Computers and technology has been advancing in the last 20 years from building-sized mainframes to smartphones that can tell you the closest restaurant near your location with click of a button and or by the sound of voice. Even as technology is on the rise we still use passwords exactly the same way now as we did when the original Apple Computer was released in 1976, and possibly some of the same passwords also. Within the next few years this may all change. Biometric technologies like voice and facial recognition are gaining a strong foothold in the technology marketplace, and researchers and entrepreneurs are hard at work developing new ways for users to identify themselves to their devices. .
In today's society our lives are computer and technology driven, and with this are growing problems such as identity theft, credit card fraud, and other important information that is stored on your computer and mobile device. We all have many accounts that use multiple passwords on ever increasing amount of computers and websites. It can be really difficult to maintain and manage access while protecting your identity and computers data. Central to all security is the concept of authentication- verifying that the user is who he or she claims to be. When referring to computers and security, biometrics is the identification of a person by the measurement of their biological features such as Fingerprint, hand geometry, Iris, Palm, Signature, Speech, and vascular. For example, a user identifying them to a computer or building by their finger print or voice is considered biometrics identification. When compared to a password, this type of system is much more effective, and more difficult to replicate since it is unique to the person. Biometrics has been around for quite some time but may not have always been recognized. It can be traced to 14th century China, where merchants used children's palm and footprints to distinguish them from one another.
