Mind reader

In-Depth

Angela Sasse’s expertise is the human side of security technology. As mass biometric scanning looms, she is concerned about its effectiveness and, more crucially, that we just won’t co-operate.

By the end of 2005 the first biometric-enabled passports will be issued within the UK. Containing a biometric facial recognition image, the document will act as a precursor to the introduction of a compulsory national identity card, to be phased in from 2008.

The government hopes that a biometric facial image will help to counter identity fraud and verify the identity of the holder against the document. And if present policy is continued, along with facialinformation the card is also likely to contain both fingerprint and iris scan data.

Behind all this is the belief that such technologies are now mature enough to work in a national system. But according to Angela Sasse, Professor of Human-Centred Technology in the department of computer science at University College, London, much work is needed to match the reality of human behaviour with the performance expected from the technology.

She has spent years studying human responses to biometric technology and says that unless more research is carried out into its limitations users may become unco-operative and any systems implemented may fail.

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