SD College Tests Fingerprint Purchasing Technology
Two stores at South Dakota’s School of Mines and Technology are serving as a pilot for biocryptology experiments using fingerprint scanning to authenticate transactions. A typical transaction with the new technology involves the customer entering their birth date into a pay pad and swiping their finger, with the system identifying their print and detecting their hemoglobin in order to validate their identity. Researchers consider the pulse-detection element a crucial safeguard against a situation in which a thief removes someone else’s finger to deceive the scanner. They also note the technology is distinct from digital fingerprint scans already in use, mainly for criminal background checks. ACLU analyst Jay Stanley says the “liveness detection” incorporated in the technique is a solid step toward addressing security issues in fingerprint technology. “Any security measure can be defeated; it’s a question of making it harder,” he notes.
From “SD College Tests Fingerprint Purchasing Technology”
Associated Press (02/22/13) Hunt, Amber