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User Interaction with Biometric TechnologyBiometrics can be defined by the level of involvement the user needs to provide to be biometrically measured. User involvement with a biometric system falls into two categories:
Passive BiometricsA passive biometric does not require the user to actively submit to measurement. These types of systems are generally referred to as covert . They do not require the user to be aware that he/she is being biometrically measured. These systems are also seen as being invasive to the user's privacy. They are generally used in surveillance applications. For use in a surveillance application, a database of known people must be collected and the system then watches for a matching biometric measurement. These systems are normally greatly influenced by the environment in which they are used. Passive biometrics are more suitable for use in identification systems than in authentication systems. Passive biometrics do not normally provide a single result. Normally, a set of enrolled people is returned, and a human operator makes the final match. Examples of passive biometrics are:
Active BiometricsAn active biometric requires the user to actively submit to measurement. These types of systems are generally referred to as overt . They require the user to be aware that he/she is being biometrically measured. These systems are seen as being supportive of the user's privacy. Active biometrics are generally used in applications that authenticate a user's identity. They work by the user making a claim about who he/she is. The user supplies a user ID or some other unique identifier. The user then provides a biometric measurement in support of that claim. In this case, there is normally a high level of certainty attained as to the user's identity. Active biometrics are not as environmentally dependent as passive biometrics. Examples of active biometrics are:
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