Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Concerns

This report investigates the impacts of biometric verification systems, focusing on the privacy issues that arise from their implementation. It begins with an abstract outlining the report's focus on the advancement of technology, specifically biometric identification and authentication systems, and th...Read More

IMPACTS OF USING BIOMETRIC VERIFICATION SYSTEM AND PRIVACY ISSUES
Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues
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Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 1
Abstract
Advancement in technology is meant to make life easier. When it comes to various systems, it is
meant to make them more efficient, secure than the old systems and above all to uphold basic
human rights. This report, therefore, focuses on the advancement of technology which has led to
innovation and use of biometric identification and authentication systems. Usage of these
systems has raised several issues concerning the privacy of users’ information among other
things. This has resulted in several things including bad attitude towards the usage of the system,
several lawsuits due to privacy issues as covered in the literature review part, trust issues
between employers and employees as covered in this research. Also covered in this research is
the research methodology for the success of the project. Conclusion part covers discussion and
recommendations of issues discussed in this research proposal.

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 2
Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction 3
Purpose of the study 4
Privacy issues concerns 4
Research Hypothesis 6
Literature review 7
Biometric systems compared to traditional systems 8
Research methodology 10
Research timeframe 10
Methods of data collection 10
Data preparations 12
Qualitative data analysis 12
Ethics application 15
Conclusion 16
Results and discussion 16
Recommendations 16
References 17

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 3
Introduction
Due to advancement in technology, there is increased need to beef up security of systems
to be used for the modern day. This has been the drive over the past few years which has made
innovation of more advanced technology that uses physiological traits and behavioral
characteristics for identification purposes. This technology is being applied around the globe for
many applications such as consumer products such as smart-phones, police investigations, smart
firearms, identification card issuance among other applications.
These systems are however not without their fair share of fears and concerns. The use of
these systems raises the question of privacy. The Biometric verification system uses information
regarded as sensitive. A large population, therefore, thinks that this system has already crossed
the privacy boundary and leaves nothing personal for users and clients. As compared to
traditional authentication systems, the latter does not raise privacy issues as the information
required for verification is not considered sensitive in most cases. The traditional authentication
systems, however, suffer much limitations and drawbacks and are considered less secure as
compared to the biometric authentication systems.
This report, therefore, is concerned with examining the impacts of using biometric
authentication systems and privacy issues concerned. It also examines the strengths and weakness
of the biometric authentication systems as compared to the Traditional authentication system.
The risks include hacking, loss of data, forgetting of passwords among others.

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 4
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to understand fully the impact of using biometric verification
systems and the privacy issues raised in this report. Issues raised include the level of security of
these systems, their protection to human rights, security of users’ information and the
acceptability of the systems by various people for various applications.
Privacy Issues Concerns
Biometric systems come with monitoring of people’s activity as a measure to beef up
security. This, however, may work in a negative way and therefore give rise to privacy issues.
Biometric systems will give a record of all the people who did a certain activity such as login
into a computer. Some researchers think that the monitoring of employees in this manner is
healthy for the security of the organization and also the system itself. Other researchers argue
that employers need to consider the morale of the employees which will be affected negatively.
Monitoring is perceived as a privacy invasion when it is not directly related to the performance
of employees. Monitoring, therefore, brings about privacy issue which is a concern of this
research (Carpenter, McLeod, Hicks & Maasberg, 2016).
Employees may have vulnerability perceptions regarding their personal biometric data.
This perception is brought about by the feeling that the personal data obtained from them may be
compromised. Employees without much control over the publication of their personal
information may feel more vulnerable than those with greater control over the publication of
their information. Feeling vulnerable will lead to hesitation in giving out biometric information
of the employees or any other person that is required to provide his or her biometric data
(Carpenter et al., 2016). Procedural fairness will make sure that the employees' data is protected

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 5
from compromise and that may give employees and other users of the system some sense of
security.
Attitude is a privacy issue that may affect the acceptability of the system by various
parties. Attitude can be described as the mindset in specific circumstances that can be
categorized as beneficial or harmful and good or bad. Attitude is formed by the person's
significant perception regarding another person, a circumstance or in this case the biometric
verification system. This is brought about by being sensitive to share information, security
practices put in place among other related issues. People who perceive threats from any system
will have a bad attitude to such a system and thus will develop resistance to its usage. On the
other hand, procedural fairness in systems will lead to a good attitude towards the system and
thus a smooth running in an organization (Carpenter et al., 2016).
Employees distrust is another privacy issue that may arise in using the biometric systems
in a company. Employees may feel insecure about providing their biometric data to the
employer. This may be brought up by the fear of the personal data being used in an unintended
way. For instance, biometric data obtained from a person may be integrated with information
sourced from other devices so as to track someone. This distrust may also be brought about by
the fear of mismanagement of employees’ data by their employers. This may be a big drawback
for the biometric verification systems to be put in place where many employees feel the
employer is not trustworthy with their personal data (Carpenter et al., 2016).

