An HS Daily Wire conversation with Walter Hamilton of the International Biometrics Industry Association (IBIA)

modality stand out above the others?

Hamilton: It simply can’t be said that one technology is superior to another. There are so many variables to every application and target environment that choosing a technology is a very deterministic process. Once you do decide on a type of biometric modality, the next step is to answer the question, what vendor and what model of product within that vendor’s product line best fits my requirements? There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all biometric technology. To say so would be misleading.

DW: Would it be true to say, the more protections, with the use of multiple types of biometrics, the better?

Hamilton: Well, more is certainly better than less, as a general rule. But there are cost tradeoffs to consider. Imagine this scenario. Your employer — a very big bank — decides that certain information stored on your office PC is very sensitive. Since the bank can’t risk having this data compromised or falling into the wrong hands, it wishes to define a protocol. When you log in, you must authenticate that you are the person you claim to be. Since the bank believes that passwords aren’t secure, biometrics will be used.

Let’s further assume that there are 10,000 bank employees, each of whose computers, whether it be mobile, desktop, or whatever, is to be equipped with a biometric sensor. The bank believes that iris recognition is an extraordinarily accurate biometric technology, and an iris camera can be installed at a price of $500 per computer. However, a fingerprint reader costs only $50. You could use both types of sensor devices attached to the computer, and require the user to present both a fingerprint and an iris sample to the respective sensors. Or, you could choose the single technology that is most accurate. Or, you could choose the single technology that is least expensive.

The question suggests itself, what are the chances of an imposter trying and succeeding to match a specific user’s fingerprint and getting into a computer? For fingerprint technology, the statistical probability of that occurring is about one in 10,000. One can reasonably assume that the chance of an imposter gaining access to the system by way of the iris of the eye is about one in a million. If you use both technologies in combination, the statistical chance of an imposter gaining access would be exponentially more unlikely.

While iris technology may be superior