14.1 Introduction

Electronic transactions and processes are irrevocably changing the lives of people throughout the world, whether it be at work or in the home. As with the introduction of the letter post and the telephone, increasing interaction with people and systems remotely rather than face-to-face brings new challenges to society. Using the Internet, there are even fewer clues as to the identity of the sender of a message, except for references in the content or context of the communication. Individuals can take advantage of this opportunity for anonymity, or use pseudonymous identities in novel ways that would be impossible without such features of a new medium. However, there are many services that require the recognition of the identities of specific individuals. It is for these services that biometric methods secure automated methods of recognising individuals using a measurable, distinctive physical aspect or action offer the prospect of more secure ways of authentication. Figure 14.1 lists a number of commercially available biometric methods and a selection of those that are currently under development.

There are relatively few ways, using a wholly electronic interface,...