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 6
Research questions/Hypothesis
There exist several research issues that need to be clear about the biometric
authentication system by the end of this project. These issues are related to the usage of
biometric verification system and the impact the system has in different fields throughout the
world;
I. Privacy issues inhibit biometric verification system acceptance.
II. Personal information saved in the biometric systems can be compromised.
III. Traditional authentication systems are more secure than biometric authentication
systems.
IV. What are the risks of using biometric verification systems?

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 7
Literature review
There have been renewed concerns regarding privacy and security of information due to
the recent data breaches. One billion records were compromised in the year 2014 due to major
data breaches that amounted to 1500 (Benitez, Pattinson, Bordonada & Bordonada, 2018). This
affected much population around the world which triggers the question about the safety of
personal data. There have been several privacy intrusions that have been recorded in the
literature available which raises more concern about privacy. The data breaches that have
happened in the recent past may not be directly related to biometric verification systems but
affect the population that is being served by these systems.
Here are some examples of privacy intrusion that has happened in the recent past that
involves access to personal data without consent. The Chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard found out
that there information leaks in her organization in the year 2006. She hired a team of experts to
hack into mobile phones of the board members of the company in order to determine where the
information was leaking from in the same year during the month of September (Jennings, 2006).
In the year 2011, Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid discontinued its publication due to privacy issues in
the United States. The publication was popularly known as “News of the World”. It was stopped
due to the public outcry with claims that its reporters were obtaining sensitive information from
unsuspecting people through hacking of their mobile phones (Kofman & potter, 2011). This and
many similar occurrences have worsened the distrust among various system users, for instance,
employer and employees in a company that has embraced the usage of systems in their daily
operations. Cases of employers being faced by lawsuits are bound to increase according to a
report written by Anna S. Knight and Patrick J. Castle on February 7, 2018. More than 50

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 8
companies in Illinois face a lawsuit under the act protecting the biometric information provided
by employees to a company (Knight & Castle, 2018). This has also happened in many parts of
the world and it is bound to increase with the rate at which the technology is being adopted
around the world (LaMance, 2018).
Biometric systems are considered safer than traditional authentication systems that make
use of passwords and other access codes. Some researchers think otherwise as they argue that
passwords are safe as long as one does not give it out. These researchers argue that one’s
physiological traits can be stolen easily. Physiological traits such as fingerprints can be obtained
from a person on an occasion that one holds something such as a glass of water. An image of a
part of the body such as an ear of a person can also be captured clearly and used to access
information without consent (Glaser, 2018).
Biometric Systems Compared To Traditional Systems
Traditional verification systems have served people for a long period of time to meet the
need for identification and verification. The advancement in technology has however shown that
the verification process can be done in a whole different way and that is where the biometric
identification and verification comes in. The previous systems use several steps of identification
where one inputs the username and the password and may also be required to verify using a
mobile phone number and to also activate the account. This is a long process to follow
considering that for a system using biometrics need only a thumb to perform the verification
(Clark, 2015).

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 9
Use of password has been useful for a long time and also the cases of hacking into one’s
account have been rampant. Biometrics systems take care of this security concern. This is
because it is hard to copy one’s physiological traits unlike passwords (Clark, 2015).
The biometric system is convenient and fast to perform verification action. This lessens
the time one used to take to verify oneself in the previous systems. It also brings convenience as
one is not supposed to cram passwords for various sites or carry identification documents
whenever in need of a certain service.

