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Posted at 1:35 p.m. PDT Friday, September 18, 1998 BR
You Are the PasswordBR
Personal computers can now recognize users BR
by fingerprint, voice and even faceBR
THROW AWAY your keys. Forget your passwords.BR
A new technology called biometrics might soon make these BR
old-fashioned forms of security obsolete.BR
Everything from computers and automated teller machines to cars and BR
even the front doors of homes could ask to check your fingerprint, BR
hear your voice or see your face as a way of proving your identity.BR
These biometrics -- your body's unique characteristics -- could be BR
both more convenient and more secure than passwords or keys.BR
Convenient because you wouldn't have to carry anything special in BR
your pocket or inside your head. Your ``keys,'' which would always BR
be with you, would actually be you.BR
Secure because biometrics can't be copied or stolen.BR
Oh, sure, movies and television shows are full of spies recording BR
and replaying voices or synthesizing fake fingerprints, but even if BR
such stunts are possible in the real world, they require far more BR
expertise and money than simply overhearing or guessing a password BR
or pinching a key ring.BR
There is, however, a privacy question. It's one thing to identify BR
ourselves to our own computers and cars, but do we want large BR
corporations or the government keeping our body measurements on BR
file? There's already a bill before the Legislature that would limit BR
the collection and sale of biometric information. For details, go to BR
the World Wide Web (http://www.sen.ca.gov) and look for Senate Bill BR
1622.BR
I had my first taste of biometrics last week when I installed BR
U.are.U, a $150 fingerprint scanner from Digital Persona BR
(650-261-6070, http://www.digitalpersona.com). And I loved it.BR
The fingerprint scanner hardware is about the size of a mouse and BR
connects to the USB port of a Windows personal computer. You'll need BR
Windows 95 or 98, with support for NT due soon, as well as a Pentium BR
processor and 16 megabytes of random-access memory (RAM). Inside the BR
scanner is a light-sensitive chip, much like those in a digital BR
camera, and on top there's a postage-stamp-size window where you BR
press your fingertip.BR
More light reflects from the ridges on your fingerprint than from BR
the valleys, so the software can quickly see an image of the BR
fingerprint's curved lines. The software looks for the core, or BR
center, of the resulting curves and for the minutiae -- places where BR
ridges end or begin. It then calculates the angles between the core BR
and the minutiae, angles that are the same no matter how you press BR
your finger on the scanner.BR
After plugging the scanner in and installing the accompanying BR
software -- a very quick and easy task -- you choose two fingers BR
that will be used for identification. Then you press those two BR
fingers on the scanner window four times each.BR
Now you can start throwing away your passwords, starting with that BR
log-in password for launching Windows. If your PC isn't asking, by BR
the way, the password set-up was skipped when you or the factory BR
first installed Windows. Instead of typing letters and numbers and BR
then pressing return, you just press your finger for a second on the BR
scanner's window.BR
U.are.U should recognize you immediately and welcome you by name to BR
a new Windows session.BR
The name part is interesting, because you can set U.are.U up to work BR
for a number of people.BR
You can also use the U.are.U software to replace your Internet BR
sign-on and other passwords with the same fingerprint ``open BR
sesame.'' There's even a U.are.U screen saver that automatically BR
kicks in when you don't touch mouse or keyboard for a while, but BR
will revert to regular programming only when the correct fingerprint BR
comes along.BR
Promised soon is more software called U.are.U Private Space, to be BR
included in a $190 deluxe verison, that will let you encrypt any BR
file so it can't be viewed without your fingerprint key.BR
