Disadvantages of the use of Biometric Fingerprint Scanning System

Even though fingerprint-scanning systems have many beneficial aspects due to the uniqueness of every fingerprint, there are some disadvantages. There are quite a few issues that organizations encounter when dealing with this system. Many people consider this an invasion of their privacy. They are mainly afraid of the systems that consist of their fingerprint template, which holds their personal information can be exposed to others. The fingerprint template in the system holds the individual’s personal information such as their financial / salary information and employment history. Disregarding any ethical considerations, organizations can sell this information to marketing firms and do whatever they please with the information they hold. Also there are people that are not technology savvy and may not trust new systems with their fingerprints. They may also not know how to properly scan their fingerprint, which can cause complications in the matching process. Therefore, they avoid the association with technology and prefer their traditional ways.

Another concern for organizations that have the fingerprint scanning system is that any scratch, cuts, burns, dirt, or wear and tear can have a tremendous impact on the fingerprint. The distinctive ridge patterns, minutiae points and many more of characteristics can be affected. Therefore, when scanning with high-quality images to distinguish the individual’s unique fingerprint characteristics, can be a problematic task. People with little or no minutiae points cannot use or enrol in the system because it is hard for the system to recognize the specific print. With such issues, many industries such as workers in construction cannot use this system because of their handling with tools and various materials that can alter their fingerprint. Even surgeons due to the strong detergents used to wash their hands are affected. People with special skin conditions or handling of strong chemicals will also face complicated problems too with the recognition of the print. Incorrect results in the matching process, may occur with false minutiae points because of the low quality enrolment and imaging or the lack of detail in the fingerprint ridges.

Other risks associated with some of the biometric devices such as fingerprint, facial and voice recognition is that with the assistance of special tools, they can be copied, duplicated or recorded by experts. In particular, fingerprints can be lifted from objects we touch in our daily lives and used to have access to a fingerprint reader. The fingerprint can be copied or molded with material such as gum, putty, or gooey material. This can create doubts in the security of many individuals because once others have access to their prints, they can be used for many fraudulent purposes.



References
http://www.itgi.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=34319&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm
http://www.biometricnewsportal.com/fingerprint_biometrics.asp
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http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/expert/KnowledgebaseAnswer/0,289625,sid14_gci1265033,00.html#
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