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 10
Research Methodology
Research Timeframe
This research will take a maximum period of three weeks as summarized in the table
below.
Period Activities
1st week -choosing of a suitable company to research on.
-Designing of questions and printing of questionnaires.
-preparation of equipment needed.
-Briefing of all participants
2nd week -distribution of questionnaires.
-conducting interviews.
-conducting observations.
3rd week -compiling of data.
-processing and analysis of data.
-presentation of findings.
Methods of data collection
Both primary and secondary data will be used for this particular project. Different
methods of data collection will be applied in order to collect reliable and useful data. One of the
methods to be used will be the administering of questionnaires. Questionnaires will be designed
to collect data from different fields where the system is used widely. This will include companies

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 11
that use the biometric systems for security purposes. The questionnaires will be filled by both the
users of the systems and the clients served using the biometric system. Questions designed will
be free to text format. Both closed and open-ended types of questions will be applied regarding
the type of information being collected. This will give room for one to express what he feels
about the biometric verification and privacy issues. Questionnaires will also include general
information questions for the general public who are neither served nor operated the biometric
systems.
For the population that will not be in a position to fill out the questionnaire, face to face
interview will be conducted. This will collect primary data from the operators of the system and
also the population being served by the system. Interview questions will be designed to protect
the identity of the respondents and the companies. Information regarded as sensitive will be
avoided in order for the respondents to feel comfortable in taking part in the interview. The
interview will also give room for supplementary questions to clarify issues that may require one
to elaborate further (Paradis, O'Brien, Nimmon, Bandiera & Martimianakis, 2016). An example
of the type of question to be asked by the researcher to the respondent is, "how comfortable are
you with giving out your personal information to be saved in a biometric verification system for
the company you work for?”
Personal observation will be another source of primary data. Observation is key to
studying people's behavior and their relationships (Paradis et al., 2016). This will help in
determining how various system users feel about the system and how they relate with it as much
as privacy issue is concerned. This type of data collection method will involve observation of
activities where the biometric verification system is being used. The researcher of this method of

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 12
data collection will be involved in determining patterns of the system users, the efficiency of the
system in serving the users, users in relation to the system.
Textual and contextual analysis will be used as a source of both primary and secondary
data. This method will be used to investigate the experiences and perspectives of various people
who have used the system. This will involve those who have had a chance to interact with both
the traditional verification system and the biometric verification system. It will also involve a
collection of document data to aid in the overall results of the research (Paradis et al., 2016).
Documented data may involve books, journals, websites, articles, and other relevant materials.
Data Preparations
After the data has been collected from the previous steps, it is taken to an office for
processing purposes. Data processing involves many activities and there exist various application
softwares to aid in processing. A good example of software that can be used includes ONS and
ADQ software. Data cleaning will also take place in this step as a preparation for analysis
purposes
Qualitative Data Analysis
Data analysis is an important activity in every research. This activity typically takes place
simultaneously with collecting data. It may also take place in an office to organize the data that
has been collected so that it can be easy to interpret and present. There are five steps for
analyzing qualitative data that will be used in this particular research (Cirt.gcu.edu, 2018).
The first step is familiarizing oneself with the data collected. Data collected will be
diverse and appear in many forms such as pictures, observations, symbols and words. The

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 13
researcher here will take time to understand the data collected by looking for the meaning of
terms in data collected, writing down of impressions and determining the value of pieces of data
Cirt.gcu.edu, 2018).
The second step of this process is to focus the analysis on the research questions. The
questions include those in the hypothesis section of the report and any other relevant information
that may have been left out in the hypothesis formulation. There are two approaches to go about
this where the first approach answers the question by event or by time period. The second
approach focuses on the analysis of data relating to a particular individual or group (Cirt.gcu.edu,
2018).
The third step will be the indexing of the data which is also known as coding. This
involves the categorizing of data and therefore creating a framework. In this step, the researcher
will be required to identify themes that may consist of ideas, interactions, concepts and behaviors
related to this research. Codes or indexes are given to data which makes it easier to organize and
also retrieve (Cirt.gcu.edu, 2018). This enables provision of a framework that is guided by the
research question. Coded responses will be easily analyzed by computer software such as
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) or Statistical Analysis System (SAS) (Mani,
2018).
Identifying patterns in order to make connections is the next step in the data analysis
process. This step builds on the third step where the work of the researcher will be to identify
themes, find the significance of the responses collected and examining the relationship of themes
to data sets. The main aim of this step is to find explanations. There exists QDA software that

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 14
helps in the organization of data which will be used for this particular research (Cirt.gcu.edu,
2018).
The final step in the analysis of data involves the interpretation and explanation of
findings. The researcher will attach the significance and the meaning of data for the core purpose
of the research. Here the researcher will be expected to create diagrams, organize important ideas
and finally use models in explaining the findings of the research (Cirt.gcu.edu, 2018).

