Biometric signatures get thumbs up at Security Document World

KeCrypt’s presence at Security Document World 2007 immediately attracted the interest of visitors from the Identity & Passport Service of the Home Office.  For the first time they saw how a biometric signature can be 100% secure.

Public Appeal

Now that iris scans have been dropped from the national ID Card project, only facial and fingerprint biometrics remain as being considered ideal for ICAO compliance, compatibility with the passport registration process and use as an EU travel document. 

However it is not at all clear that the public will accept facial and fingerprint biometrics for authentication, or more importantly authorisation, of any other service.

Indeed there is only one common authorisation process being used in Passport and ID card registration to formally acknowledge acceptance by the user.  Namely, a signature.  What’s missing, the experts insist, is that this should be taken as a dynamic signature biometric. 

The natural choice

John Dale, MD of KeCrypt Systems Ltd., has long argued that biometric signatures should form part of the UK ID card programme, and indeed other ID card programmes under development.  As he points out, “The signature is the only biometric to have inherent non-repudiation and to demonstrate legal intent”.

From the interest expressed at SDW 2007, it seems that opinion at the IPS and Home Office may also be moving that way.

It is clear that biometric signatures will not form part of the initial biometric requirements of the card.  However, the signature will be taken at registration anyway in order to legally validate the application - and the signature will be required to be stored as an electronic facsimile.  So capturing it as a biometric at the same time is obviously in the interests of both the users and issuers of ID Cards and Passports.

Signatures getting wider recognition

Increasingly it’s being recognised that as a biometric captured on the ID card, a signature would be ideal for many government and commercial processes.  A signature biometric would have huge appeal to the public in respect of ‘ease of use’ and differentiation from criminal associations.

At SDW it was clear that within the IPS there was agreement that the point of registration would also be an ideal opportunity for storing the signature as a biometric.  They are not alone.  From the Home Office there was also recognition that if the international standards exist, and commercial business shows interest in biometric signatures being on cards, then inclusion would make sense.

System Integrators can show the way

KeCrypt believes there is a great opportunity for System Integrators to show vision, leadership, and differentiation by adopting the recording of signature biometrics at registration – if not for immediate use, then to be picked up later.

Once there is greater appreciation that a biometric signature cannot be forged, there would seem to be little to prevent its adoption as a useful biometric on an ID Card or Passport that would be acceptable by almost everyone.

A Question of Identity

In a feature article published in Biometric Technology Today, John Dale goes into more detail on why dynamic biometric signature verification should be included in national ID Card schemes.

It explains why there is now nothing more secure than a signature. You can view the article here.