As Biometric Scanning Use Grows, So Does Security Risk

Without you necessarily realizing it, your unique attributes — or “biometrics” — are being used to verify your identity.

 

Every time you unlock your smartphone, use a fingerprint scanner at the airport, or upload a photo with facial recognition to Facebook, your physical attributes are scanned and scrutinized against a template.

 

The use of biometrics has exploded in recent years, with companies ranging from 24-Hour Fitness to NYU Langone Medical Center using this convenient technology to identify their customers.

 

By 2019, biometrics are expected to be a 25-billion-dollar industry with more than 500 million biometric scanners in use around the world, according to Marc Goodman, an advisor to Interpol and the FBI. Newest to the scene, Wells Fargo this fall will begin offering a smartphone app with biometric authentication for corporate customers — making all their financial information just an eye scan away.

 

Read More: As Biometric Scanning Use Grows, So Does Security Risk – NBC News