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 15
Ethics Application
This research will be done in accordance with the law and research ethics that upholds
human rights of people participating in research. Participants of this research will be adults who
have interacted with the biometric verification systems in a company and members of the general
public willing to take part. Briefing of participants will take several minutes to few hours in the
first week in the research timeframe at their workplace as they carry on with their duties.
Research will be done in an already established organization and therefore no additional
resources will be required. All participants will be required to take part in providing information
willingly. Information regarded as sensitive will not be sought for in this research and the
participant will be at free will to answer or decline any question. The identity of the participants
and the company will be protected as part of upholding research ethics (Greaney, 2018).
Researchers will be briefed about all the information above and will be required to do this
research in the most professional way. Risks associated with this research are minimal for both
the researchers and the participants and therefore, no special training will be required. The
research will be beneficial to the society as there will be a deep understanding of how the
biometric verification systems are used and how the security of information can be improved
(Greaney, 2018).

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 16
Conclusion
Results and Discussion
Results of this research will be presented and handed over to the necessary bodies once
the research project is complete. This will be after critical examination of data and analysis to
make sure the data does not contain errors that may compromise facts of the data.
Recommendations
In order to build trust between employers and employees concerning management of the
employee's personal information, I recommend that companies using the biometric system to the
public their privacy policies. This will build trust and eliminate the fear of personal data being
compromised. Procedural fairness will make sure that the employees' data is protected from
compromise and that may give employees and other users of the system some sense of security
(National Research council, 2010)
It is also my recommendation that people make effort to know about privacy policies of a
company before signing up for anything that requires them to disclose personal information that
is regarded as sensitive. By doing this, users of the biometric systems will be well informed and
there dismiss any fear that may exist.
Formulation and enforcement of acts that protect personal information will minimize
privacy issues associated with the usage of biometric systems (LaMance, 2018). Advancement in
technology is happening at a fast rate than the development of law that it should abide by. This
can only be done by the authorities that have not yet put any action in place.

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 17
References
Benitez, P., Pattinson, N., Bordonada, M., & Bordonada, M. (2018). Record data breaches in
2014 teach important lessons - Gemalto blog. Retrieved from
http://blog.gemalto.com/blog/2015/01/27/record-data-breaches-in-2014-teach-important-
lessons/
Carpenter, D., McLeod, A., Hicks, C., & Maasberg, M. (2016). Privacy and biometrics: An
empirical examination of employee concerns. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(1), 91-
110. doi: 10.1007/s10796-016-9667-5
Cirt.gcu.edu. (2018). Analyzing Qualitative Data - Center for Innovation in Research and
Teaching. Retrieved from
https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/research_ready/qualitative/
analyzing_data
Clark, B. (2015). The History of Biometric Security, and How It’s Being Used Today. Retrieved
from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-history-of-biometric-security-and-how-its-
being-used-today/
Glaser, A. (2018). Biometrics Are Coming, Along With Serious Security Concerns. Retrieved
from https://www.wired.com/2016/03/biometrics-coming-along-serious-security-
concerns/
Greaney, A. (2018). Research ethics application: A guide for the novice researcher. Retrieved
from

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 18
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221743358_Research_ethics_application_A_gu
ide_for_the_novice_researcher
Jennings, M. M. (2006). WHY DO SMART BUSINESSPEOPLE DO ETHICALLY DUMB
THINGS? Corporate Finance Review, 11(3), 38.
Knight, A., & Castle, P. (2018). Employers Face a Rise in Biometric Privacy Lawsuits -
Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.workforce.com/2018/02/07/employers-face-rise-
biometric-privacy-lawsuits/
Kofman, J., & Potter, N. (2011). Rupert Murdoch's News of the World Accused of More Phone
Hacks.
LaMance, K. (2018). Biometric Laws | LegalMatch Law Library. Retrieved from
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/biometrics-laws.html
Mani, U. (2018). module1researchmethods2010_tcm77-189669 (1) | Survey Methodology |
Census. Retrieved from
https://www.scribd.com/document/148803889/module1researchmethods2010-tcm77-
189669-1
National Research council. (2010). Cultural, Social, and Legal Considerations. In Biometric
Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities. (pp. 85-115). Washington DC: National
Academies Press.

Impacts of Using Biometric Verification System and Privacy Issues 19
Paradis, E., O'Brien, B., Nimmon, L., Bandiera, G., & Martimianakis, M. (2016). Design:
Selection of Data Collection Methods. Journal Of Graduate Medical Education, 8(2),
263-264. doi: 10.4300/jgme-d-16-00098.1