Fingerprinting Modern Use

Fingerprinting Modern Use

Introduction to Fingerprinting Modern Use

As crime-detection methods improved, law enforcement officers found that any smooth, hard surface touched by a human hand would yield fingerprints made by the oily secretion present on the skin. When these so-called latent prints were dusted with powder or chemically treated, the identifying fingerprint pattern could be seen and photographed or otherwise preserved. Today, law enforcement agencies can also use computers to digitally record fingerprints and to transmit them electronically to other agencies for comparison. By comparing fingerprints at the scene of a crime with the fingerprint record of suspected persons, officials can establish absolute proof of the presence or identity of a person.

The confusion and inefficiency caused by the establishment of many separate fingerprint archives in the United States led the federal government to set up a central agency in 1924, the Identification Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This division was absorbed in 1993 by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division. Currently, the FBI has on file about 250 million sets of fingerprints representing about 74 million people (both criminal and civilian), the largest collection in the world. These fingerprints are stored as digital images in the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), a computerized system that began full operation in 1999. The system also stores each individual’s criminal history if one exists. Using IAFIS, authorities can conduct automated searches to identify people from their fingerprints and determine whether they have a criminal record. The system also gives state and local law enforcement agencies the ability to electronically transmit fingerprint information to the FBI. The implementation of IAFIS represented a breakthrough in crimefighting by reducing the time needed for fingerprint identification from weeks to minutes or hours.” (1)

Fingerscanning

The use of the fingerprint by law enforcement for identification purposes is common place and widely accepted. However, the technology has diversified, migrating away from law enforcement towards civil and commercial markets.

In the context of commercial applications, the preferred term is “fingerscanning,” which is the process of finger image capture.

There are a number of different types of fingerscanning systems on the market. Some analyze the distinct marks on the finger called “minutiae” points. Others examine the pores on the finger that are uniquely positioned. Finger image density or the distance between ridges also may be analyzed. The way in which the image is captured also differs among vendors. None involve the inking of the fingerprint as traditional law enforcement procedures often entail. Lawrence Surtees, “Your Secret Identity: The spread of biometric technology means that your fingertips, hands, eyes and face have become physical passwords that can unlock doors and grant you access to computer terminals, bank machines and even Disney World,” Globe and Mail, December 10, 1998, p. C1, and at , 5/12/99.

Fingerscanning can be used for both verification and recognition purposes. At present, the one- to-many identification IAFIS or AFIS applications are confined to law enforcement, government programs and the military. However, there is mounting pressure to expand identification applications. For example, in Toronto, the public was invited to bring their children in for a free “youth print” at a shopping centre one Saturday. A local newspaper ran an item that said: “The fingerprints can be used in the future for identification in a variety of circumstances.”40

In the areas of financial transactions, network security, and controlling the movement of individuals, fingerscanning is considered to be a highly mature biometric technology with a range of proven installations. Examples of consumer applications include:

At the beginning of 1999, the Bank of America started a pilot program that uses fingerscans to give customers access to their online banking services. Before using the system, the customer enrols a fingerscan on a chip attached to a multi-application smart card. Authentication is completed by the customer placing a finger on a scanning device attached to their personal computer. The software matches the fingerscan from the scanner against the image stored in the smart card.

In 1998, it was reported that Canadian banks were looking at thumbprinting cheque- cashing non-account customers. Reportedly, banks in all 50 American states have some version of a fingerscanning system.

In 1999, one American hotel chain announced that it will start collecting fingerprints as part of its check-in procedure.

A number of vendors have developed fingerscanners resembling a computer mouse. Scanners built into computer keyboards also have been produced. Recognition of a fingerscan takes place in an average of two seconds on a personal computer or one second on a workstation, with accuracy claimed to be 99.9%. (Simon G. Davies, “Touching Big Brother: How biometric technology will fuse flesh and machine,” Information Technology & People, Vol. 7, No. 4, 1994)

Source: Paper of the Ontario’s Privacy and Information Commissioner, 1999

Resources

Notes and References

Guide to Fingerprinting Modern Use

In this Section

Fingerprinting, Fingerprinting History and Fingerprinting Modern Use.


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