Public service biometrics adoption will drive commercial acceptance

While traveller security has sparked the investigation and even deployment of biometric security systems, there are significant additional gains to be had from the technology that will further drive its market penetration says Tony Volker, practice director: Global Public Sector at Unisys Africa.

The South African government is serious about curbing illegal immigration and is investigating biometric technologies to underpin its efforts.

Local government is also looking into the technology as a means to create an audit trail to curb fraud and financial abuse.

Experts agree that adoption at this level, which is highly likely in South Africa in the near future, will drive adoption in the private commercial sector.

This is a global phenomenon, with the US and many European Union countries in advanced stages of testing and roll-out.

IT biometric security, studying physical characteristics of a person such as fingerprints, hand geometry, eye structure or voice pattern to determine that they are who they or their travel documents claim they are, will greatly assist South African authorities in their efforts to deal with illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries seeking work.

Police spokesperson Ronel Otto reported in the Mail & Guardian in January this year that 2 386 illegal immigrants had been arrested by the South African Police Services (SAPS) since 29 December 2005. Zimbabwe`s Herald reported at around the same time that 100 Zimbabweans on average were illegally crossing the border daily and that the SAPS was arresting 25 of them.

News24.com reported in September last year that immigration officials and MPs described the increased use of fraudulent passports as a crisis and further reported that: "At the national assembly home affairs committee on Tuesday, committee chairperson Patrick Chauke said South Africa was "really under siege by illegals who are coming to the country, acquiring our documents illegally".

The South African government has visited numerous sites around the globe in its viability and return on investment (ROI) examination of the technology.

Biometric technology would be employed through a database of traveller`s details and their document details. Before leaving the country they would register their details with their destination`s foreign office. These would be fed into a database. On arriving at the border that database would be accessed and checked against the electronic documents in the traveller`s possession and against the traveller`s physical features.

Biometric technology also addresses the frequent traveller issue. With increased security levels at many borders, frequent travellers, known to authorities, are forced to spend a great deal of time being interrogated, searched and having their documents checked. Frequent traveller databases could be established to facilitate fast throughput of these people, promoting business in the region.

In the private sector all access control can be handled using biometric technology coupled to existing systems such as radio frequency identification (RFID). Track-and-trace technology can be used, for example, at hospitals. Once a patient`s fingerprint or retina is scanned, an RFID tag is attached to them and all administrators need then do is check a computer screen to see where they are at any given moment. The system works well in sensitive areas, such as at the Koeberg plant in the Cape. Retina or fingerprint scanning technology can keep unwanted people out of sensitive areas and track the movements of all personnel and visitors to the facility. Considering the implications for failure to do so, the cost is negligible.

As the technology matures, so the cost will drop. This has been a sticking point in its commercial adoption to date. But today there are inexpensive solutions on the market and a greater number of organisations supplying the technology.