Biometrics is something of a broad topic because it relates to any piece of information about you connected to your body that can be used to identify you. That includes fingerprints, DNA, eyes, voice, faces, and even medical and dental records. As a result, biometrics is a hub for personal security, identity theft and government surveillance. Protecting that stuff is kind of important. One way to do that is by decentralizing it.
Criminals and nation-states are already working hard to collect that data without our knowledge. We need to make sure that data is at least difficult, if not impossible, to steal and misuse. The good news is while personal biometric data is widely available, it is not yet in a central location. For a few examples, the FBI holds less than 5 per cent of the US population’s fingerprints. the 50 DMVs around the country have separate fingerprint databases. There are just thousands of repositories of our biometrics making it difficult for criminals or spies to gather it. In fact, a majority of people in the world have yet to give up that data willingly.
Blockchain is inadequate
Last year Upheaval announced a blockchain-based decentralized data collection technology, but when it comes to personal data, privacy laws generally require companies to be able to delete data at the user’s request. You can’t do that with blockchain.
However, we are giving up more and more of that data in centralized locations by using our fingerprints and faces to open devices, make purchases and gain access to goods and services. Eventually, we will make it easy for criminals to steal our identities in ways we might never get back
That’s why it is important to decentralize the location of all that data. In fact, break it up into even smaller pieces so it becomes impossible to steal everything that makes us us.
That’s the goal of Anonybit and Frances Zelazny, CEO and co-founder of Anonybit. We talk about why biometrics is a solvable security problem and how to decentralize it.
Lou Covey is the Chief Editor for Cyber Protection Magazine. In 50 years as a journalist he covered American politics, education, religious history, women’s fashion, music, marketing technology, renewable energy, semiconductors, avionics. He is currently focused on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. He published a book on renewable energy policy in 2020 and is writing a second one on technology aptitude. He hosts the Crucial Tech podcast.
Biometrics collection is getting attention and concern from governments. https://apple.news/Al2ZdTAEbQI28EOf8lAEZfQ