9.4 Biometrics on Public-Scale Identification Documents

In this section, a few implications of the public-scale inclusion of biometrics in identification documents are discussed [68]. Such applications aim at verifying whether the bearer of the document is indeed the legitimate bearer and not an impostor that only looks like the legitimate bearer. Although this addition can significantly strengthen the security of identification documents, it must be realized that the inclusion of biometrics in identification documents also entails a certain danger. After all, if the issuing process is not watertight, biometrics will only confirm an illegally obtained identity [69].

An important consideration is that, for the great majority of citizens, the frequency of identification document use, on an average, will be low to medium at best. Taking into account that the FRR tends to increase with decreasing frequency of use, partly due to aging of biometric characteristics and partly due to users never becoming fully accustomed to the biometric equipment, it may be expected that the DOR involved with biometrics on identification documents will not be negligible.

The application of biometrics to identification documents is necessarily compulsory and comprises very large, open user groups that do not experience an obvious benefit from the application. Various approaches can be conceived that look-alikes may use to beat the biometric system and the procedures attached to it. Apart from various types of sabotage, the fact that a nonnegligible DOR may be expected comes to the aid of the look-alike and may cause him or her...