The recent loss by HMRC of personal data on 25 million people would never have happened had the data been protected by biometric security said Mathew James, Managing Director of UK Biometrics Ltd.
It is a view endorsed by Chancellor Alistair Darling (speaking on a recent BBC Radio 4 Today programme) who said:
We need to ask ourselves is how we can ensure in the future that information is not passed on to third parties without the consent of the individual. Using biometric details you can be surer of the identity of the person who is requesting the information
The Home Office insisted that the biometric elements in its database, the electronic fingerprints and facial scans, will keep it secure and proof against identity theft, even if there were to be a major breach and stolen confidential data.
"The biometrics mean that it will be much more difficult to use somebody else's identity, as they will have to provide the correct fingerprint or facial image at the same time. You can't create a fingerprint or a face," said a Home Office spokesman.
Mathew James said:
Biometrics offers the one key that cannot be lost, stole, hacked, forged or passed to an unauthorised person the human fingerprint. The debates about the security of biometric data and of human rights issues are over. To date nobody, not police, security experts or the military has ever been able to recreate an identity from the encrypted data we store. An IT savvy criminal would not even bother trying to hack one of our systems. Biometrics is welcomed by business, schools, the health service, Government and individuals to protect data, buildings and homes. Had the data recently lost by HMRC been protected by biometric technology we could all sleep safe in our beds knowing it absolutely could not fall into the wrong hands.
UK Biometrics latest Second Generation biometric scanners read the fingerprint and sub-dermal ridges returning zero error rates an eliminating spoof attacks (prosthetic or fake fingerprints) using patented multispectral technology. Our challenge today is not developing the technology. The technology is here. Our challenge is to present the facts about biometrics and the unrivalled security it offers. One thing is for sure, biometric technology is here to stay and will impact upon the lives of everyone in the UK, protecting data, buildings and homes as never before.
About UK Biometrics Ltd.
Incorporated in 2004, UK Biometrics is the UKs leading manufacturer and supplier of biometric locks, access systems, time & attendance systems and IT protection. The company has its head office in Newcastle upon Tyne and regional offices in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Swansea, Swindon, NW London, SW London and Dorset. There are plans to open a further eighteen regional offices over the coming eighteen months.
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