DHS Biometric ID Cards
The Department of Homeland Security is considering a biometric identification card for transportation workers:
TWIC is a tamper-resistant credential that contains biometric information about the holder which renders the card useless to anyone other than the rightful owner. Using this biometric data, each transportation facility can verify the identity of a worker and help prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing secure areas. Currently, many transportation workers must carry a different identification card for each facility they access. A standard TWIC would improve the flow of commerce by eliminating the need for redundant credentials and streamlining the identity verification process.
I’ve written extensively about the uses and abuses of biometrics (Beyond Fear, pages 197-200). The short summary is that biometrics are great as a local authentication tool and terrible as a identification tool. For a whole bunch of reasons, this DHS project is a good use of biometrics.
Jemaleddin • January 19, 2005 9:08 AM
Wait, the card just has the biometric information on it? So if you just create a similar card with your own biometric data on it, you can enter any airport you like? Doesn’t sound like a good use of biometrics to me.
Why don’t they store the biometrics off-site in a database and compare your biometrics to those in the database?