods of identification (such as fingerprints) when dealing with people who speak foreign languages fluently or are elderly or infirm.
Fingerprinting and Palm Prints
Fingerprints and palm prints are the most common biometrics used for authentication. A fingerprint is unique to each person, while a palm print can be used by anyone with an intact hand or finger. Both fingerprints and palm prints can be used as part of an identity verification process, but they have their limitations; for example:
Fingerprints can only be obtained from one hand at a time; therefore it’s not possible to get them from someone who has injured his or her fingers (e.g., in an accident) or lost their hands completely through amputation surgery (e.g., due to cancer).
A person must also have his/her hands clean—a latent print cannot be obtained unless there is no dirt on the surface where it will rest after being pressed against something like paper towels that contain oils from human skin cells.*
Biometrics are a good way to identify users
Biometric authentication is a form of identification that uses the unique physical characteristics of an individual, such as fingerprints or iris scans, to verify the identity of a user. These technologies can be used in many different applications and industries including banking, healthcare and transportation. Biometric technology can also be combined with other forms of identification such as passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers).
Biometric authentication is a popular method of user identification because it is more secure than traditional passwords. Biometric identifiers cannot be stolen or shared, and they can’t be guessed like passwords can.
Conclusion
There are many types of biometrics available, and they’re all different. Some are more accurate than others. However, each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. By using a combination of these methods when it comes time for authentication at your company, you can ensure that only authorized users gain access to sensitive information or are able to make changes in their profile settings.