Biometrics Won’t Solve Our Data-Security Crisis

600 years ago, England created the first documentation for people to prove their identities. Surprisingly little has changed since then, at least in the U.S. We’ve depended on driver’s licenses, social security numbers, and password for far too long. It’s time to do better. Widespread adoption of biometrics holds the promise of a more secure way to prove identity but comes with its own challenges. One concern is whether biometrics can be leveraged successfully across multiple transaction types and platforms. Privacy concerns will invariably arise, too. If companies can’t keep your credit card information safe, how likely is it that they’ll secure your biometric data? Unfortunately, it would be naïve to believe that a self-regulating approach to these types of data collection behaviors will work. If we as a society really want to encourage greater identification and authentication capabilities from government and private industry, then government and industry will have to leverage more and more consumer-facing technology while creating trust among consumers.