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You're an individual; you're unique; and you have the fingerprints to prove it.

Since fingerprints were first used as a means of identification in 1892, they have become the golden standard for identification. Everyone — including monozygotic twins who have identical DNA — has their own unique set of prints.

But, as countless movies and episodes of 'CSI' have shown, fingerprints can be tampered with. Easily removed or unintentionally damaged through occupational hazards, fingerprints can also be easily duplicated.

As concerns with identity theft and security increase, we are turning to more sophisticated ways of proving our 'identity'.

Fingerprinting is one of the most basic forms of biometrics, which is a method of identifying humans based on one or more intrinsic physical or behavioural traits. The method works by comparing an input sample with a template.

As it turns out, our fingerprints are not the only things that are unique — so too are our hands, faces, irises, retinas and vein structure. We also have a number of unique behavioural characteristics such as the way we type, speak (also physiological) and sign our name.

Some of these — such as the retina and vein layout — are almost impossible to change or tamper with. Biometric identification is, however, not without its concerns. All data, including biometrics, is vulnerable in storage or in a state of processing.

Because we have a limited number of biometric samples, they become more difficult to replace. If you forget a password or if your access token is stolen, you can always cancel the old one and get a replacement.

If, however, your biometric samples are compromised, you will be unable to replace them. So, while biometrics potentially increase personal security, they also pose a bigger threat in the case of identity theft.

Hand geometry

Hand geometry, which measures the shape and ratios of the hand, is based on the fact that almost every individual's hand is shaped differently and alters very little over the course of time.

Although the method can probably be quite easily duped, it is not without some distinct advantages: speed of operation, reliability, small template size (at under 10 bytes, the technology possesses one of the smallest reference templates in the biometric field), user-friendliness and ease of integration into an existing system.

Facial recognition

A facial recognition system captures an individual's face on camera; uses an algorithm to determine the exact proportions of the face; and then compares it to the 'faces' stored in the database.

Most facial identification systems only allow for a two dimensional frontal image of a face. This means that the systems are unable to distinguish between a live three-dimensional face and a high quality photograph of a face. To combat this problem, newer systems allow for front and side views, which in effect produce a three-dimensional map of the face.

A future technology, which is currently being explored, is thermal imaging. Using infrared, this system captures the unique pattern of blood vessels under the skin of the face. This will not only eliminate the security concern of unauthorised individuals showing the camera photographs, but will also make it considerably more tamper-proof.

Facial recognition systems are currently being used by the German Federal Police, the London Borough of Newham (in their CCTV system) and the Australian Customs Service. An advantage of facial recognition systems is that they can perform mass scanning, which is not possible with other biometrics such as fingerprinting, iris scanning and speech recognition.

Mass scanning is, however, a double-edged sword. While it can be used in airports and other public places to detect criminals or terrorists in the crowd; it also raises some concerns about privacy and government control.

Iris and retina scans

The iris has a fine texture that — like fingerprints — is determined randomly whilst the foetus is in the womb, thus making every person's irises unique.

An iris scan works by taking a high resolution image of the iris, converting the pattern into a mathematical representation and comparing this to a template of digital images.

Because the process is similar to taking a photo, it is fairly unobtrusive and can be performed up to a few metres away from the individual. However, as with facial recognition technology, there is still the problem of 'live tissue verification', which means that the system needs to be supervised.

The United Arab Emirates has used iris recognition at all its border controls since 2001.

Retinal scanning overcomes the problem of 'live tissue verification'. However, it is far more intrusive and is susceptible to problems of its own.

The retina, located in the back portion of the eye, is supplied with blood by a complex structure of capillaries which typically remain unchanged throughout an individual's lifetime.

As with thermal imaging, these capillaries can be mapped by casting a ray of low-energy infrared light into a person's eyes as they look into the scanner's eyepiece.

A difficulty with this approach — aside from high equipment costs and low user-friendliness — is that retinal patterns can be altered by certain diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, cataracts and retinal degenerative disorders.

Capetonian teenager Simone Abramson recently patented a retinal scanning technique which involves taking pictures of the fundus (which consists of the retina, optic nerve and vascular system) using a Topcon Fundus camera.

Microchip implants

A microchip implant is a radio frequency identification device (RFID) chip that is encased in silicate glass and implanted in an individual's body. The implants can be used for storing personal information including medical history, allergies and contact information.

Some hospital in the US have been using implants in their patients so that hospital and emergency workers can have immediate access to a patient's medical history regardless of the location and state of the patient.

Microchips implants could also be used in cars or homes equipped with scanners to eliminate the necessity for keys or tags which are easily lost or stolen.

However, the problems with microchips should not be overlooked. Firstly, unless they are encrypted, they are very vulnerable to hackers. Secondly, the chips themselves present some health concerns in the form of allergies, infection or incorrect implantation. And finally, they are highly susceptible to strong electric fields such as an MRI.

Biometric passports

Biometric passports — a combined paper and electronic identification document that uses biometric information to authenticate travellers — are less vulnerable to fraud than paper documents. Furthermore, they allow governments to digitally track the movements of individuals, which would make terrorism more difficult.

Information is stored in a RFID chip in the passport. Biometrics currently used in these identification systems are facial, fingerprint and iris recognition. The chip stores a digital image of each biometric feature; however, the actual comparison of biometric features is performed by the electronic border control systems. Like microchip implants, these chips are susceptible to hackers if they are not encrypted.

A number of countries have already begun using biometric passports, notably in the EU, the US and Australia. Somalia is currently the only African country to have an 'e-passport'.

A major inhibitor in the growth of biometric identification systems has been the high cost and, for the most part, they have been reserved for military and government applications.

However, they have slowly begun to infiltrate our daily lives, with health clubs, universities, businesses and banks all beginning to use biometric systems.