Biometric Technology: A Brief History

In recent years, rapid technological advancements have made it possible for companies to adopt and create business models that integrate digital tools into their processes. Along with the benefits given by the shift to digital comes the risk that might come from hackers who will exploit the technology to their advantage.

This is why enterprises are continually investing in robust cybersecurity solutions for fraud prevention. Numerous digital security measures have been introduced in recent years, and biometrics is becoming the trend in many industries for its reliability.

Although the development of modern biometrics started during the 1960s, the first notable use of biological data for identity validation began during the late 1800s. That is when Frenchman Alphonse Bertillon developed a system wherein facial features, along with tattoos and scars, are recorded for verification when needed. The bertillonage, as Bertillon’s method was called, was later abandoned and replaced with fingerprints.

Fingerprints were widely used as a form of verification and signature back then. But in the 1860s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pushed to automate the process of fingerprint identification. Along with the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), the first digital fingerprint scanners prototype was introduced in 1975.

Further research by the government and private organizations has significantly improved biometric technology. These researches gave way to the development of face and voice recognition technology. Also, the rise of smartphones in the past decade led to the breakthrough of using biometrics for mobile identity verification.

In 2013, industry leaders allied to promote biometrics for identity validation, slowly making knowledge-based credentials a thing of the past. Known as the Fast Identity Online (FIDO), the alliance has released guidelines and specifications to authenticate consumers in online services easily.

The identity verification solution of LoginID is FIDO-certified and will help ensure a high level of digital security for a business.