In the recent decade, improvement of technology has brought new tools to solve social issues such as murder, burglary or robbery. The biometric security system including fingerprint, face recognition, DNA, hand geometry and iris recognition, spread out worldwide given the increasing demand of it’s in both commercial sector as well as government involvement (Willis 2009 cited in Fletcher, 2012). To illustrate in commercial and consumers, many businesses start to invest on the biometric security system to prevent fraud and identify crime. Especially, in banking industry, where has to face with higher crime probability since their assets are high liquidity, the accuracy of security system is crucial. However, the implication of biometrics security is a remaining debate for researchers and economists. Despite the obvious technical advantage, biometrics contains some certain risk. This essay will examine why bank should use biometric security (iris recognition) to enhance their security system regarding effectiveness and privacy analysis.
Conventionally, there are three classes of authentication including knowledge-based, object-based and biometric-based. Knowledge based is the process of memorizing secrecy information of user such as PIN or password. Keys are one of the traditional forms for object-based authentication. Biometric based system on the other hand is something unique and identification of a person. Banks normally use a combination of knowledge based and object based as safe guard to protect customers’ property for example, the use of both debit card and the PIN code will enable customers withdraw or spend their money. The combination of authentication systems seems to be the most effective secure way for bank currently, however it has been challenged in the event of forget password or loss of card. Indeed, NTA monitor survey (2002), dominant of technology has influenced over users who normally will have to remember an average of 21 passwords (maximum 70), it is difficult to remember all the passwords. Consequently, people normally written password down (49%) and 67% of users never change passwords. For biometric security, especially iris recognition, on the other hand, users do not have to remember any password, since the recognition base on physiological and behaviors features of a person. Additionally, among many biometrics authentications, iris recognition system is one of the most accurate and fastest tools to identify users (Chien, L 2011). According to Tistarelli, M & Nixon, M (2009) it is almost impossible to duplicate or access biometrics data of a user, thus it would keep customers’ data and information highly secure. Furthermore, iris recognition is safe for user because they do not require any physical contact during verification process. Theoretically, iris characteristic of each individual will not be changed even users wearing glasses, contact lenses or even having any eye surgery, hence, it would be more convenience for users (Biometricsnewportal, 2011).
Although it is almost impossible to break the biometric security, criminals might use weapons to force legitimate users access the system. To illustrate, Coventry (2004), in a research about users’ experience on people using fingerprint authentication, many surveyors fear that criminal might harm them to get the biometric such as cut off their finger. Hence, there might me a chance that theft would kill people then use their biometric to access their bank account. Additionally, although biometric is the most modern advanced technology, there is still a chance for technical errors, which is popular to any high-tech devices. To illustrate, Bhattacharyya, D. et al. (2009) has identify several typical errors of biometric systems such as False to Accept Rate (FAR), False to Match Rate (MAR), False Reject Rate (FRR), False Non-Match Rate (FNMR) and Failure to Enroll Rate (FER). There is none of any biometrics authentication, which does not contain