IP: Smart Cards and Biometrics: An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism?

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Robert Guerra <rguerra () yahoo com>
Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 11:48:32 -0500
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: declan () mail well com, dhawkins () usnews com
Subject: Smart Cards and Biometrics: An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism?

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Here's more material on smart cards and biometrics you and your readers
might find of interest.


regards

Robert


- ---
Robert Guerra <rguerra () yahoo com>
Privaterra - Securing Human Rights
<http://www.privaterra.org>

A project of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
<http://www.cpsr.org>


- --On Saturday, February 16, 2002 8:58 AM -0500 Dave Farber
<dave () farber net> wrote:

> Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 19:05:14 -0500
> To: declan () mail well com
> From: dana hawkins <dhawkins () usnews com>
> Subject: article on biometrics for politech readers?


See what fellow CPSR members Andrew Clement & Peter Hope Tindall in this
panel talk given in December and now available online.




http://privacy.openflows.org/panel_dec3_2001.html

Real Audio Archive of panel discussion available at the following URL:

http://www.pc3village.org/community/newsDetails.cfm?NID=5300&Archive=0



SMART CARDS and BIOMETRICS:
AN APPROPRIATE ANSWER TO TERRORISM?

December 3, 2001
6pm - 7,30pm
140 St. George, Room 205

 

Both in Canada and internationally, governments are proposing massive
spending on deployment of technologies like digital identity smart cards,
facial recognition detectors, eye scanners and closed circuit televisions.
The rationale has been that these technologies will inhibit terrorism.
Social critics suggest that there is little to no evidence to support such
a claim and that quite the contrary, these technologies may only compromise
citizens' privacy rights while doing little to address terrorism.

To better participate in the debate around technology, terrorism and
privacy, we invite you to the Privacy Lecture Series panel

"Smart Cards and Biometrics: An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism?"

A panel of leading experts in these technologies will explain in plain
language how the technologies work, what they were designed to do, what
their limits are and what policies need to be in developed in any
deployment.

This panel was developed in collaboration with PC3 Village and Knowledge
Media Design Institute (KMDI).

 

Panel moderator:

Monica C. Schraefel, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Toronto.

 

Panel participants:

Andrew Clement, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto

Kelly Gotlieb, Professor Emeritus, Computer Science, University of Toronto

Peter Hope-Tindall, Privacy Architect, dataPrivacy Partners

George Tomko, Chairman, Photonics Research Ontario, Ontario Center of
Excellence



Smart Cards and Biometrics : An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism ?"
<http://www.pc3village.org/community/newsDetails.cfm?NID=5300&Archive=0>


Smart Cards and Biometrics: An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism? webcast is
now available
Posted on January 29, 2002 by PC3 Village

The ?Smart Cards and Biometrics: An Appropriate Answer to Terrorism?
conference provided an excellent insight into the ongoing debate over
national security and the public?s right to privacy. All three panelists
presented clear and comprehensive arguments for and against smart cards and
biometrics. While everyone in the room was clearly concerned over the
privacy violation smart cards and biometrics as security measures pose to
the general public, the panelists were not completely abolishing the idea
of introducing such safety measures into society, but rather wanted to show
the audience that these measures were merely ?quick fixes? to the problem,
not real solutions.

The panelists explained that biometrics are a useful personal PIN that can
only be used by the particular individual and hence, privacy and
confidentiality of one's own data is protected by the biometric such as an
iris scan or a fingerprint. Thus when going to a bank machine only you can
"see and access" your own data. Additionally, the government can monitor
and control welfare and other kinds of fraud. Biometrics can offer security
at places like airports where entrance can only be obtained by a biometric
congruence to a database.

However, one of the major problems of biometrics is that they can leave
data trails that are subject to unauthorized viewing. Therefore, biometrics
give people a false sense of security. Many believe that the more
sophisticated the technology behind security measures is, the safer that
they are. But this is hardly the case. What we need to realize is that
although biometrics and smart cards introduce a more complex way of
offering security, this only means that the individual has more to lose if
a risky situation arises. Imagine if an untrustworthy person was to get
hold of your fingerprints? The consequences seem much greater than if that
same person say was to discover your bankcard pin number.

Which leaves Canadians with a tough decision to make. Should biometrics and
smart cards be used as safety measures?

For more information on this fascinating subject, please see the web cast
of this conference and keep in mind the following questions that were
raised during the conference:

Can biometrics be set up to provide the positive attributes ascribed to
them without falling prey to the potential negative attributes of the
invasion of privacy?

Does society have an obligation to the citizenry at large that over rides
the right of the individual? Did pre digital societies not face similar
issues?

How were they resolved? Is the introduction of biometrics inevitable?

Real Audio Archive of panel discussion available at the following URL:

http://www.pc3village.org/community/newsDetails.cfm?NID=5300&Archive=0


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