Research

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications

Many social and legal issues surround the field of biometrics since by its very nature, the technology requires measurements of human physical traits and behavioral features. Co-operative and uncooperative users, user psychology, dislike of intrusive systems, backlash at public rejection by a biometric sensor, and privacy concerns are some of the myriad of issues that will be thoroughly studied to advance the field of biometrics. The Center in partnership with the University at Buffalo's Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy will address the growing interest in Biometrics among the government, industry and the lay public. The scientific community must be an engaged participant in debate on ethical, legal, and social issues. Lawmakers are proposing huge investments in the development of such systems without the necessary science, engineering and ethical, legal, and social issues being completely investigated. We believe that CUBS is ideally positioned to present such a forum and fill this existing void.

By automatically incorporating biometric data that cannot be observed or processed quickly by the individual (e.g., bone structures, fingerprints, voiceprints), biometric technology can lead to automation of establishing identity and categorizing individuals. Two questions arise. Firstly, can these automated technologies process the biometric information without the biases and errors introduced by human cognition? Since biometric devices can use a wider range of information and can rapidly identify correlations or spurious data, they may actually synthesize the information faster and more efficiently. Secondly, and conversely, do these automated processes incorporate and magnify human errors and biases? Research on these issues will be the foundation for legal regulations to meet ethical concerns.

We will focus on three primary research questions:

1. To what extent are existing regulatory frameworks sufficient to protect the individual from authoritative abuse of privacy, property, and self-expression rights?
2. How is scientific innovation made acceptable to the public outside university and corporate settings?
3. What new data from social sciences will enhance technical performance of biometric devices?

Some IBM notebooks allow users to logon using a fingerprint scanner. Will cell phones be next?