Report: Biometric ID Technology "Inherently Fallible"

A new report from the National Research Council claims that biometric identification technology isn't quite as powerful as movies would lead us to believe (not that we did anyway, right?). However, the researchers went so far as to say the technology is "inherently fallible."

According to the report, no single trait has been identified that is both stable and distinctive across the various categories of biometrics, including fingerprints, palmprints, and voice and facial recognition. The researchers called for further exploration of the science of biometrics to improve the technology's effectiveness.

"For nearly 50 years, the promise of biometrics has outpaced the application of the technology", said Joseph Pato, chair of the committee that wrote the report and a technologist with HP Labs in Palo Alto. "Bolstering the science is essential to gain a complete understanding of the strengths and limitations of these systems," he said.